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12 Nov, 2010 23:26

Fall of Berlin Wall did not stop socialism

Fall of Berlin Wall did not stop socialism

The fall of the Berlin Wall has come to symbolize the end of the Cold War, and pieces of it are now scattered throughout the world.

Scenes of the wall falling were beamed across the world as the historic moment when the West defeated the Soviet Union and capitalism's formula defeated communism.Only years later the cameras showed the other angle, the economic collapse brought by capitalism’s victory.In 2001, two months after 9/11, the US government designated the day the Berlin Wall fell as World Freedom Day.Iraq war veteran turned socialist Mike Pyrsner told RT "What the U.S. government means when they celebrate it as freedom day with the fall of the Berlin wall, what they really mean is the freedom of US corporations to plunder and exploit within borders they were not able to initially."Fourteen years after the Berlin Wall came down, similar symbolic images were seen in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, when American soldiers and Iraqis declared virtual victory over the statue of Saddam Hussein as it was pulled down. Those images were also beamed to viewers worldwide.It was staged as a spontaneous outpouring of Iraqis, inspired by the American soldiers who came to liberate them. Media critic and President of the Institute for Public Accuracy recalled, “CNN featured the pull down of the Saddam statue in April of 2003, which was we found out soon afterward, that was all organized by the U.S. army.So these symbols are really hatched by messengers, coming out often of the Pentagon, and the White House and the State Department.”And these symbols, some insist, are used to indicate that Washington’s agenda is the only agenda. "Those were these symbols of victory for the U.S> government to show all over the world, if you oppose the United States, then you are targeted for destruction or we will destroy you," said Prysner.Despite being declared dead, socialism has seen a revival in governments and countries all over the world. "When the U.S talks about the overthrow of the Soviet Union and the coming down of the Berlin Wall as the end of Socialism, it's absolutely not true. The system of Capitalism is in decay at this point,” concludes Prysner.There are pieces of the Berlin Wall all over the world. What came following its fall was a new ballyhooed era of freedom, now marked by economic collapse and endless war. Two decades after the Berlin Wall collapse some argue the US empire is also imploding. It’s influence waning in the face of rising world powers – several of them with a distinct socialist leaning.Eugene Puryear, a Howard University student, activist and a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation said socialism seeks to meet the needs of more people through economic production, education, healthcare, and jobs; while capitalism places wealth in the hands of only a few.“Socialism is the answer to the current economic woes that exist under the capitalist system that are particularly pronounced now during this economic crisis,” said Puryear. Although the United States has recently shifted towards increased capitalism, with the election of small-government, Tea Party politicians, Puryear said he is not discouraged. He argued that the people do want change away from capitalism, citing the push for better American healthcare. “The only argument that we are making, is not a counter argument in terms of goals, we also believe that there should be full employment in this county, but an argument in regards to means,” said Puryear. “The socialist ideology is in fact superior to the free market ideology being put forth by the Tea Party.” People will step forward to support socialism, Puryear argued. Dynamic political change can take place in the US in a relatively swift amount of time. Referencing the end of slavery in America, he argued that change has occurred in history and can take place in the future. “People’s ideas can change,” he added. “They will eventually embrace socialism in this country.”

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