Origins of Extremism

Anti-democratic constructs on the Left

Nov 12, 2025

Acceptance of political violence is on the rise. An unprecedented 25 percent of very liberal Americans, and 17 percent of liberal Americans, say that political violence is sometimes justified, according to a YouGov poll published on September 12, 2025. Other polls show a large increase in the proportion of leftists who view their political opponents as enemies.

As a constitutional republic, the U.S. depends on respectful discourse between political opponents and a free marketplace of ideas. These concepts come from classic liberalism. Yet a growing number of leftists, who often call themselves “liberals,” promote violence and celebrate it when it occurs. Where did these undemocratic attitudes so prevalent on the Left come from?

History is quite revealing. The ideas of totalitarianism—which have resulted in some of the most brutal regimes humanity has ever known—have infiltrated the political left.

Karl Marx

The author of “The Communist Manifesto” and father of communism, Karl Marx, stated there must be a violent revolution to bring about communism. He emphasized the need for terror, an oppressive dictatorship of the proletariat, and destruction of the current society by the masses under the direction of party elites. “Everything that exists deserves to perish” was Marx’s favorite quote, which he took from Goethe’s Faust. Marx habitually repeated this chant over and over.

Vladimir Ulyanov “Lenin”

Lenin was a Marxist who enacted Karl Marx’s vision in Russia. Despite a lack of popular support, Lenin’s elite force staged a coup d’etat in 1917 to destroy Russia’s provisional government. He immediately established secret police and concentration camps. He systematically began mass executions of his political opponents, small business owners and former allies. Confiscation of private property, bank accounts and businesses led to widespread famine; cannibalism became common. More than 25 million Russians died of starvation, civil war and executions under his brutal regime. Lenin famously stated that morality is whatever makes the revolution go forward.

Joseph Stalin

After Lenin’s death, Joseph Stalin, a Marxist-Leninist, consolidated power using purges against anyone who disagreed with him. Show trials were conducted on those who had wielded power before him. He executed small business owners, ethnic minorities, former supporters and military officers, sending millions to forced labor camps, where many died of starvation, exposure or lack of medical care. Stalin instituted central planning to collectivize farming and industrialization. All Russians were assigned a job and told where to live; those who did not fully cooperate were executed. Stalin intentionally caused the Holodomor famine in Ukraine, exporting the grain and poisoning what remained so no one could eat it. This genocide resulted in the deaths of more than 4 million Ukrainians; cannibalism became prevalent. Stalin’s famous response: “You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs.” He is responsible for at least 60 million civilian deaths within Russian territory. Additionally, Stalin was behind communism’s spread to Eastern European countries and, later, Asia, resulting in well over 100 million deaths worldwide—a very conservative estimate. The true number is likely more than 140 million.

Adolf Hitler

A socialist who relied heavily on the writings of Karl Marx, Hitler formed the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, known as the Nazis. His brutal socialist government was responsible for the deaths of 10 million civilians.

Chinese Communist Party

A faithful Marxist-Leninist, Mao Zedong founded the Chinese Communist Party, aided by funding from the Soviet Union. “It is necessary to create terror for a while in every rural area,” Mao said. He set death quotas and had 3 million people executed or sent to re-education camps. The Great Leap Forward was Mao’s plan to collectivize farming and industrialize the economy, even though he knew the policies would kill millions. “It is better to let half the people die so that the other half can eat their fill,” he said. As a result, 45 million civilians died of starvation. His Cultural Revolution exterminated 25 million more, for a total of more than 70 million. As a result, Mao is known as the greatest killer of his own people in world history.

The Chinese Communist Party has continued as a fiercely repressive regime. Protestors were slaughtered at the Tiananmen Square. The CCP brutally enforced the one-child policy for years. Today, it utilizes slave labor camps and forced organ harvesting to repress political dissidents, ethnic minorities and religious practitioners.

The New Marxism

The latest attempt at communism is known as cultural Marxism. While academicians employ this term, the people who practice it call themselves “democratic socialists,” “progressives” or “liberals.” Using Marx’s cultural critiques instead of his economic ones, cultural Marxists aim to change society at the level of culture. They have brought socialism to race with critical race theory, affirmative action and DEI. They have brought socialism to sex and gender with queer theory and the LGBTQ+ movement. The purpose is to raise the consciousness about cultural Marxism among potential recruits, and the goal is the total destruction of all morality, ethics and human decency. Supporters no longer adhere to democratic principles, American values or the rule of law. Destruction of Western civilization and the anticipated power grab are to be obtained “by any means possible.” This ideology has led to riots, arson, organized crime and domestic terrorism. The history of socialism shows us where this always goes: Repression, human rights violations and the brutality of a totalitarian regime.