The seeds of the Total State were planted
by three men in the 19th century. These three men had
delusions of grandeur and believed they had the answers to all of mankind’s
troubles and questions. They placed themselves above God. The seeds they
planted quickly grew roots and sprouted into the Total States of the 20th century. These three men were Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, and
Abraham Lincoln. The ideologies and actions of these men complimented each
other and ultimately led to a level of death and destruction the world had
never seen before.
Charles
Darwin and Karl Marx
In
1859, Darwin released “On the Origins of Species by Means of Natural Selection,
of the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life,” in which he
invented the theory of natural selection. A decade prior to this Karl Marx
published “The Communist Manifesto,” which advocated for an authoritarian
collectivist society that would abolish individual liberty. This manifesto was
so influential that almost every major society put some form of it in place in
the 20th century, whether it was a watered-down form of socialism
or full-on communism. But this influence was only made possible because of
Darwin and his theories. Darwin’s theory of evolution and natural selection
discarded God and consequently the idea of objective morality and the inherent
worth of every individual. It was Marx himself who said “Darwin’s work is most
important and suits my purpose in that it provides a basis in natural science
for the historical class struggle.” By destroying the idea that God created us
all and granted us natural rights, Darwin gave Marx’s theory a much-needed
foundation. This allowed for Marx’s theory to spread, as people began to accept
that individuals did not have rights and therefore, that “society” had the
right to enforce its will on individuals. After all, if Darwin’s theory is
true, then there is no purpose in life and we are all here by chance. And if
this is true, then there is no such thing as right and wrong. This thinking,
combined with Marx’s idea of a collectivist society centered around an all-powerful
state allowed for the creation of the Total State in the next century. Hitler,
who was an avowed socialist, stated that “the earth has been acquired on the
basis of the right of the stronger.” The German dictator, along with the other
leaders of the 20th century Total States, adopted Marx’s theories and Darwin’s
“survival of the fittest” concept, thus leading to an all-powerful state
deciding who the most “fit” were and who could and should be sacrificed and
destroyed.Milliard Reading Pillo...Best
Price: $28.74Buy New $34.99(as of 09:27 EDT - Details)
Abraham
Lincoln
If
Darwin and Marx were the originators of the Total State throughout the world,
Abraham Lincoln fulfilled that role more specifically in the United States and,
more importantly, was the initiator of the horrific Total Warfare tactics they
would eventually use. In regards to being a forerunner of the Total State,
Lincoln not only wrote about it but actually put it into place. Lincoln argued
that states had no right to secede and therefore that the national government
had the authority to quash any such attempt with the use of overwhelming force.
The results of this were obvious: the consolidation of power into one solitary
group, the defining feature of the Total States of the 20th century.
This centralization of power by Lincoln was later praised by Hitler in “Mein
Kampf.” Hitler later would echo Lincoln, promising Germany that he “would
totally eliminate states’ rights altogether.” Thus, we see that Lincoln’s
vision laid the groundwork for the Total State. But that is not all. He also
created the precedent for the Total War tactics that the vicious states of the
20th century would later employ. President Lincoln waged “total
war” on the South, laying waste to its land and killing civilians, including
children. As Murray Rothbard stated, he “broke the 19th-century
rules of war by specifically plundering and slaughtering civilians, by
destroying civilian life and institutions.” In fact, Rothbard declares, “by
targeting and butchering civilians, Lincoln…paved the way for all the genocidal
horrors of the monstrous 20thcentury.” The Total States’
later use of these tactics, which were unprecedented in Lincoln’s time, would
make the 20th century the bloodiest one in history.
Conclusion
The terror of the 20th century did not occur by chance. It was largely the
result of the horrific ideologies and actions of three men who lived in the
previous century. Thus, we must remember that ideas can have powerful
consequences and that liberty must be defended with vigilance.
Mueller 64179 Adjustab...Best
Price: $25.36Buy New $27.57(as of 03:14 EDT - Details)Lumbar Support, Back S...Buy
New $34.99(as of 03:14 EDT - Details)
Lumbar Support, Back S...Buy
New $34.99(as of 03:14 EDT - Details)
Derek W. Dobalian [send him mail] is a licensed attorney in Los
Angeles, CA. His writing focuses on Christianity and political philosophy.
Copyright © Derek Dobalian
