Now, More Than Ever, We Need to Teach the Dark History of Communism

Commentary

With the results of this year’s midterm election, the Democratic Socialists of America has expanded its caucus in Congress and has even installed one of its own as mayor of the host city for the 2028 Olympics, Los Angeles. The false promises of socialism appear to be increasingly successful on the ballot, but how many Americans know the true and horrifying history of socialism and communism? Now, more than ever, we must teach the history of communism in schools—before we’re doomed to repeat this dark history.

The appeal of socialism has always rested on a false promise: that government can deliver fairness, abundance, and security if it is given power over the economy. It is a seductive fantasy, especially for young American voters who rightly feel squeezed right now by unaffordable rents and burdensome student debt.

But these same promises have been made many times before, in Russia, China, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela, and the result was similar in all these places: shortages, a corrupt ruling elite, lives lost, and freedom curtailed. Schools in large part have not taught this history—especially to the nearly 70 million eligible American voters born after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Florida offers a model for fixing that. In 2024, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 1264, requiring instruction on domestic communist movements and their tactics, the atrocities committed under communist regimes, and how communism conflicts with America’s founding principles. The requirement takes full effect this school year.

What stands out is how seriously Florida took the task. Rather than sprinkling a few references into existing courses, the Florida Department of Education convened a working group of Florida teachers and national experts that met weekly for months and produced an entirely new, standalone strand of standards for grades six through 12, then put it out for public comment before adoption.

The material is calibrated by age. Sixth graders examine why ancient communal systems failed, seventh graders assess the effects of communist governments, and eighth graders study early experiments in communal living here in America. High schoolers get the full story: the intellectual roots from Plato’s “Republic” to “The Communist Manifesto”; the Bolshevik seizure of power and the Red Terror; Soviet leader Josef Stalin’s Gulag and the Holodomor; Chinese leader Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution; and Fidel Castro’s Cuba and the exodus it produced.

Crucially, the standards do not treat communism as a relic. Students compare “The Communist Manifesto” directly to the Bill of Rights on individual rights, property, and the role of government. They examine how communist movements use propaganda to gain and keep power, how their tactics have evolved into the 21st century, and how they operated inside the United States. They study those who resisted. And the capstone standard asks why communism and totalitarianism are antithetical to the American ideals of liberty, justice, and equality.

This is not indoctrination; it is history taught honestly. Students read the primary sources, Karl Marx included, and they weigh the theory against the record. A student who has studied collectivization understands that promises of “free” everything require someone to surrender control of his work and property. A student who has studied the Holodomor knows what happens when the state owns the food supply.

Other states should follow Florida’s lead. The hard work has been done; its standards, built in the open with public comment, can be adapted rather than reinvented. Legislators need only require the instruction and give teachers the time and materials to deliver it well.

The voters who elected socialists on Nov. 3 are not bad people. Many were simply never taught what socialism meant for the hundreds of millions of people who lived under it. We owe the next generation that education before it has to learn the lessons the hard way.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.