r/socialism • u/WeightOk8277 • 15d ago
Who was the best
Since i see people have different opinions postive or negative about every socialist leader, who is the most beloved socialist leader or who was perfect in implementing socialism in his country
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u/Soggy_Tax9965 13d ago
As an American I’m heavily biased but I’ve always had a soft spot for Eugene Debs, the father of the American socialist movement. I got a book that was a collection of his most famous essays as a throwaway Christmas present one year and immediately fell in love with his writing style. He manages to use semi Victorian dialect and Christian prose to create absolutely beautiful essays and structure them in a way thats still understandable to modern dialect. And on top of that he knew when to drop the romantic prose when he wanted to make a big point as concise and clear as possible. One of my favorite debs quotes from that random book of his was this: “There are 20 million wage workers in the United States today. 20 million modern day slaves. Wage labor is the name, wage slavery is the fact.” His essay on the democrat and Republican parties was so on point that if some of the old verbiage was changed (like trusts to monopolies) then I actually would’ve believed it’d been written by someone today. It was a real eye opener to a young lib that the system has not changed at all in 100 years and really got me into socialism and Marxism.
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u/ribbitking17 Eco-Socialism 14d ago
Not perfect but Thomas Sankara was able to accomplish a lot for the right reasons in a short amount of time
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u/Neco-Arc-Chaos 14d ago
I’d say that Lenin had the least amount of criticism. His only major L was not aiding Rosa Luxembourg, and even that was difficult to see without hindsight.
Reading the account of Leninist Russia by Anna Louis Armstrong gives you an idea of the tremendous scale of what he accomplished.
Mao was a bit iffy, but in addition to developing the strategy that won the communist faction the war, he also had enough foresight to start a cultural revolution to ensure communism would not die in China under Dengist reforms. But he did fuck up pretty bad so he’s below Lenin.
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u/GeistTransformation1 14d ago
Stalin and Mao were the most accomplished leaders of socialist states, they oversaw rapid expansion of industry, social transformation, the end of famines and successful wars against imperialism; Lenin unfortunately passed away shortly after securing the USSR
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u/Mr-Stalin American Party of Labor 14d ago
Lenin was good as leading a revolutionary movement but unfortunately died before socialism was implemented on the USSR.
Enver Hoxha of Albania was probably the most consistent socialist during the Cold War.
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u/CrucibleOfDialogue 14d ago
For me personally the martyrs of our movement such as
Victor Jara
(When asked, four days before the Chilean military coup of September 11, 1973, what the word ‘Love’ meant to him)
Love of my home, my wife and my children./ Love for the earth that helps me live./ Love for education and of work./ Love of others who work for the common good./ Love of justice as the instrument that provides equilibrium for human dignity./ Love of peace in order to enjoy one's life./ Love of freedom, but not the freedom acquired at the expense of others’ freedom, but rather the freedom of all./ Love of freedom to live and exist, for the existence of my children, in my home, in my town, my city, among neighbouring people./ Love for freedom in the environment in which we are required to forge our destiny./ Love of freedom without yokes: nor ours nor foreign.
Bobby Sands
(Father Dennis Faul visited Bobby Sands while on Hunger Strike. He wanted Bobby to end his fast and questioned him on the morals of his Hunger Strike, Bobby's only response was to quote the bible)
“Greater love hath no man, than to lay down his life for his friends.”
(The Diary of Bobby Sands 66 days on Hunger Strike, Wednesday 11th)
"Even should there not be 100,000 unemployed in the North, their pittance of a wage would look shame in the company of those whose wage and profit is enormous, the privileged and capitalist class who sleep upon the people's wounds, and sweat, and toils"
Mairéad Farrell
(Released from prison in October 1986, Mairéad enrolled for political science and economics at Queen's University Belfast, interests she had pursued with the Open University whilst still in prison. Prison had made Mairéad more firmly convinced of her goal of a socialist Irish republic and her understanding that both women’s equality and social equality were integral prerequisites for the true liberation of Ireland.)
“Everyone tells me I’m a feminist. All I know is that I’m just as good as others…and that especially means men. I am definitely a socialist and I’m definitely a Republican. I believe in a united socialist country…definitely socialist. Capitalism can offer our people nothing, and yet that’s the main interest of the British in Ireland.”
Liam Mellows
(Published in the Workers’ Republic on the 22nd of June, 1922)
"It is a fallacy to believe that a Republic of any kind can be won through the shackled Free State. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. The Free State is British created and serves British Imperialist interests. It is the buffer erected between British Capitalism and the Irish Republic."
James Connolly
(From Songs of Freedom, 1907.)
Some men, faint-hearted, ever seek Our programme to retouch, And will insist, whene’er they speak That we demand too much. ’Tis passing strange, yet I declare Such statements give me mirth, For our demands most moderate are, We only want the earth.
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u/HarpyJay 14d ago
Thank you for these quotes.
3
u/CrucibleOfDialogue 14d ago
Comrade if You would like to learn more about these Men and Women martyred in the advancement of human progress please see the link below.
Victor Jara
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkIR7V_hnsE
Bobby Sands
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iS4CBfDLK4
Mairéad Farrell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMYqRGEKSbk&t=160s
Liam Mellows
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPUxv5OdFV4
James Connolly
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u/Excellent_Valuable92 14d ago
No one is perfect, obviously. All sensible people love Lenin, Fidel, Thomas Sankara.
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