The flags of Cuba and Venezuela
In 1823, President James Monroe, considered the last president of the founding generation, famously issued a declaration stating that further colonization by European powers in the Americas would henceforth be considered a threat to the safety of the United States. For its part, the United States would not seek to possess any existing European colonies in the region. The goal of this declaration was to stop new colonization by European countries. While this declaration did not have any enforcement mechanism behind it, the Monroe Doctrine, as it came to be called, remained largely complied with and remains a tenant of American foreign policy today.
While the Monroe Doctrine was largely successful in stopping the spread of European colonization, it couldn’t stop many of our neighboring countries from embracing forms of government contrary to the United States’ founding principles. Instead of governments with checks and balances, with power largely in the hands of the people, and with the liberty and dignity of the individual being respected, many countries turned towards authoritarian governments.
Socialism
Many countries in Central and South America, as well as countless others around the world, have fallen victim to socialism. This form of government has negatively affected hundreds of millions (or likely billions) of humans around the world. There is a lot of confusion about what socialism is and is not.
The most common definition of socialism is that it is an economic model that gives the government ownership of the means of production and control over the distribution of goods in a given society. But like all forms of government, socialism has a historic record to look towards when assessing its effectiveness. This record shows nothing but failure.
One reason socialism is appealing to some is confusion over its relationship with communism. Karl Marx, the founder of communism, used the terms “communism” and “socialism” interchangeably in his writings. Marx considered socialism the first or lower phase of his utopian communist society. Eventually, Marxist communism was established with the complete abolishment of private property, which Marx believed could only be accomplished through a violent, worldwide revolution.
While communism is the violent ideology in whose name over one hundred million humans lost their lives, police states were created, and all the horrors of totalitarian government realized, at least for its advocates, socialism is the far more benign “fair and equitable” governing model whose benefits outweigh its failures. History proves this thinking incorrect.
Every communist is a socialist. While it can be said that not every socialist is a communist, history shows that socialism leads towards communism, or at the very least, a government that becomes increasingly totalitarian, meaning a government that isn’t satisfied with only having control of peoples’ actions but also of their thoughts and beliefs. Vladimir Lenin said plainly, “The goal of socialism is communism.”
But what is the best definition of socialism? I prefer the one articulated by Paul B. Skousen in his work, The Naked Socialist: “Socialism is government force to control and change society.” He goes on to say the one main goal of socialists is to put themselves in charge. That’s it. Socialism seeks to control as many aspects of peoples’ lives as possible. It is not just a simple economic theory over the ownership of the means of production that rivals capitalism. It starts with control of the economy and continues until complete control over the individual is accomplished.
Skousen discusses other pillars of socialism, each of which runs contrary to America’s founding ideals: There is always an all-powerful ruler, usually an individual, but sometimes a small group. The government picks society’s winners and losers, not the merit of the individual. Equal results, not equal opportunity, is an aim of socialism, no matter how harmful those results are. The government can regulate anything, from what one eats to one’s career to the number of children one is allowed to have. Force is a constant fear factor in socialist societies to make the population comply. Information is tightly controlled, with only government-authorized “truths” allowed to be uttered publicly. There is a constant disparagement of anything old, including a country’s history, and the glorification of the socialists’ “new” ideas. Finally, only individual rights that don’t threaten the controlling power are tolerated, and these rights are constantly changing based on the whims of the government.
Americans don’t have to look very far to see the failures of socialism. The plights of Cuba and Venezuela should serve as a warning for all Americans.
Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez
Cuba
Located just ninety miles off the coast of Florida, Cuba has struggled for freedom throughout its history. Under primarily Spanish rule from 1511 until a few years after the end of the Spanish-American War in 1902, Cuba briefly became a democratic society in the early 20th Century.
In 1952, Cuba was controlled by a despotic ruler named Fulgencio Batista. While aspects of the Batista regime can’t be defended, the average Cuban did far better economically, and the Cuban nation was far more open to the world than what came in 1959. That was the year Fidel Castro overthrew the Batista government. Like every socialist dictator, Castro came to power making no shortage of promises about a better life for the average Cuban that never materialized.
One of Castro’s first steps was to seek revenge on those loyal to the former government. It is estimated that he executed between 3,000 and 5,000 members of those in positions of power during the Batista years.
While initially trying to curry favor with the United States government, including visiting then-Vice President Richard Nixon in 1959, Castro’s relationship with the United States fractured early. After an explosion on March 4, 1960, of the French freighter La Coubre in the Port of Havana that killed up to 100 people, Castro blamed the United States for the tragedy without evidence. He was already in the process of expelling United States companies from Cuba.
Fidel Castro was an educated lawyer who did not immediately declare any allegiance to socialism or communism. However, another member of Castro’s revolution, an Argentinian medical school graduate named Ernesto “Che” Guevara, never hid his support for a worldwide communist revolution. Guevara proved to be Castro’s willing executioner, supervising the killing of hundreds by firing squad at Havana’s La Cabana prison, whom Castro and Guevara perceived as traitors to the revolution, as well as ordering the torture and mock executions of many others.
As Cuban relations with the United States deteriorated, Castro turned to the Communist Soviet Union, the other world power of the day. Seeking to gain a foothold in the Western Hemisphere, the Soviets were happy to establish a relationship with Castro. First pledging to support the Soviet Union during a speech at the United Nations in 1960 and then declaring Cuba a socialist country on May 1, 1961, the Cuban people began life under the rule of a ruthless dictator. Cuban socialism has functioned under the Communist Party ever since.
Castro shut down churches and businesses and imposed ideological purity tests on average Cubans to show their allegiance to his government. Like most socialist governments, there were some marginal improvements at first, but these quickly gave way to the economic realities of socialism. Cuba became one of the poorest nations on Earth, an unfortunate reality that remains true today.
While some try to portray Cuba as having a good education system and a first-world health care system, neither of these perceptions is the reality. Castro did improve literacy rates on the island. The goal of his program was not to improve the lives of the average Cuban but rather to give his regime the ability to have its propaganda read by more people. Information, especially from outside Cuba, was and is tightly controlled.
As for Cuban health care, there is one facility in the country used by the governing class and foreigners that has some modern technology and medicines. Every other facility in Cuba is sub-standard and lacking in basic supplies.
Cuba is a police state that denies its people any civil or fundamental human rights. Although it’s challenging to access accurate figures, it is generally accepted that tens of thousands of Cubans were executed for political reasons during Castro’s rule. It is believed that hundreds of thousands more Cubans were imprisoned for so-called crimes against the state or even the most minor offenses, including such indiscretions as taking a tip from a foreigner.
Because of the Castro government, it is believed tens of thousands of Cubans died trying to flee the country. Again, accurate figures are difficult to obtain, and the actual number will likely never be known. Owning a boat is illegal in Cuba because the government knows it will be used to leave the island.
Fidel Castro died in 2016, leaving a legacy of death, poverty, and millions of ruined lives. His personal net worth was estimated at $900 million, money he stole from foreign aid and the Cuban people. The Castro family remains in control of Cuba today. The country remains a police state.
Venezuela
Before 1999, Venezuela was a functioning democracy with a stable economy and a reasonable standard of living for most Venezuelans. All of that changed with the election of Hugo Chavez. Chavez, who came to power with a socialist agenda, asked for just two years to improve the country. His grip on Venezuela continues today, even after his death.
In short order, Chavez turned the wealthiest country in South America, with the largest oil reserves, into a failed state. He expelled international corporations from the country, instead substituting his government’s control over the entirety of the economy, including implementing disastrous price controls on products. The result produced shortages of power, water, food, and other basic needs. The average Venezuelan suddenly had to wait in food lines for hours to survive.
Those with wealth and the means to leave the country did just that. It is estimated that as many as two million Venezuelans left after Chavez took power, taking their wealth with them. The wealth gap exploded. There is virtually no middle class in Venezuela. There is still a small elite class connected to the government that gets its needs taken care of while most other Venezuelans live in poverty.
Venezuela has become one of the most dangerous countries on earth. Violence and murders rose dramatically after Chavez took over. Civil society broke down in much of the country.
Chavez turned to his mentor and friend in Cuba, Fidel Castro, for assistance throughout his rule. Castro contributed by counseling Chavez on how to hold on to power. Chavez controlled the military by bribing them to follow orders, silenced all those who opposed him, made sure the average citizen lived with some degree of fear, disarmed the population, and most importantly, used propaganda to always blame some outside influence for the troubles of the country.
Hugo Chavez died a billionaire in 2013. Like Castro, he was a classic socialist dictator who hoarded and stole wealth for himself while making everyone else suffer. His vice president, Nicolas Maduro, took control of the country that he still rules today. Nothing in Venezuela has gotten better.
Maduro is every bit the dictator that Chavez was. There are no civil rights to speak of, as journalists get jailed if they dare report honestly about the condition of the country. Like Cuba, accurate figures are difficult to obtain, but thousands – and more likely tens of thousands – of Venezuelans have been killed by government forces loyal first to Chavez and now to Maduro for “resistance to authority.” Prisons are overcrowded and inhumane.
To keep control, Maduro sends a paramilitary group called “colectivos” to various neighborhoods to keep order. These are armed thugs loyal to Maduro who use fear and violence against the citizenry.
Food and utilities remain in short supply. A 2016 study found that seventy-five percent of the population lost weight due to a lack of food. When food is available, the government elites always get it first, leaving whatever is left for the rest of the population. The country remains poverty-stricken, and those with the means and ability to do so have left.
Venezuela remains a failed socialist state and a humanitarian disaster. When the individual and the dignity of human life are no longer respected and the whole of society falls under the reign of those whose goal is to seek power above all else, great suffering follows.
As stated by Venezuelan Giannina Raffo, who fled the country in 2016, “Socialism not only takes away from people the access to basic food and medicines but also creates an environment in which life is worth nothing.”
Venezuelans have suffered under the rule of Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro.
Don’t Be Fooled
Socialism is the ultimate fool’s gold. This is true whether it operates under the banner of communism or “democratic socialism.” Democratic socialism is the idea that, essentially, there are no natural or God-given rights for the individual; rather, government institutions should be in charge of all aspects of a person’s life because these institutions were established through democratic means.
Some use the Scandinavian countries of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway to represent model socialist societies. This is a fallacy. These countries have market-based economies with private enterprise, private business ownership, and competition that requires businesses to respond directly to the needs of consumers. What they all share are high taxes, not just for wealthy individuals but for everyone. For instance, the average Danish citizen pays 50% of their income in taxes while earning 15% less and having 27% less disposable income after taxes than the average American citizen. Denmark has a top personal income tax of 57%.
Scandinavian countries realize that for the government to give its citizens public benefits such as “free” health care and education, these benefits must be paid for. Capitalism and free markets create wealth, so Scandinavian countries encourage the opening of new businesses through lower regulations. Without new wealth being created, the Scandinavian model would fall apart quickly. This is why Scandinavian countries are wise to avoid socialism.
Whether it is India’s move towards capitalism in the 1990s or even Communist China allowing more market-based reforms through “free enterprise zones,” it has been capitalism, not socialism, that has grown the middle class and lowered poverty rates throughout the world. According to a report by the World Bank, the number of people globally who lived in extreme poverty (those living on less than $1.90 per day) dropped by over one billion people between 1990 and 2013. This is because of less socialism worldwide, not more.
Socialism appeals to the young who haven’t studied enough history or haven’t been taught about its true record of death, poverty, and the devaluation of human life. Socialism begins as just a bad economic policy that, once implemented, becomes difficult to eradicate. It ends far closer to the totalitarian police state that represents the horrors of the human experience.
Americans are blessed to have had founders wise enough to create a country where the liberty and dignity of the individual are bedrock principles of the nation. However, Americans must remain vigilant for this to remain the case.