Demons, or the pie of socialism? The changing role of ideology in communist totalitarianism Cover Image

Běsi, nebo piroh socialismu? Proměnlivá role ideologie v komunistickém totalitarismu
Demons, or the pie of socialism? The changing role of ideology in communist totalitarianism

Author(s): Josef Mlejnek
Subject(s): Politics, Government/Political systems, History of Communism
Published by: Ústav pro studium totalitních režimů
Keywords: totalitarism; communist regimes; mass repretion

Summary/Abstract: The study focuses on the role of ideology in totalitarian communist regimes. It examines the extent to which ideology can be regarded as a static or dynamic element and raises the question of to what extent ideology restricts political leaders and to what extent political leaders of communist states can use ideology arbitrarily, primarily doing so through the example of V. I. Lenin and his relation to the viability of the socialist revolution. The study also points out the contradiction between the declared goals of communism and the political practice of the dictatorship of the proletariat. It deals with the surprising proximity between the vision of communism and the genre of science fiction. The study also focuses on the pseudo-religious character of communist totalitarianism and its implications for the nature of totalitarian communist regimes and their policy of mass repression.

  • Issue Year: 2015
  • Issue No: 26
  • Page Range: 12-36
  • Page Count: 25
  • Language: Czech