Western support for dictatorial regimes

Western leaders love tell how they care about democracy. Business people cry that they love the free market and a free society. In reality those capitalists never loved freedom of speech for those who oppose their free market dystopia. A perfect example are those white businessman who started to talk with the black leaders of the South African; ANC, at the end of the cold war. Those white South African capitalists were the ones who kept the racist; South African regime running. But after major foreign businesses left the nation, they knew that the end of apartheid was coming. The black leaders ( and one white leader ) of the African National Congress promised not to fight for socialism. Satisfied by the ANC promises, the capitalists forced the racists in South Africa to abandon apartheid. Yet it took until 1994 before the white dominated bourgeoisie, allowed the ANC to participate in elections.   

South Africa is just one of many nations that were immorally wrong during the Cold War. Apartheid was a racist ideology and very close to the racial politics of the nazi's. Apartheid is a Dutch word and means separation of races. In South Africa it meant that black people were not allowed to have important functions. All leadership positions within the state were giving to white people. Black workers were giving a lower salary and could not enter area's that were ''reserved'' for members of the white race! 

Apartheid ruled from 1948 till 1994. The main party responsible was the National Party of South Africa, a conservative nationalist party. When it was formed in 1915, South Africa was a British colony. The British imperialists were racists and regarded the black people as inferior, it was very common for white people to think that way in the early 20st century! 

In 1910 the Union of South Africa was founded as a dominion of the British Empire. The British did nothing to end apartheid when it was introduced by the National Party in 1948. Why? Because South Africa was a important ally in the war against anti-colonialists. National liberation movements were created in the 1950's to combat the forces of colonialism in South Africa. Most of them were left-wing and marxist leninist ( stalinist ) in character! 

Yet in 1961 the Union of South Africa left the British Commonwealth and became the Republic of South Africa. Free from British influence, the apartheid regime could now do anything it wanted. For example they kept control over Namibia and refused to grant it independence. But it was the support of western governments and big money that kept South Africa alive. Its anticommunist government was a good ally in the wars fought against ''communist'' guerilla groups! 

While western European nations praised democracy and human-rights, their governments were arming and aiding the apartheid regime. The eastern European nations opposed apartheid and were supportive of the African National Congress led by Nelson Mandela. This led the South African government branding the ANC a ''terrorist'' organisation and Mandela was send to prison in 1962. He remained in prison for 27 years! 

The ANC and the South African Communist Party fought a armed struggle against the white regime in South Africa. The USA branded the ANC as a ''terrorist'' organisation because of its attacks on white civilians. At the same time the apartheid regime was killing black people and jailing thousands, those actions were not deemed terrorist by the USA. The anticommunist Americans called the ANC, a ''communist terrorist group'' and put it on their terrorist list. It remained there until 2008. That kept apartheid alive, the millions of dollars that were giving to the white regime. In return the South Africans would support the USA against ''communist'' nations!

Two right-wing dictatorships supported by western nations during the Cold War were South Vietnam and South Korea. Those two Asian nations were created by the USA and not popular by leftists. South Korea was founded in 1948 as a anticommunist autocratic regime. It was led by the corrupt Korean; Syngman Rhee, who was already expelled from the Korean government in exile for abuse of power! 

Rhee was the perfect candidate for US imperialism. He was corrupt, anticommunist, conservative nationalist and pro-USA. For two years Syngman Rhee and North Korean leader; Kim Il Sung were bullying each other. Finally Kim Il Sung made the first move against South Korea. With 250.000 soldiers the north attacked the south. It seemed that Korea would be reunited under the banner of stalinism. But US imperialism would not let that happen. With the support of anticommunist nations and most of western Europe, they went to South Korea to aid Syngman Rhee!

While Seoul fell to North Korea, Syngman Rhee fled to the south. In the famous Bodo League camps, the guards were told to kill the prisoners. More then 150.000 to 200.000 opponents of Syngman Rhee were executed. The South Korean government later told that the North Koreans killed the prisoners and the western world believed them. Although leftist groups told the true story, they were ignored by the western media. Only in 2005 did South Korea came forward and took responsibility! 

With the aid of anticommunist nations, South Korea was able to reconquer its territory.  Syngman Rhee soon became absolute leader again. He remained in power for another seven years. In that time, North Korea became stronger and economically better. It was the only moment in time were North Korea surpassed South Korea both in military and economy. After a violent student demonstration against corruption and dictatorship, Syngman Rhee was flown to the USA by a CIA plane! 

The new military rulers of South Korea would remain in power until 1987. Many leftist would be arrested and tortured by the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, the KCIA. The National Security Law still makes it able for the government to arrest people who oppose the government. Like in 2011, when 8 members of the Socialist Workers League of Korea were arrested for praising socialism and opposing capitalism! 

South Vietnam was founded in 1954, after Vietnam was divided between a stalinist north and a capitalist south. In the north, Ho Chi Minh build the ''Democratic'' Republic of Vietnam and purged the nation of capitalists and rich landowners. In the south, the capitalists and the rich landowners remained in power. Their political puppet was Ngô Đình Diệm, a roman catholic and anticommunist. Diệm was offered to become prime minister of the ''Vietnamese'' Empire by the Japanese occupiers. He regretted that he rejected the offer. But his time came when America needed a strong anticommunist leader in South Vietnam! 

Ngô Đình Diệm became powerful in 1954, when 200.000 catholics and anticommunists moved to the south. Many feared the ''communists'' and their atheist politics. Those refuges made him a star in South Vietnam, as he made himself the ''leader of free Vietnam''. Indeed the catholic Vietnamese were the biggest supporters of Ngô Đình Diệm. But the nationalist left-wing hated him! 

While Ho Chi Minh was in full control in North Vietnam, Ngô Đình Diệm had a lot of problems in the south. His military was not always loyal and he had to fight two religious sects who both had private armies. Organized crime was also a major problem. 

Around 1963, the USA had enough of the weak; Ngô Đình Diệm. Like Syngman Rhee, the USA felt that a military government would serve imperialism better. So the US imperialists and the South Vietnamese military staged a coup against the president of South Vietnam. Ngô Đình Diệm was arrested and shot in a armoured transport. After his execution, the military took control of South Vietnam. 

On April 30 1975, the Republic of Vietnam ceased to exist. The nation was overrun by the People's Army of Vietnam. Left-wing rebels of the National Liberation Front took power and a year later both north and south Vietnam were united in the ''Socialist'' Republic of Vietnam. The fall of South Vietnam was a major defeat for US imperialism and global capitalism. The Vietnamese people were able to defeat the corrupt South Vietnamese military and their American allies in a long and bloody war! 

50.000 American soldiers died to save the militarist government of South Vietnam. Those soldiers were told that they fought for democracy and human rights. Many veterans of the Vietnam War remain loyal to that great lie. More then 1 million Vietnamese left the nation after the war. Many of them went to the USA were they spread the illusion that South Vietnam was the better of the two Vietnams. They fly the South Vietnamese flag and claim it stands for democracy and freedom of speech. Yet Vietnamese who are left-wing are hated and called ''communist traitors''. Freedom of speech only for anticommunists, we see it in South Korea! 

US president Eisenhower greets his fascist ally 
Franco, dictator of Spain and killer of 200.000 people

Struggle, Solidarity, Socialism

Struggle, Solidarity, Socialism