Fact-Check Article: "Communism has killed more than Nazism"
What We Know
The claim that "Communism has killed more than Nazism" is supported by various studies and analyses of historical data regarding mass killings and democide under communist regimes. According to R.J. Rummel's research, estimates suggest that communist regimes have been responsible for approximately 110 million deaths due to democide, which includes genocide and mass murder, from 1900 to 1987. This figure is significantly higher than the estimated 11 million deaths attributed to the Nazi regime during the Holocaust and World War II, which includes around 6 million Jews and millions of others deemed undesirable by the Nazis (Wikipedia on Mass Killings).
Rummel's analysis indicates that the Soviet Union alone accounted for nearly 61 million deaths, with Joseph Stalin responsible for about 43 million of these. Other notable contributors to the death toll include Mao's China, which is estimated to have caused around 38 million deaths, and the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, which killed approximately 2 million people (University of Hawaii System).
In contrast, the Nazi regime's systematic extermination, while horrific, resulted in fewer deaths overall. The Black Book of Communism estimates the total number of deaths caused by communist regimes to be around 100 million, further supporting the claim that communism has a higher death toll than Nazism (Wikipedia on The Black Book of Communism).
Analysis
The evidence supporting the claim that communism has resulted in more deaths than Nazism is substantial and comes from multiple reputable sources. Rummel's work, which is often cited in discussions about democide, employs a rigorous methodology to estimate the number of deaths caused by various regimes. His findings are corroborated by other historical analyses, including the Black Book of Communism, which provides a comprehensive overview of the atrocities committed under communist regimes (Wikipedia on The Black Book of Communism).
However, some critiques exist regarding the comparison of death tolls between communism and Nazism. For instance, a piece from Medium argues that comparing the total deaths attributed to a century of communism with the deaths from a twelve-year Nazi regime is "intellectually dishonest" (Medium article). This perspective emphasizes the need for context when discussing these figures, as the time frames and methodologies used to calculate deaths differ significantly.
Despite these critiques, the overwhelming consensus among historians and demographers is that the scale of death caused by communist regimes surpasses that of the Nazi regime. The estimates of 110 million deaths from communism are often viewed as conservative, given the challenges in accurately accounting for all deaths due to state actions, forced labor, and famine (Reason article).
Conclusion
Verdict: True
The claim that "Communism has killed more than Nazism" is supported by extensive research and historical data. The estimated death toll from communist regimes, which is around 110 million, far exceeds the approximately 11 million deaths attributed to the Nazi regime. While there are valid critiques regarding the comparison of these figures, the overall evidence strongly supports the assertion that communism has resulted in a greater number of deaths than Nazism.
Sources
- How many did communist regimes murder?
- MURDER BY COMMUNISM - University of Hawaii System
- The Black Book of Communism
- Mass killings under communist regimes
- Debunking: “Communism killed more people than nazism!”
- Nazis Or Communists: Who Is Responsible for More Murder?
- Data on Mass Murder by Government in the 20th Century
- Was communism as bad as Nazism?
