The Legacy of Communism: Poisoned Minds and Souls

Abstract

Discusses the communist system, based on an èlite Party and the privileged nomenklatura which executes its orders. An ubiquitous secret police, whose tentacles reach into the most private spheres of the citizens, kills any opposition in its bud. The people are constantly indoctrinated with Marxist‐Leninist ideology which also justifies the total power of the Party. The ideals of egalitarianism and open‐ended social obligation, inculcated from early childhood on, led to “apathy, indifference, and the disdain of honest work” (Shmelev) as well as widespread dishonesty. The population was kept ignorant by hermetically sealed borders and subjected to constant humiliation. Advancement depended not on hard work, but on Party loyalty. Laws served only a decorative function. The mafia has flourished under these conditions, once clandestinely, now for all to see. The result is a moral vacuum, a spiritual and physical decline of the citizenry who, unfamiliar with self‐responsibility and freedom, feel threatened by change.

Citation

Tamedly Lenches, E. (1993), "The Legacy of Communism: Poisoned Minds and Souls", International Journal of Social Economics, Vol. 20 No. 5/6/7, pp. 14-34. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000000523