Opium of the Masses

Avanti popolo, alla riscossa
Bandiera rossa, bandiera rossa
Avanti popolo, alla riscossa
Bandiera rossa trionferà

Bandiera rossa la trionferà
Bandiera rossa la trionferà
Bandiera rossa la trionferà
Evviva il comunismo e la libertà

In contemplating the fate of Communism in the last century it is easy to forget that the reason it spread so quickly was that it was addressing a real problem of oppression and terrible miscarriages of justice that were experienced by the working classes in Europe and Central America. The hope of true equality and control over their own destiny is what made the movement so inspiring.

One curious thing about Marxist communism is its antagonism toward religion. On the surface this doesn't make sense, since communism is ostensibly an economic model. But when looked at more closely, it is clear that communism is also a political movement. In both of these respects it was competing with organized religion in the regions, which also doesn't leave things to Caesar but in many ways needs to influence both economic and political aspects of society. This is especially true of the Catholic Church in Europe.