crimes committed by totalitarian regimes - Ministrstvo za pravosodje

Crimes committed by totalitarian regimes
2. Two totalitarian regimes, two criminal ideologies – two different attitudes. Why?
Without presenting further arguments, it can be stated that some historical events are better known
to mankind since they have acquired a universal meaning. This can be said about both positive, great
historical events and about negative ones, such as crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of
genocide. Some of them are, as if more important, better known, and have a universal meaning. Others
are consigned to oblivion either because of incomprehension or by deliberate decision.
The victory over Nazi Germany led to universal condemnation of that regime and its ideology.
In the democratic world, a broad evaluation of that system and its crimes, especially the Holocaust (or
Shoah), was adopted. Very clear attitudes regarding Nazi ideology and crimes of that regime lie as a
foundation-stone in the system of values of democratic states. It has universal meaning.
On the opposite side, the ideology of the Soviet-Communist regime and the crimes it committed
have not been properly perceived and evaluated thus far. They have not acquired such a universal
meaning, though objectively evaluating the scope and the numbers of victims, the crimes of the Soviet-
Communist regime were much greater, it lasted longer, and affected more people.
The survival of the Soviet totalitarianism decades into the post – war period precluded an analogous
assessment of its role in the start of the bloodiest conflict in human history and in repressions against its
own population, as well as those in occupied nations. The transformation and break up of the Sovietsystem
was followed, in a way, by selective amnesia.
What are the reasons for such different perceptions of these two totalitarian regimes, and their
crimes?
First, political reasons, because history is the politics of yesterday and politics of today is the
history of tomorrow. History is always written by conquerors and winners. And they present historical
events in a way they would like. That is the way history was, is and will be: a field of manipulation,
subjective evaluation, interpretation. Even if there is an agreement concerning facts, there always
will be controversy about interpretation. Some people say “do not politicize history and leave it for
professional historians”. I very much agree with that, but the problem is that our recent European
history (especially that part related to the reasons and results of the Second World War and Soviet-
Communist totalitarian state) is already politicized and very one-sided. So it must be de-politicized and
historical justice established.
Second, differences in collective memory, because it always involves emotions and we see the
surrounding world through “coloured glasses”. And that “colour” depends on our education, objective
knowledge, system of values, belonging to a certain social, ethnic or political group, collective memory
and discourses in those groups, and also personal experience and beliefs. I would like to touch upon
some aspects of that.
3. “Russian factor”
Today pro-Soviet (or pro-Russian) discourse prevails concerning the reasons and results of the Second
World War. This prevailing one-evil discourse (or doctrine) can be formulated in brief as follows: In the
fourth decade of the 20 th century, the Nazi totalitarian regime headed by Hitler was established in Europe;
seeking to conquer the world, it waged war in Europe, whereas the Western Allies and the Soviet Union
liberated Europe from the Nazis. It seams that it is deliberately forgotten that in 1939 Soviets started World
War Two as Nazi allies. A week after signing the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact in Moscow on August 23, 1939
(when Europe was divided between Stalin and Hitler), two totalitarian regimes, which were worthy of each
other – the Nazi and Soviet-Communist – started the bloodiest war in human history.
But the beginning of the war in the collective memory of most Europeans is related only with the
Nazi attack on Poland. However, obvious historical facts that the Red Army only a few weeks later
attacked Poland from the east are publicly passed over in silence or as if unnoticed. Thousands of
Polish officers killed in Katyń and other places have been forgotten. The fact that the Nazi and Soviet
army commanders raised glasses of champagne together for the victory in Brest in the autumn of 1939
has also been forgotten.
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