Puncturing the myths - telling the truth about the Second World War

by Gus Hall

This article was reprinted from the November 25, 1995 issue of the People's Weekly World. For subscription information see below. All rights reserved - may be used with PWW credits.

(The following -- part of our continuing series on the 50th anniversary of World War II -- is the second of three installments of remarks delivered by Communist Party National Chairman Gus Hall to an Oct. 29 luncheon honoring veterans of the wars against fascism.)

Today, many question how it was possible for the Soviet Union to do the impossible -- to beat back the most formidable and ferocious war machine in history? Because saving their socialist homeland was a sacred mission. That mission, the "Great Patriotic War," cost the new socialist nation 22 million lives, destruction of thousands of cities and towns, of farms and crops and the ruin of many basic industries.

The Soviet Union was forced to fight for survival and to build socialism under the most adverse circumstances -- revolution, then civil war, World War II. The Soviets were forced to defend their socialist homeland against the armed might of capitalism and imperialism.

Lies about the role of the Soviet Union saturated the reporting of the war. And, after the war the lies continued. Big Lie anti-communism was behind most of the post-war actions of the capitalist nations. With the breakup of the Soviet Union and the crisis of socialism, Cold War anti- communism was supposed to be over.

Not for U.S. imperialism. Not as long as one socialist country still exists.

The total obliteration of existing socialism is still the elusive goal of the United States. It is the motive behind the blockade to strangle socialist Cuba, the slander against socialist Vietnam and the threats of a new war against North Korea.

Why all the myths and lies about the war?

Because fascism is capitalism in the raw, in its most naked form.

Because fascism is capitalism stripped of all its human rights and bourgeois democratic trappings.

The monopoly corporations were the foundation, the roots, of fascism. They made their biggest profits under fascism.

Georgi Dimitrov's description of fascism is still the clearest and most accurate:

"... fascism in power is the open terrorist dictatorship of the most reactionary, most chauvinistic and most imperialist elements of finance capital."

Thus, fascism is corporate rule by destroying unions and workers' rights.

Fascism is rule by brute force, the open terrorist rule of state-monopoly-capitalism.

Fascism is the elimination of all forms of democracy.

Fascism is the replacement of all democratic forms with a reign of terror, with a regime of political repression.

Fascism is the outlawing of all political parties, especially the complete annihilation of Communist Parties.

Fascism is mass murder, racism and anti-Semitism.

All in defense of capitalism, corporate America and corporate profits.

In Germany, it was the smashing of all trade unions, the mass murder of Communists, the Holocaust genocide of 20 million Jews. The ultimate, all-consuming aim of fascism was to destroy socialism and to enslave the world under the Nazi boot.

The capitalist countries responded in contradictory ways because the monopoly corporations were, to one extent or another, in agreement with many of the aims of German fascism.

They agreed with the aim of destroying socialism and therefore with Hitler's anti-Soviet policies. They were in agreement with the policies of destroying the trade unions.

They were enthusiastically in support of destroying Communist and socialist parties. They saw the need to destroy democratic forms because they also feared any kind of people's power.

Certainly corporate America was no stranger to racism, anti- Semitism, anti-unionism and anti-communism. It was only when German fascism became a threat to their corporate national interests that they turned against Germany.

During the prewar period and during the "phony war," world imperialism, including monopoly circles of the United States, England and France, saw the fascist axis as the shock troops in the struggle to destroy socialism. In fact, the monopoly circles of the United States, England and France encouraged and financed the buildup of the forces of German and Italian fascism.

These were policies of appeasing fascism. These policies were a reflection of their common basic class interests.

These policies, based on antagonism toward the Soviet Union, reflected the basic contradiction between the two main classes -- the capitalist class and the working class on a world scale. As German fascism grew stronger, its appetite grew bigger. It became a challenge to its imperialist rivals.

The United States, England and France were literally forced into an anti-imperialist, anti-racist war. It was one of those rare moments in history when national interests superseded class interests. However, this did not make these capitalist countries anti-imperialist or anti-racist.

When Hitler attacked the first country of socialism the war was qualitatively changed from a defense of bourgeois democracy into a war to save revolutionary socialism. That is why the Soviet Union seemed to summon up superhuman strength and resolve. The newly born Soviet Union was not about to surrender its new workingclass power or abandon the world to the likes of Hitler or the fascist axis.

With the victory over fascism, the pre-World War II Europe- based capitalist world was shattered. The old colonial empires were smashed and many new countries began to turn towards socialism.

At the same time, however, U.S. imperialism was able to take advantage of its post-war strength and immediately began to rebuild the capitalist countries, with U.S. imperialism as the central core.

The capitalist world was re-structured behind an aggressive policy, under a NATO umbrella. U.S. imperialism was out to build a worldwide anti-socialist, anti-liberation movement coalition, under its leadership. The war against Vietnam and Korea, and all the other acts of interference and aggression were part of this policy.

What is the truth about some of the post-war lies?

When the war was over the United States, Great Britain and France set up special agencies, with a secret mission and plenty of money, to buy new identities, to hide, and transport thousands of Nazi war criminals to friendly countries for safe keeping.

In our contemporary, post-cold war world, the class struggle rages on. Capitalism is in crisis the world over. Socialism is beginning its comeback, especially in the electoral arenas -- in Hungary, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Slovenia, Poland, eastern Germany, the Ukraine, Lithuania and other former Soviet republics. And, of course, South Africa.

Once again, the resurgence of socialism and Communist parties is striking fear in the hearts of world capitalism. Thus, the ideological war against socialism continues. And the rewriting of world history is an integral part of that ideological war.

It is a massive propaganda and disinformation campaign to erase all historic memory of the Soviet Union as an ally, as the decisive force in defending democracy and civilization against Hitler-fascism. In the United States, it is very important to unravel the historic myths, to expose them and explain them because in so doing we undo the lies.

Especially today, as the trade union movement turns toward a more militant, united, class struggle direction, the working class needs to know its historic role as the most advanced force in society.

With a new, progressive, leadership, labor will take its place in the forefront of the fight against the vicious Contract on America, in the forefront of all the social and political movements of the day. These class struggles will prepare the working class for its future role as the final liberators of humanity from capitalist exploitation, oppression, racism, poverty and war.