Stefan Molyneux’s Philosophical Foe Has a Geopolitical Name: Russia
The fiery philosopher, Stefan Molyneux, recently released a documentary video, The 100 Year March, with his reactions as he traveled through Poland.
It’s a good video, with provocative musings on the threat posed by a rising rabble, the value of free speech, and the worth of uniting with like minded people. It’s worth watching.
There are a couple key themes. One, is that the West is under attack of Marxists. Second, that Poland is under attack; patriotic Poles are being smeared as Nazis when they just want independence.
Here’s my contribution. It’s impossible to understand either of these phenomena without looking at Russia.
Polish history is Russian history. A never ending struggle against the Kremlin boot on the Polish neck. The fact that Poles still want independence, after all this time, is truly remarkable.
Poland, and Russia, headed up by Peter “the Great,” went off to war against Sweden in 1700. Poland lost, and Russia won.
Russia took the opportunity to stab Poland in the back. When the Polish parliament convened in 1717, Peter had Russian troops surround and control the session. He prohibited unruly Poles from speaking in their own Parliament (he dubbed it the Dumb Sejm). This Russian-controlled session of Polish parliament agreed to reduce the Polish King’s Guard, reduce the Polish army to nothingness, and keep Polish government too decentralized — liberum veto — and thus open to foreign manipulation.
You see, at the time, Poland was arguably one of the most unique states in the world, with more decentralized freedom than other places. At the very least, Poles hated a tyrannical King.
Here is a quote from Karol Radziwill, Polish nobleman, in 1764, “I praise the Lord, believe not in the Devil, respect the law, know no king, because I am a nobleman with a free voice.” Take a seat America! (Source, Poland: A History, by Zamoyski)
Peter’s Dumb Sejm was just the beginning for poor Poland.
Catherine the Great followed, a few generations later, and was able to stick herself into decentralized Polish affairs.
In 1767, the Sejm once again convened under the watchful eye of Russian troops, controlled by Catherine “the Great,” claiming to be protecting Polish freedoms, who forced through Russian religious policy on the Poles. Dissenting Poles were arrested and sent to Russia.
Poles rebelled. Russia crushed them. Russia sent over 5,000 Polish szlachta (kind of like nobles) to Siberian gulags. Poland was partitioned in 1772 and lost much of its territory and people. By 1795, and the third partition, Poland ceased to exist as a sovereign entity.
Incidentally, my impression is that Jews were treated relatively well in Poland before this point. Poland had one of the largest Jewish populations in the world, so perhaps Jews share this opinion. This changed with Russian dominion and Catherine’s Pale of Settlement: Jews of Poland were simultaneously conquered by Russia, yet banished from Russia. It is the height of gaslighting when Russia smears others as Nazis.
Throughout the 1800’s, Poles would sporadically try to push the Kremlin boot off their neck. Russia just pushed down harder. Countless Poles were captured and sent to Siberia.
Poland wouldn’t gain freedom until chaos enveloped Russia in WWI. Lenin’s response was to immediately attack Poland. But it wasn’t until a couple decades later when Stalin could successfully implement Russian policy and successfully conquer Poland to subject them to half a century of Communist torture.
Again, after this history, the Polish spirit of today is quite remarkable.
A little more history before we come to the present day.
I agree with Molyneux that America today is overrun by Communist thinkers. But where did they come from? Well, it just so happens that the rise of Communist thought in America coincided with the Kremlin’s ideological campaign to spread Communism throughout the world. They poured resources into the indoctrination of Americans that Americans cannot even begin to grasp. For those who want to fact check this, Blacklisted by History, American Betrayal, and Disinformation are great books to start with.
Nietzsche said, “He who fights monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze back into you.” That’s the most succinct explanation of America in the 20th century you can get.
In Molyneux’s video, he spends time with Poles who are on their Independence March. Well, who are they celebrating independence from? Russia of course. Molyneux is upset that Poles are being smeared as Nazi. Who is smearing them as Nazis? Much of that comes from Russia. Just like Russia calls people who oppose them in Ukraine, Nazis. Just like Stalin said he was fighting Nazis. Like Hillary says she is fighting to stop Nazis.
Did Russia stop their anti-Pole or pro-Communist policies in 1991? Well, none of their KGB or Communists went to jail. In fact, they retained all the power. You tell me, if tomorrow Bernie Sanders said he was a libertarian, would you believe him?
Here’s a fun fact. In 2010, the Polish President was traveling to Russia to recognize the atrocities his people suffered under Stalin, specifically, the Katyn Massacre. His plane exploded.
That was just a few years after Russia was involving itself in American politics. Between 2005–2007, via Russian controlled uranium, Russia laundered well over $150,000,000 to Hillary Clinton, which she could use to gain power, and run for Presidency. For more details, see my short book, Russian Agents: The Clintons’ Attack Against America.
I agree with Molyneux. Poland is an inspiration. Communism is bad. Cultural marxists in the West are a real problem.
To rollback the threat, the enemy, the source, must be named. Russia. Though to be fair, the infiltration is so deep now, it’s hard to know where Russia stops and we start.