From 1947 until 1991, the United States of America waged a civilizational struggle against communism that came to be known as the Cold War.
In those days, communism was like a four-letter word. It was considered a bad thing to be a communist. The enemy threat doctrine studied by our military and intelligence was Karl Marx’s “Communist Manifesto” and the toxic economic and political doctrine built upon it by Lenin, Stalin, and Mao. In the name of communism, these men would go on to become among the biggest mass murderers in human history.
America fought wars in Korea, Vietnam, and other hot spots around the world to hold back the tide of rising communism. It won some and lost others, but eventually our economic, political, and military efforts discredited communism and brought down the Soviet Union. The only remaining outposts of communism were China, North Korea, and Cuba.
During the Cold War, not only were American schoolchildren taught that communism was nefarious, but new recruits to the military who had traveled to communist countries had to provide a complete explanation for the reason for their visit. Sometimes they were denied security clearances if their explanations were unsatisfactory.
But in the post-Cold War world, America has grown soft, specifically soft on communism. One in three millennials tell pollsters they support communism, and 30 percent of Generation Z does the same. It’s no surprise. Increasingly, anti-American indoctrination occurs for students as early as grammar school, with students force-fed cultural Marxist concepts such as Critical Race Theory.
For generations, we were taught that Marxism was evil. And it is. The toxic ideas of Marx were responsible for greater human misery and more death than any political ideology in the history of Western civilization. Today, schoolchildren and college students are being taught communist doctrine and are often unaware that this is what they’re being taught.
Horrifically, our military leaders are now also force-feeding soldiers under their command with these same doctrines, not as they once studied communism in order to defeat it, but to emulate it.
We thought we had rendered communism to the ash bin of history. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. In fact, fundamental principles of communist ideology are now rife in American society and culture—from our colleges and schools, the news media, and corporate America, to the entertainment industry in Hollywood, and the political left. Communist mobs in the form of Antifa and Black Lives Matter are wreaking havoc in the streets of our cities.
Fortunately, there is a glimmer of hope, thanks to the work of elected officials on the state level.
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida recently signed into law legislation that requires students in Florida schools to be taught that communism is a totalitarian system that conflicts with the founding principles of the United States. In other words, Florida is working to restore the views routinely taught in schools across America for decades.
Soon after the Florida bill was signed into law, the Arizona House of Representatives passed similar legislation that requires that schools provide students with anecdotes about the brutality of communism conveyed by the stories of the many people who fled communist oppression. That bill now moves to the Arizona Senate.
Every state in America needs to mandate that our young citizens learn about the evils of communism. Communism should be thought of in the same light as Nazism. The hammer and sickle should be regarded with the same loathing as the Nazi swastika. Those who would wear T-shirts and display posters portraying Mao and Che Guevara should be viewed with the same disgust as those who would praise Hitler.
Unfortunately, we can’t depend on Washington to take the lead. Cultural Marxism has embedded itself in our federal bureaucracies and even the military. The states must lead, and Americans must encourage their state officials to do what’s right.
After the second Punic war in ancient Rome, Carthage—Rome’s archenemy—had been, they thought, decisively defeated. But revered politician Cato knew better, and ended every speech, no matter the subject, with the same words, “Carthago delenda est”—Carthage must be destroyed.
America once believed it had defeated its greatest enemy. We were wrong.
Communism delenda est.
Christopher Holton is a senior analyst and director of state outreach at the Center for Security Policy.
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.