How did America go from a nation that understood the dangers of communism to a nation where some young Americans now believe socialism — or even communism — is the answer?
I believe part of the answer is that we stopped teaching our generations to one another.
I was part of a generation that was taught that communism was not simply an economic theory — it was a worldwide movement seeking to expand its power. Young American men were drafted and brought together from every corner of the country.
A young man from the South might find himself in basic training with someone from New York, California, Minnesota or Ohio. We talked about our families, our communities and our states. We learned something important: we were Americans first. Then came Vietnam.
America entered Vietnam as part of its Cold War effort to contain communist expansion. We must be honest about history: America did not ultimately achieve its objective of preserving a non-communist South Vietnam. North Vietnamese forces captured Saigon in 1975.
But the men who fought there believed they were defending their country against communist expansion. Many paid the ultimate price. Then America changed.
The draft ended in 1973. One of the great experiences that brought young Americans together disappeared. The 1960s and 1970s brought enormous cultural and political changes. Universities became centers of activism, radical political ideas gained influence in some academic circles, and traditional institutions were increasingly challenged.
But something even more important began disappearing: The passing of history from one generation to the next.
My children, now in their 50s, were encouraged to sit with their World War II grandmothers and grandfathers and simply listen. Listen to the stories. Listen to what it was like to live through the Depression; what it meant to go to war; how families sacrificed, worked, saved and built communities. Those weren’t lectures. They were living history.
Many Americans under 40 have never had that experience. For some, the grandparents who personally remembered World War II are gone. The stories are gone with them. Instead, too many young Americans receive their understanding of America primarily through schools, social media, entertainment and political commentary. Then we wonder why some become attracted to socialism.
They hear that socialism means fairness, that government can provide what people need. But too often, they haven’t been taught about the other side of the equation: responsibility. Freedom comes with responsibility. Rights come with responsibilities. A prosperous country cannot simply promise everything without someone producing the wealth to pay for it.
I’ve said for years that communists and socialists think in generations while Americans too often think in election cycles.
Whether we agree with that statement completely or not, one thing is certain: political movements understand the enormous power of shaping what the next generation believes.
So what should we do? Teach them. Give young Americans the books. Give them the history. Let them read Marx, but also let them read the history of countries that attempted Marxism. Let them study the Soviet Union, China and other communist governments. Let them read American history. And let them read books with which they disagree.
Freedom is not inherited like a piece of property. Every generation must learn why freedom matters, accept the responsibility that comes with it, and decide whether it is worth preserving. That is the lesson my generation learned.
It is the lesson I fear we have stopped teaching.