When General Krasnov organized his counter-revolutionary campaign against Leningrad and fell into our hands, we could at least have kept him prisoner, according to the rules of war. Indeed, we ought to have shot him. But we released him on his "word of honor." And what happened? It soon became clear that such mildness only helped to undermine the strength of the Soviet Government. We made a mistake in displaying such mildness towards enemies of the working class. To have persisted in that mistake would have been a crime against the working class and a betrayal of its interests. That soon became guile apparent. Very soon it became evident that the milder our attitude towards our enemies, the greater their resistance

—Someone, idk

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Read that interview a few weeks ago, actually! And he's correct, trying to go easy on an enemy that will thoroughly destroy you with the most brutal of measures possible is a luxury Socialists cannot afford to take if we want to build a world without such brutality to begin with.

[–] Edie@lemmy.ml 5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

It's been said before, but you can be "authoritarian" like the Soviets and give people healthcare, housing, food, etc. or you can be ~~a good christian~~ against "authoritarianism" and give people a military dictatorship.

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 5 points 3 days ago

Yep, conversations around "authoritarianism" usually wind back down to just disapproving going against the status quo, regardless of how popular the measures in place are within their countries. The CPC has an over 90% approval rate, and people call it "authoritarian" functionally because businesses are heavily restricted by the state.