Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep444-sa See below for timestamps, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc. 0:00 - Introduction 3:10 - Marxism 30:55 - Anarchism 45:52 - The Communist Manifesto 54:51 - Communism in the Soviet Union 1:14:45 - Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin 1:24:33 - Stalin 1:31:48 - Holodomor 1:45:38 - The Great Terror 1:58:39 - Totalitarianism 2:09:40 - Response to Darryl Cooper 2:24:49 - Nazis vs Communists in Germany 2:31:11 - Mao 2:36:19 - Great Leap Forward 2:43:20 - China after Mao 2:48:52 - North Korea 2:52:56 - Communism in US 3:00:26 - Russia after Soviet Union 3:11:57 - Advice for Lex 3:19:39 - Book recommendations 3:22:38 - Advice for young people 3:29:29 - Hope *CONTACT LEX:* *Feedback* - give feedback to Lex: lexfridman.com/survey *AMA* - submit questions, videos or call-in: lexfridman.com/ama *Hiring* - join our team: lexfridman.com/hiring *Other* - other ways to get in touch: lexfridman.com/contact *EPISODE LINKS:* Vejas's Courses: www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/vejas-gabriel-liulevicius Vejas's Books: amzn.to/4e3R1rz Vejas's Audible: adbl.co/4esRrHt *SPONSORS:* To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts: *AG1:* All-in-one daily nutrition drinks. Go to lexfridman.com/s/ag1-ep444-sa *BetterHelp:* Online therapy and counseling. Go to lexfridman.com/s/betterhelp-ep444-sa *Notion:* Note-taking and team collaboration. Go to lexfridman.com/s/notion-ep444-sa *LMNT:* Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix. Go to lexfridman.com/s/lmnt-ep444-sa *Eight Sleep:* Temp-controlled smart mattress. Go to lexfridman.com/s/eight_sleep-ep444-sa
" I'm living in a silent film Portraying Himmler's sacred realm of dream reality ..." Bowie. Quicksand. Someone read the lyrics, given the whispers concerning his politics. What's all that about ?
I haven't listened to the (evidently marvelous) podcast yet, yet I would view Western Christian liberalism as inherently out of the ordinary in its vehement individualism and anarchism. From that point, both Germany and Russia will seem collectivist, but in a way, all non-liberal ideologies, from Islam to Confucianism, will look likewise. - Adûnâi
30:30 "Marx's chief rival" was not Bakunin, but his fellow Die Freien. Max Stirner. 3/4 of German Ideology is 'reffutation' of Stirner's Der Einzige und sein Eigentum
Hard hitting and perfect timing. Even just hearing the man speak in the opening was enough to spark interest and intrigue in what he has to say. Thank you.
Since rogan has been really shitting the bed podcasting lex has taken the top spot for me with guests. I mean lex has just been the best podcast since he started podcasting but still bumping rogan off the shelf for me is a feather in the cap
Joes pushed himself into a corner, because now, hes so big he doesnt want to blow anyone up unless they deserve it in his eyes. Agreed whenever he has comedians on i just can't watch it. Probably watch joe once a nonth now. Havent really been into his podcasts.
Agreed. No interested in hearing Rogan talk to comedians and MMA people anymore. Lex gets great interviews, but communism is such toxic bullshit, I have to bail from this one early.
Agreed that's why there's been great reforms in places like Florida that remove the nonsensical socioeconomic theories of the secular woke cult/religion. With that said it's important to distinguish between religions/cultism and our shared Faith. Our society is solidly built upon the Western Canon and atop that hierarchy of work sets The Word of God/The Bible. This not only makes the Bible true but the foundation of truth itself. The sacredness of God's Word/The Bible marks the beginning of the collection of knowledge that's allowing us to have this conversation on every level.
@@RlsIII-uz1kl Unfortunately the Bible has been written/rewritten/edited/re-edited by men. The truth of a Creator is all around us, in everything and every nation. The road to the Creator is a personal path of understanding Creation, personal responsibility for one's own actions (whether directly or by influence) and respect for fellow humans. The Ego is not consciousness. The Ego is built out of all the bits and pieces of accumulated experience of a lifetime. Consciousness is everlasting.
@Agapanthah God's knew what would happen and has blessed the Church/the called out/the elect with the ability to discern truths from lies and destructive form of indifference cloaked under subversive terms like equity diversity inclusion etc. We've watched the rise of transnationalism socialism/globalists socio-fascism (Third Worldism), and through this agenda, a secular religion/cult emerged. This secular religion/cultism is known as woke cultism/religion in the United States. It has its own version within every allied nation that differs somewhat, but all are built upon Hegelianism.
Dude this is my new favorite channel.... Very deep conversations on very deep subjects. I thought I knew something about something before. Now I know that I barely know anything.... I want to learn, I want to know. Keep it coming.
He's not commercial free anymore, which really pisses me off, but the collection of conversations on this channel are a true education. I try to steer people here, but it has to be a personal choice, and most people simply don't have the presence of mind to seek knowledge. So it's also nice to have a little sense of community here among Lex's viewers. Welcome.
From the name and surname I guessed that he is lithuanian, and I was right! That's so cool to see lithuanians on your podcast, kinda feels acknowlegeble ;D
Regarding why the communists failed so much on agriculture, and particularly why famine occurred in the 30s (also the 20s with Lenin for the same reason), the point of lack of incentive cannot be stressed enough. Even before the land was snatched, grain quotas were set by both Lenin and Stalin which didn’t establish minimum thresholds of grain, but inversely only allowed so much grain to be kept by the farmer and the rest taken (not sold) by the state. The grain was essentially plundered, and thus the next season successful farmers reduced their intake to basically nothing so as not to have their work taken away from them. These successful farmers had been called kulaks as a derogatory term for wealthy (peasant) farmers. The result of this was famine as one can imagine grain production was destroyed. Lenin’s response was creation of the NEP - New Economic Policy - and allow the peasant farmers to sell on an open market. Stalins response was to accuse the farmers of hiding the grain and get local mobs to kill, ban, and imprison these farmers which, as you can imagine, killed any notion of anybody trying to be more productive than anybody around them. Also it’s important to note the lack of successful farmers left to work the land after they had been dekulakized. This part of history is shamefully unknown in the west, and I myself have only learned it recently. For the sake of respect to the millions upon millions who died for this idea, I implore any reader of this post to find Robert Conquests “Harvest of Sorrow” and read it. The first paragraph of the prelude will justify its importance, over and over and over again.
Robert Conquest was not a serious historian but a cold warrior propagandist he is the author of many of the false factoids how about Soviet history (like the 100 million deaths, a totally invented figure) that unfortunately have become common "knowledge" in the West. In 1972 the guardian disclosed that he had learn the ropes of the trade as part of the Information Research Department (IRD) colloquially known as the "Communist Department" , a informational war and propaganda bureau of the British secret service tasked with the creation of narratives to demonize the red enemy and galvanize support for anti-communism. And this is what he did the rest of his life, the Pinnacle of his work was the fear-mongering "What to do when the Russians invade, a survivalist handbook" published just before the USSR collapsed.
I'm Chinese American, highly recommend NYT Bestseller Jung Chang's autobiography on Mao, it's so intense & real, he killed so many people... I had to take some short breaks during reading, in order to calm myself down from all the evil he did to the poor Chinese people, it was so overwhelming & insanely cruel. Imagine my grandma got killed in the Culture Revolution & my parents grew up in such an awful period of time in human history, the Chinese people were treated like animals by their own leaders, worse than how Americans treat their dogs... I'm a dog owner, & my dog literally lived better than my parents did growing up in China back in the 60s.
@@redaerf2b414 Nah, I'd say Churchill was British, different race from Bengal, so kinda racism in it... Mao was killing his own people, Chinese killing mass Chinese, like Emperor killing his own subjects at free will, just to secure his own power. Remember, Chinese culture has no caste system, so this type of killing even in Chinese own thousands history was rare, usually the Emperor did this would get assassinated or rebelled, but Mao lived to die naturally at very old age. He was a master of playing this power game, very cruel & smart. So it'd be more like a Bengali Sultan killing hundreds of millions of poor peasant & well literate Bengali people to secure his ruling power, & even killed his own high gov't officials to prevent them from taking him over & his own family members to make them all obedient... It was sick...
The talk highlights the importance of reading the primary source material and learning of the history of the time and place where ideology is born. People bat around ideological terminology and use it as labels to discredit each other so no one listens to one another as a tool to discredit with next to no knowledge of what the reality is behind the labels. It’s such a good reminder to actually put in the work, and read just to be on even footing and not be taken advantage of by manipulation.
Оба моих деда прошли Вторую Мировую,одна из моих бабушек блокадница.Вторая бабушка перенесла на себе все "прелести" антисемитизма советской эпохи .Мои родители не по наслышке знали,что такое быть "пропесоченными на партсобрании",с "выговор влепили" и лишением тринадцатой зарплаты.Я ,в силу возраста, застала время принудительного марширования под красными знаменами и ношением пионерского галстука и распевания Гимна СССР, совмещаемого с антисемитизмом и ненавистью,вполне обоснованной,к русскому языку,как к символу строя.А так же всеми "прелестями" перестройки.Зная всё это, мне с трудом дается любая цивилизованная дискуссия на эту тему.А более глубокое понимание вопроса, приносит боль,а не облегчение.Но без понимания и знания истории,как бы болезненно это не давалось, будущего нет. Спасибо Вам.
I forgot the creative people. The true creative types are nonconformists and create ideas and experiences in sound, movement, and visual representation. They too were taken for disposal.
a Lithuanian name pronounced VeYAS, not VeHAS like in latin american. Last name is pronounced Liulievi-chius. with the “ch” pronounced like in “chicken”.
He said he was born in Chicago, so interesting question is whether he's first generation Lithuanian-American or second. If his father was invited to Vilnius in 70s or 80s this was most likely done by Jonas Kubilius, so it's interesting to me and I'll look into it. Because it's a separate interesting topic how scientists in soviet occupied Lithuania were reaching out to Lithuanians living abroad even when it was really difficult.
Sociology from the past can be fasonating but much would rather listen to modern day sociology and how it relates to humanity's future. I do believe the old "you must learn the past (nomatter how horrific it sounds) so the past doesn't repeat itself" Love you Lex, my favorite podcaster keep up the great work. You are truly inspirational bringing the greatest minds together on your platform to teach the world. :)
I actually decided to read Marx recently. Not what I was expecting at all. Quickly realised he's been used a lot like atheists and Christians use the bible. Without actually reading it. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by now. Lazy not to of read something and then act like I understood... Experience teaches only the teachable after all.
You should read Rousseau. Gives you a huge understanding of liberalism and he’s the guy Marx plagiarized to create communism. Also, remember ROUSSEAU sold his children because they were inconvenient.
There's no such thing as an atheist they're secular cultists/religious and the overwhelming majority are what's known as secular woke/cultish a form of Hegelianism. It's emerged from the transnationalists socialists/globalists socio-fascists, Third Worldism agenda. They transnationalists socialists/globalists socio-fascists are made up of the permanent political class within every allied nation and unelected globalist oligarchs (not all) who've used neoliberal economic and nonsensical socioeconomic theories after years of methodical acts to remove God from our institutions leaving furtile ground for ideological subversion/indoctrination/grooming a sect of society that thrive off division hate and materialism devoid of morality, objectivism and leading to confusion desperation nihilism and in many cases much, much worse. This is the same group who've used those same neoliberal economic and unconstitutional military acts to financially bend and militarily break those with different cultures and traditions for power wealth and resources in the false name of freedom and democracy.
@@sergiodiaz2725 they have a much better reputation than deserved. Also, few properly understood the person he was, because even fewer talk about this. The point is: can you separate the person of the pilosopher from his pilosophy? Once you understand the dark aspects of Marx, his ideas portray themselves in a much different light.
Regardless, the application of his "philosophy" has been devastating for humanity ever since and it's a tragedy that so many still hang on to it. It's even having a resurgence in the west now when It should be shunned even more than what drove the man with the stubble moustache to do his despicable deeds. The latter regime had some roots in Marxism as well.
I think the common person doesn't misunderstand the concepts but rather takes comparative government, policy, economic political theory, and practical work (the theorist), and interprets the material (blends) to assess social sciences (the case at hand) through their own reality (personal life variables).
_"We have to protect our democracy!"_ *- Two wolfs, unarmed sheep, what's for lunch?* _"We have to protect our constitutional republic!"_ - *Two wolfs, armed sheep, what's for lunch?*
It always fascinates me when I hear about the cruel Generalplan Ost. Two main contributors to this plan were Konrad Meyer-Hetling and Walter Christaller. The plan focused on the agricultural activities of new German colonists in three major areas: the Baltic countries, the Pskov and Leningrad areas, and the Crimea region. There was nothing in that plan regarding the genocide of Slavic people. This plan was announced at the beginning of 1942 and wasn’t noticed by a single higher official of the Third Reich. There’s no evidence this plan was ever presented to Himmler, nor is there evidence it was ever introduced to Hitler. This plan was a some 200-page draft. By 1943, this plan was forgotten, as Germany had other problems in the East. On October 20, 1947, Konrad Meyer-Hetling was present at the Nuremberg trial, where he was tried and released the same day due to a lack of evidence of his crimes against humanity. The Ost plan itself was regarded as having no importance because it was never accepted or confirmed by anybody and did not have any criminal intentions.
Good take on Holodomor, Vejas. Surprisingly (for a lithuanian) he didnt call it a ukie genocide. The truth is that Bolsheviks hated everyone equally. And same thing that happened to Ukranians happened to Volga Russians. People were a resource for Bolsheviks. Not really humans
Darryl Cooper went from nobody, to most talked about historian in the 21st century. When does it end? And his series on WW2 didn't even come out yet. So far these are the best counter remarks I've heard on Coopers claims.
Cooper is hardly a historian, he is rewriting history, with his lies.He is nothing but a Nazi sympathiser. So is Tucker Carlson, who gave him a big platform. He just allowed him to regurgitate the vile information without ever contradicting him.
@@Henry_Jones Not for me. An eerie atmosphere, some stand-out scenes, but too much overacting for me, bit too arty in places and a bit ham-fisted with its anti-war message.
Communism and fascism share several common traits, particularly the gap between their ideals and real-world outcomes. Both ideologies are marked by totalitarianism and a disregard for reality, choosing instead to enforce their own narratives. This disconnect often led to brutal consequences, that was hidden from their reality : such as the killing of their own people in Soviet gulags and the extermination of others during the Nazi regime in Germany.
Marx, Lenin, Hitler, and Stalin all shared the same end goal-a vision of a perfect society. In my opinion, there is no such thing as 'perfect'; there is only 'better.' Attempting to implement 'perfect,' especially through force, always results in oppressive regimes. The 'imperfect' aspects of society that must be hidden in this so-called “perfect “ world ultimately lead to failure.
@@yuliyasimonov8233 Absolutely ludicrous to put Marx and Lenin in same basket as Hitler. Where did Marx, Engels, or Lenin speak of perfect? Is it an iron law of history to have an exploitative class? Have you ever thought about why the state in Marx and Lenin's theory was that the state would whither once the working class takes power in enough parts of the world? Obv you cannot have socialism in one country but especially USSR. As professor in video says the Bolsheviks knew this as they were hoping for much more industrialized Germany to overthrow the bourgeoisie. Trotsky understood this and is why he was exiled and killed. Stalin lies and says we have achieved socialism in one country when Lenin said himself that we have only achieved state socialism.
Right lol and dummies today think that if "we" do it with a little tweak and all our modern intellecualism it will be this euphoria. Newsflash, it will never work because humans are innately selfish and sinful and will always degrade into authoritarianism and tyranny.
Your profile Pic is on point. The secular woke cult/religion emerged from the transnationalists socialists/globalists socio-fascists, Third Worldism agenda. This makes the now tiny dwindling minority of wokesters, fascists by default without the self-awareness or intellect to realize that fact. Fascism is never on the RIGHT side of history. Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords.
Well at its deepest root propaganda is just the spread of information If youre shopping for a car and your sister tells you Hyundai offers the better value compared to a Toyota and you go out and buy one as opposed to a Toyota...youve both been subject to propaganda
@@joecool9739 this seems like a bit of a stretch. This is just a statement of opinion. Propaganda seems like a bit of hyperbolic word to use in that instance lol
@@TheSSEssesse Its an extreme example to demonstrate what propaganda actually is Now suppose that instead of the buyer's sister personally telling them to buy a Hyundai they see a commercial on TV instead The Hyundai commercial lays out better options and financing for a Hyundai compared to a Toyota Wouldnt that be propaganda as well? The difference is the outlet and not the message itself
Real question is what system shows the truth most? If propaganda causes you to live a better life like the Toyota purchase, maybe the cultist group knowledge of cars helps people get better things? If I go to church and my life is better because of decisions I make, but instead of I go to college and my life falls apart from all the knowledge, who is more true, collage or the church?
If you think you are less likely to be suffering from propaganda than the guy who had read 100s of books and spent 10,000 + hours of search on this...well id consider you may be the one
Great episode. Can you please bring on Frank Dikotter? I think a whole episode just covering China’s recent history over the last 100 years would be awesome, from the collapse of the Qing Dynasty to China’s recent rise as a global superpower, and everything in between.
Karl Marx was married with 7 children (4 died as children), rarely worked for wages or a salary and consequently his wife and children lived in poverty. His friend Engels gave him money so essentially Marx was a beggar. He also was an adulterer; he impregnated a woman who was a “maid” and she had his illegitimate son whom he did not support either. He was obviously arrogant, irresponsible and unbelievably self absorbed. Not a real Man at all. Why is it that when discussing writers, philosophers and other so called “great men” their character is left out of the discussion? Quite frankly, character and behavior are important when evaluating someone’s writings or other “work/contribution”. It’s hard to take any one seriously who is such a reprobate. Maybe if more people would look closely at Marx's incredibly flawed character his writings would not be viewed as plausible and more would see the hypocrisy and flaws in his inane ideas.
Exactly, if a man can't take care of his own household without becoming a moral reprobate how in the world could he possibly be trusted to establish a societal euphoria in nations of hundreds of millions of people? Just like American politicians, do what I say not what you see me do.
Never judge Ideas by their author. Art and Artist should be seen apparent from each other. Marx as much as one dislikes him and his character was flawed had a huge influence on the world.
All modern governments are predicated on the notion that a small group of people know better how to manage your life than you do. It's frightening to think about how much power we willfully delegate to them. Furthermore, their concern has never been for the people, but rather for the self preservation of their privileges paid for by the use of force through taxation. This is all done under the guise of being Benevolent. What a wonderful occupation, to use other peoples money and take credit for what you do. Imagine if I went around the neighborhood and seized money by force from each of one of my neighbors and then used it to build a playground. Look at me, look what I did for you.
And indeed there was a worker's revolution on its way in Germany, what happened then with the guy with the mustache and so on confirm Marx theory that radical revolution was needed and no bourgeois democracy would allow fundamental change in a peaceful way.
If you mean Hitler and the Nazi party they privately wrote about how hilarious it was that they got away with pretending to be communist. They used all their terminology for support (believing nothing of it) and gaslit the communist leaders.
I'd love to hear his opinion on the take whereby "the cold war did not end and communism is very much alive today". I believe it is true. The communist ideals still linger on many places.
30:30 "Marx's chief rival" was not Bakunin, but his fellow Die Freien. Max Stirner. 3/4 of German Ideology is 'reffutation' of Stirner's Der Einzige und sein Eigentum.
