The Communist Problem in East Asia-An Asian View

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M tORE than a hundred years ago, Karl Marx conjured up the spectre of communism stalking across Europe. That bogey did not become a reality until after the Russian Revolution of i9i7, and even then did not spread westwards as rapidly as its prophets had foretold. After suffering several defeats in Germany and in other countries of minor importance, it fell back on its original base in order to prepare for more powerful onslaughts upon the capitalist world. Even in those early days in the history of the communist revolution, Lenin directed his prophetic vision towards Asia and cheered his dejected followers by pointing out the possibility that communism might conquer Asia and thus compensate for its initial defeat in Europe. Pending spectacular developments in Asia, the communist movement in Europe reached its apogee when, on the downfall of Hitler, the victorious Red Army straddled the continent from Trieste to Liibeck. The rest of Europe was either fearful of the ominous shadow cast ahead by the coming revolution or heartened by the early advent of liberation. Then, for various reasons, some of which are still not known outside of Russia, the tide turned. While the moral leadership of Europe lay within their reach, the Russians committed the blunder of attaching decisive importance to the seizure of political power and the employment of brute force. In doing so, they acted true to their fanatical faith, but they also destroyed all possibility that communism might conquer Europe by peaceful means. At that juncture in European history, when old institutions were crumbling and traditional values were losing significance, the progressive and democratic elements were prepared to accept the humanist and libertarian aspects of Marxism as their heritage. But the Russians were afraid that, unless communism were buttressed by political power and brute force, it might regain its humanist soul under the rationalist and democratic influence of Western culture. Roman barbarians con-