Are Communist rebels freedom fighters?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I vote in some circumstances.

The Sandinistas, URNG and FMLN were freedom fighters.

The Khmer Rouge were not.

[A18]

Never

[Gabu]

Sometimes they're freedom fighters, in that they genuinely are fighting for freedom, but I consider pretty well all of them misguided in their end goals.

[John Dibble]

Well, sometimes I suppose they are. They fight for what they view as freedom - however if they succeed the likely result will be tyranny and oppression. Of course, some in their ranks realize this and hope to be the tyrant.

[MaC]

Well, sometimes I suppose they are. They fight for what they view as freedom - however if they succeed the likely result will be tyranny and oppression. Of course, some in their ranks realize this and hope to be the tyrant.

kind of an exercise in futility.

[dazzleman]

No.  Even if they are duped into thinking they're fighting for freedom, the government they help install will always kill freedom at the first chance.  And if the rebels take the freedom talk too seriously, they'll end up in a concentration camp, or worse.

Only a complete dupe would ever support communists.

[2952-0-0]

No.  Even if they are duped into thinking they're fighting for freedom, the government they help install will always kill freedom at the first chance.  And if the rebels take the freedom talk too seriously, they'll end up in a concentration camp, or worse.

Only a complete dupe would ever support communists.

If you lived in Nazi Germany would you support the communist rebels? I would, and then after the war ends I take some friends and family members and move west before the Berlin Wall is built.

[Beet]

Practially... No

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

No.  Even if they are duped into thinking they're fighting for freedom, the government they help install will always kill freedom at the first chance.  And if the rebels take the freedom talk too seriously, they'll end up in a concentration camp, or worse.

Only a complete dupe would ever support communists.

so if you lived in Croatia during WWII would you support the Nazi puppet Ustase regime or the communist rebels?

And if you were a Mayan peasant in Guatemala during the 70's/80's would you support the communist rebels or the military regime that was slaughtering your people?

[Gabu]

No.  Even if they are duped into thinking they're fighting for freedom, the government they help install will always kill freedom at the first chance.  And if the rebels take the freedom talk too seriously, they'll end up in a concentration camp, or worse.

Only a complete dupe would ever support communists.

so if you lived in Croatia during WWII would you support the Nazi puppet Ustase regime or the communist rebels?

And if you were a Mayan peasant in Guatemala during the 70's/80's would you support the communist rebels or the military regime that was slaughtering your people?

One question I've had: why does it always have to be a communist rebellion?  Why can't the people just say, "okay, I want to kill these jerks in power now and I'll figure out the new form of government later"?

[phk]

Yes.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

No.  Even if they are duped into thinking they're fighting for freedom, the government they help install will always kill freedom at the first chance.  And if the rebels take the freedom talk too seriously, they'll end up in a concentration camp, or worse.

Only a complete dupe would ever support communists.

so if you lived in Croatia during WWII would you support the Nazi puppet Ustase regime or the communist rebels?

And if you were a Mayan peasant in Guatemala during the 70's/80's would you support the communist rebels or the military regime that was slaughtering your people?

One question I've had: why does it always have to be a communist rebellion?  Why can't the people just say, "okay, I want to kill these jerks in power now and I'll figure out the new form of government later"?

Because the commies are the only ones giving the resistance often.

It's like the Phillipines. Once Marcos was in power, the membership of the communist New People's Army skyrocketed. Once Marcos was removed, the membership greatly dwindled. People joined the NPA to protect themselves from Marcos. Who wouldn't? I'd take the commies over Marcos any day. Of course Marcos was overthrown by non-communists, but that wasn't an option for the previous 20 years really. Actually what happened in the Phillipines is pretty similar to what you described (Portugal and Greece too). But if I lived in any of those countries, I would've supported the communists over the regime, no question. I would never support such a regime, unlike dazzleman, who would've supported Marcos and the military regime in Greece.

[Cashcow]

They're fighting for change - not freedom.

[Lunar]

And if you were a Mayan peasant in Guatemala during the 70's/80's would you support the communist rebels or the military regime that was slaughtering your people?

Why are you forced to support one or the other?

Anyway, I think you might find this Marxist critique of the overthrow of Marcos to be interesting:

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[went that way]

Matters their the Stalinist, Anti - Revisionists, Maoists who aren't fighting for freedom.  The Leninists, Left Communist, and Trotskyist who kind of are kind of not.  The Anarcho - Communists are the olny real "Freedom fighters".  But you could call any rebel a freedom fighter.

[Kodratos]

No circumstances