Comment by Intermernet | Hacker News Reader

Comment by Intermernet | Hacker News Reader

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Please note, I'm not arguing your overall point, I agree with it completely. This comment is really just nit-picking over terminology.

I'm pretty sure that Stalin has been post-categorized into the "Left-Wing" camp as he stood for "Socialism".

That one label is about the only thing about Stalin that could be classified as "Left-Wing". There has been an enormous amount of jostling amongst all "Left-Wing" political parties (globally) since then in order to differentiate themselves from Stalin.

"Socialism" is now very different from Stalin's view of it, just as "Liberalism" has now been watered down to mean anyone who isn't on the extreme right.

Arguing left vs right is not the way to view this problem. Seeing through the emotive labels and debates, and analyzing the actual behaviour will show you that personal power is the driving motivator, not any political ideology.

According to Plato "The measure of a man is what he does with power". Most of our world leaders at the moment aren't measuring up.

> This comment is really just nit-picking over terminology.

I agree that terminology in this area is very, very messed up. That's largely because the terminology has been used as a tool to gain and hold power, rather than as a tool of clear communication--Stalin being an obvious example.

>> "Socialism" is now very different from Stalin's view of it

Didn't released documents after 1989 show that most of the West European communist parties took orders directly from Moscow/Stalin?

IIRC, it was a big shock that the reason the Italian communist party was so reasonable after WW II was because it was orders from Moscow. (Stalin wanted to split Europe in two.)

I remember that the Swedish communist party used to be staunch Stalinists until Moscow told them he was wrong. Is that where the different view of Socialism came from? :-)

(The Swedish communists (SKP/VPK/V) claim to have stopped taking orders in the 1960s and have been critics of Soviet since 1989.)

Considering that Stalin died in 1953, it's improbable that he had any influence on the communist parties of Europe during the 80's.

I'd also refrain from conflating the "communist" parties from Europe with "Socialism", despite the obvious, ideological connections. Times had changed, labels were still being re-used.

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