What always amazes is that the Left has to re-learn the same lesson — over and over and over again.
That lesson?
Freedom and free markets — capitalism — works.
Socialism — the building block of countries from Russia’s Soviet Union to Castro’s Cuba to today’s world of socialist wanna be’s — fails.
The 2024 election was not just about the direction of America. It was … a confirmation for the post-Cold War world that freedom and capitalism did in fact win that war.
Back there in the ancient world of 2019, a mere five years ago, the Heritage Foundation’s Lee Edwards had much to say on the subject. What Edwards, a Distinguished Fellow in Conservative Thought at Heritage, had to say is particularly relevant, as we learned mere days ago that Lee passed away at the ripe old age of 92.
Of the endless volumes of words Lee poured out on this subject there was this, headlined:
Three Nations That Tried Socialism and Rejected It
Lee wrote:
Socialists are fond of saying that socialism has never failed because it has never been tried. But in truth, socialism has failed in every country in which it has been tried, from the Soviet Union beginning a century ago to three modern countries that tried but ultimately rejected socialism — Israel, India, and the United Kingdom.
While there were major political differences between the totalitarian rule of the Soviets and the democratic politics of Israel, India, and the U.K., all three of the latter countries adhered to socialist principles, nationalizing their major industries and placing economic decision-making in the hands of the government.
The Soviet failure has been well documented by historians. In 1985, General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev took command of a bankrupt disintegrating empire. After 70 years of Marxism, Soviet farms were unable to feed the people, factories failed to meet their quotas, people lined up for blocks in Moscow and other cities to buy bread and other necessities, and a war in Afghanistan dragged on with no end in sight of the body bags of young Soviet soldiers.
The economies of the Communist nations behind the Iron Curtain were similarly enfeebled because they functioned in large measure as colonies of the Soviet Union. With no incentives to compete or modernize, the industrial sector of Eastern and Central Europe became a monument to bureaucratic inefficiency and waste, a “museum of the early industrial age.” As the New York Times pointed out at the time, Singapore, an Asian city-state of only 2 million people, exported 20 percent more machinery to the West in 1987 than all of Eastern Europe.
There was more — oh so much more — from Lee Edwards on this topic.
But as America spins on from a 2024 presidential election that saw the Left’s latest champion of socialism — Vice President Kamala Harris — resoundingly defeated by former President Donald Trump, the very embodiment of free market capitalism — it is crystal clear that the latest generation of Americans understand the core meaning behind free market economics and that for their own future well-being and that of their families, free market economics — capitalism — is the key to their success.
One would think that centuries removed from Adam Smith’s 1776 masterpiece The Wealth of Nations — that taught the world just how and why capitalism works — that later generations who have managed to hold on to basic centuries-old principles — e.g. the Law of Gravity, human beings need oxygen to breathe — would understand the economic gravity of freedom, capitalism, and free market economics.
Alas, not so. Which has effectively resulted in one generation being led to believe, as was true in Russia or Cuba or today’s Venezuela, that if they just give socialism one more try, success is at hand.
It is a fantasy, of course. And a fantasy that results in disastrous hardship for those citizens in the world whose governments impose that fantasy on them.
Why is any of this important to consider as 2025 arrives?
Simple.
The new President of the United States is, as mentioned, a world class capitalist. His leadership is by example. And that example is being followed not just by Americans but by one foreign country after another.
Over there in Vox one finds this headline:
How the second Trump presidency could reshape the world
Trump has won the election, and the world might never be the same.
The story reports:
When Donald Trump assumes the presidency again in January 2025, he will radically reshape international politics if he keeps his campaign promises.
Bingo.
The 2024 election was not just about the direction of America. It was about the direction of the world at large. It was, taken in historical context, a confirmation for the post-Cold War world that freedom and capitalism did in fact win that war. That President Ronald Reagan’s vow to defeat communism and win the Cold War outright was a stunning and, in the day, unexpected success. A success that, in no small part thanks to President Donald Trump, is not going away.
As Trump said upon his November election, he intends to lead a “golden age of America” that he will launch in the “greatest political movement of all time.” He added: .
This will truly be the golden age of America. That’s what we have to have. This is a magnificent victory for the American people that will allow us to make America great again.
In a matter of weeks this new American journey begins.
Optimism overflows. With reason.
Happy New Year!
READ MORE from Jeffrey Lord:
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