Challenge: Anti-Soviet Communists

[Puget Sound]

Your challenge is to have the Soviet Union, which still has to be communist like in the 1970s, be hated by Western communist groups. How can we make this happen?

 

[HJ Tulp]

There were quite a lot of Maoist groups in Western Europe. Also Communist Parties that were against the invasion of Hungary.

 

[wormyguy]

Well, historically, the "Eurocommunist" groups in Europe tried to significantly distance themselves from the Soviets in the 1970s in order to gain more popular support, but although their relations with the Soviets may have been slightly strained, there certainly wasn't any hatred. Maybe if the Soviets invade Poland and they invade Afghanistan early, and news of widespread atrocities reaches the west, then European Communist groups might have to distance themselves much more from the Soviets than in OTL.

 

[MerryPrankster]

I read an article once by a Trotskyist who claimed the Trotskyists opposed US entry into WWII even after the Germans attacked the USSR, unlike most Communists, and were persecuted for it.

 

[Zimmerwald1915]

I read an article once by a Trotskyist who claimed the Trotskyists opposed US entry into WWII even after the Germans attacked the USSR, unlike most Communists, and were persecuted for it.

While US Trotskyists opposed US entry into the war, they made no bones about their support for the USSR's war effort.

"This characterization of the war does not apply to the war of the Soviet Union against German imperialism. We make a fundamental distinction between the Soviet Union and its 'democratic' allies. We defend the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union is a workers’ state..."
--James Cannon, December 21, 1941

 

[Zimmerwald1915]

I read an article once by a Trotskyist who claimed the Trotskyists opposed US entry into WWII even after the Germans attacked the USSR, unlike most Communists, and were persecuted for it.

While American Trotskyists did verbally oppose US entry into WWII, they made no bones about their support for the USSR's war effort. For example: "We make a fundamental distinction between the Soviet Union and its 'democratic' allies. We defend the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union is a workers’ state..."

Furthermore, "we do not sabotage the war or obstruct the military forces in any way. The Trotskyists go with their generation into the armed forces," so their opposition even to US entry into the war was confined to verbosity.

For those who are interested, both quotes are from James P. Cannon, on December 21, 1941.

 

[Baskilisk]

Uh...Tito's Yugoslavia? Eurocommunists? Maoists?

 

[carlton_bach]

The Soviet Union tried very hard to stay on decent terms with most Eurocommunists because they thought they might be useful while most Western governments completely failed to spot the opportunity. You could have this dynamic change. There certainly were enough various non-Soviet Communists, some of whom flatly refused to recognise the USSR as Communist at all. A bit more support and judicious funding...