Revolutionary Democracy in Ethiopia: The New Trajectory of Totalitarian Thinking

By Muktar M. Omer
Jan 21, 2013
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The tyranny of Ideology IN an absorbing book, “The Devil in History”, Romanian-American political scientist Vladimir
Ismaneau embarks on a comparative analysis of two seemingly contradictory ideologies of the
20th century  – Communism (far left) and Fascism (far right)  – and finds striking similarities
between these systems of political totalitarianism. With polymathic virtuosity, Ismaneau illustrates communism’s close affinity with fascism by examining the “intellectual origins, political passions, radicalism, utopian ideals, and the visions of salvation and revolution” these two radical movements espoused and pursued. The Devils in History: The most notorious tyrants of the 20thcentury: Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Joseph Stalin  Communism and fascism share a dogmatic vision of social  re-engineering to be achieved
through a “scientific” political formula. Communism’s ultimate destiny was the attainment of the
dictatorship of the proletariat which supposedly emancipates mankind from all forms of
exploitation.  Fascism envisioned an  epoch of racial  purity (Hitler) or national splendor
(Mussolini). Both  ideologies dehumanized their adversaries. Both are founded on the  premise
that certain groups or ideas  must be deservedly excluded or obliterated. In Bolshevik Russia,
functionaries of the Tsarist regime, the clergy and rich people were categorized as  “byvshie
liudi” (the former people)  and were excluded from the “new” Socialist order.  Stalin  killed 20
million people in the name of Communism.  Nazi Germany systematically slaughtered or
deported Jews and other “subhuman” races.Continued