Figure 1.--The Soviet Iron Curtain effectively prevented the captive period of Eastern Europe from escaping west meaning that the refugee flow was limited. The one place it was open was Berlin and here the refugee flow was all one way--toward the west. Eventually the trek to freedom had to be closed by the monument to Communist failure--the East German Berlin Wall. The ieeviable revolts in the Soviet Eastern European empire put a lie to the worker paradice propaganda. The Hungarian Revolution pieced temprarily pierced the the Iron Curtain. And not only individuals were able to make it to the West. The press caption here read, The seasonal snow now blanketing Lower [eastern] Austria does not prevent Hungarian refugees from crossing the border in large numbers. Their difficulties are intensified by the cold. Before taking a bus to distribution and collectng camps in the interior, refugees are welcomed with a warm drink and food at farm houses neat the border. Red Cross nurses prepare the food on a 24 hour schedule. A young couple and their children dead tired for want of sleep, rest for the night in one of the border farm houses." The photograph was taken in late-January 1957.

The idea of progress through liberal democracy received a massive set back as a result of World War I. The rise of the great totalitarian movements of the 20th century powers (Communist, Fascist, and Japananese militarism) was one of the many outcomes of the tragedy of World War I. The Communist Soviet Union (1917) was the world's first totalitarian power followed by Fascist Italy (1922). Japan evolved from a parlimentary democracy to a militarist regime with Fascist elements (1920s-30s). NAZI Germany (1933), a Fascist variant, was the next totalitarian power to appear. After World war II, Communist regimes appeared in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The most important was China (1948). These regimes set in motion refugee flow throughout the world. Refugees flee when governments are overthrown and new standards of conduct or belief are imposed on a population. Other refugees are created when a Government begins to target specific groups such as the NAZI assault on Jews. This was often the case when Europe was dominated by imperial powers, but raised to a new level of intensity by the rise of the totalitarian powers. This was the case because all of these powers abandoned the rule of law and increased the use of state coercive power to an unprecedented levels. The totalitarian powers took a different role on emigration/refugeees that the imperial regimes they replaced. The imperial regimes allowed immigration seeing it as a kind of pressure valve reducing tension. The totalirarian powers, however, tended to restrict emigration, seeing it as an admission that the paradices that they claimed to be creating were in fact a propaganda fiction. Massive walls and border controls were needed by the Soviet to control their European empire. The sityuation was different in Asia. No country had the capacity to take in huge numbers of Chinese refugees. The could not even accomdate the Vietnamese refuee flow. The Fascists including the Japanese militarists were defeated in World War II, but only with the help of one of the totgalitarian powers--the Soviet Union. The Cold War would be the show down betwen Liberal Democracy anf totaltarian Communism. The result was the imposion of the Soviet Union. Economic reality meaning capitalism has modified Chinese Communism.

Communism

The Communist Soviet Union (1917) was the world's first totalitarian power. After World War II, the Soviet Union set up Communist police states in Eastern and Central Europe. Communist regimes also appeared in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The most important was China (1948). The Communists believed that history was governed by economic forces that would lead to the creation of worker and peasant paradices ushering in an era of bounty and prosperity. And because any one that opposed them was slowing the achievement that utopian future, Communists believed that they not only had justification, but a moral obligation to eliminte them. The resulting state violence set in motion refigee flows where people had the opportunity to flee. There was no toleration for discent. As Markist-Lennist doctrine was seen as truth, any one that opposed them were simply wrong. That is why Liberl Democratic institutions like elections, the rule of law, free speech, and basic civil liberties were rejected by the Communists. It is why Communism nevitanly led to ductatorial rule and ductatorial leaders. Terrifying coercive force was neded to force people to comply with Communist rule. All of this fed into immigration flows. But perhaps even more important, socialism was an inefficent economic system. State control of the means of production proved inefficent compared to the dynamic wealth producing results of free market capitalism. The inefficecies of socialism led to Communist economic failure, even famine, also leading to refugees or at least the desire to flee. It is no accident that most of the major famines of the 20th century occurred in Communist countries. The failures of Communism were so dramatic, that borders had to be hardened to make it impossible for people to flee leading to Churchill's famous term--the Iron Curtin. The Iron Curtain existed befire World War II. The Red Army victories enabled Stalin to advance it further west from the Soviet border to the cnter of Europe. As Churchill explained, 'from Stetin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an Iron Curtain hs descended'. And of oursee the purpose of hardeming the bordrs was to prevent people from flowing. The west did not limit any flow east. Of course virtully no one desired to leave the rosperous west. The totalirarian powers, especially the Communits, tended to restrict emigration, seeing it as an admission that the paradices that they claimed to be creating were in fact a propaganda fiction. Massive walls and border controls were needed by the Soviet to control their European empire. The sityuation was different in Asia. No country had the capacity to take in huge numbers of Chinese refugees. The could not even accomdate the Vietnamese refuee flow. The Fascists including the Japanese militarists were defeated in World War II, but only with the help of one of the totgalitarian powers--the Soviet Union. The Cold War would be the show down betwen Liberal Democracy anf totaltarian Communism. The result was the imposion of the Soviet Union. Economic reality meaning capitalism has modified Chinese Communism.

Fascism

The Communist seizure of control in Russia (1917) was closely followed by the Fascist seizure of Italy (1922). Japan evolved from a parlimentary democracy to a militarist regime with Fascist elements (1920s-30s). NAZI Germany (1933), a Fascist variant, was the next totalitarian power to appear. There is a tendency to think of Fascism as the opposite of Communism. It is not. Both are Socialist variants involving limitations on political (democracy) and economic (capitalism) freedom. The Black Shirts and Brown Shirts who marched for Fascism in the 1920s and 30s sgred many of the same goals as the Communists, a New Order to redistribute wealth and a fundamental social revolution. This is why repressive instritutions and policies are shared by both the Facists and Communists, like secret police, concentration camps, slave labor, upression of civil rights, government-controlled media, supression of free trade union, limitations on economic freedom (capitalism), and all the other instrments of oppression as well as mass murder. As a result, Fascist regimes have set refugees in motion. As the economic policies of the Fascists were not as disastrous as hose of the Communists, there was less presure to flee, except for targetd groups like Jews. The massive refugee flow came with the War that Hitler and Stalin launched. Here the refugee flow was limited by the phenomenal early success of German and Japanese arms. People had no where to flee to. Not only were countries like Poland and the Netherlnds quickly overwalmed by NAZI arms, but they were surrounded by NAZI occupied countrirs. The NAZIs were thus able to establish a vast system of concentration and labor camps to control people tht otherwise might have fled. Where flight was possible such as China, people fled in the millions. The major refugee problem came after the War when the millions of peole the NAZIs brought into the Reich to do war work had to be returned home. Here the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) was set up to assist the millions of refugees. UNRRA has saved millions of lives and has beem an indiscensible agency. That said, UNRRA in some cases have perpetuated refugees rather than promoted assumilation in part by taking sides.

Created: 9:28 AM 1/12/2017
Last updated: 11:07 AM 9/18/2018