'Why do all left wing revolutions end up as oppressive dictatorships?'

Why do all left wing revolutions end up as oppressive dictatorships?

My very right-wing father asked me this on Facebook, after I shared a post praising Ho Chi Minh. I just thought I'd keep a log here of the response that I sent him. It's a bit of a ramble.

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Oppression and tyranny are FAR more associated with capitalism than socialism. It is always implemented by brutal, totalitarian regimes. Think Pinochet, Suharto, Batista, etc etc etc etc etc. All the at behest of the US/western capital. Colonialism never really ended.

And capitalist empires led to two world wars!!!

What exactly are these totalitarians implementing? A monopolized system of corporate control that destroys the environment, lives, the food we eat, etc; all that matters is quick profit; you get extreme exploitation, inequality, as the few steal all the wealth from the many, and buy the government, and just generally wreak havoc on the world. Not sure you noticed, but a handful of men now have more wealth than the bottom 50%! Meanwhile, 1 billion go undernourished. God knows how many thousands die every day thanks to capitalism’s imperialism, poisoning of food/nature, and inequality. (Not to mention how many will die from pandemics thanks to capitalism’s inability to prepare for and cope with them!).

There’s very little democratic about any of it. It’s oligarchy.

Those who resist this system here end up in prison at worst (see Assange), or suppressed/smeared by media at best. Revolutionary movements in the colonized global south that resist; that seek to end their oppression and empower their people, are likely to end up sanctioned/starved, bombed, and/or attacked by US-backed mercenaries etc. They are incredibly courageous for resisting, but it is obviously very difficult to set up a new system from scratch, (and made much, much more difficult by that constant imperialist threat). There will obviously be very varied results as people try and recover from, often centuries, of colonial rule. It’s trial and error, and a constant struggle. 

What is the alternative to resistance? That everyone in that perpetually exploited global south just allow themselves to continue to be subjugated by US-installed dictators, for the benefit of western corporations? That everyone in the US just accept a life of misery working in Walmart, earning barely enough to survive (as the fruits of their labour go to wealthy shareholders), with a choice between two identical, bought-off political parties to ‘choose’ between every few years, neither of which give a damn about them? That people get so depressed and hopeless that there’s an epidemic of suicide, and 1% of the adult population turn to crime and end up incarcerated, (as in the US)? All profitable for the prison industry through! That’s all that matters in this system. This is your definition of ‘democracy and freedom’?! It is freedom for a wealthy elite few, that is all.

The UK and other capitalist states developed via centuries of colonialism and tyranny. NOT via democracy!!! And we only achieved any kind of decency for our society by constant resistance to capitalism from social movements. The NHS, worker’s rights, etc, weren’t just given to us out of the kindness of capitalism’s heart.

Others want to develop via socialism. What socialist Cuba has achieved is amazing. Cuban people have built their own society, rather than being dictated to and exploited by an oligarchy under the thumb of the west. As a result, they eradicated illiteracy almost overnight, they have free healthcare, they have a higher life expectancy than the US, etc. And they send doctors around the world, not bombs. And they’ve achieved all this despite constant oppression - economic blockade - from the US. 

I think most people ultimately would just like a mixed economy with a strong public sector and a government that truly represents the people, to ensure everyone has a decent life, and to prevent monopolisation, corruption, tax avoidance, extreme inequality, imperialism. Worker-ownership of industry (cooperatives) is probably the best hope for preventing all that, and this is the kind of socialism that most socialists in the developed world are calling for today, but many really are just calling for a Finland-style social democracy. Neoliberal ‘centrist’ extremists won’t even allow that. Market fundamentalism of Thatcher, Reagan, Clinton, Blair ruined us.

Why is it exactly that you are so desperate to deny rights to people and to keep them oppressed, exploited and colonized? To argue that this = democracy, is the most Orwellian thing ever.

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His response: Can’t beat a good ramble to avoid answering the question

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And I replied with...

I did answer your question:

‘There will obviously be very varied results as people try and recover from, often centuries, of colonial rule. It’s trial and error, and a constant struggle’. 

It would be good if you could stop this gaslighting and be honest with me and with yourself. Just say it - you have always supported the western neo/colonization of the world, and those who dare to resist that global tyranny, are inhuman to you. Even when a country, like Venezuela, sticks with a multi-party system, you support all imperialist efforts against it. Disgusting.

And we both know that you are seeking to draw equivalence between colonial, totalitarian/fascist capitalist dictatorships, which destroy millions of lives for the benefit of a few, and sovereign, one-party socialist states like Cuba and Vietnam, that are (FAR more so than any kind of capitalist state) run by and for working people. It is horrific to equate these. 

You are unbelievably indoctrinated. I really don’t know why you keep trolling.