
Imagine a world where the lines are blurred, where the heroes and villains of history are not quite what they seem. A world where the seemingly diametrically opposed ideologies of capitalism and communism were, in fact, secretly intertwined, manipulated by powerful forces pulling the strings from behind the curtain. This is the unsettling landscape explored by historian Antony Sutton in his groundbreaking, yet largely suppressed, research. Prepare to have your understanding of the 20th century, and perhaps even the present day, radically challenged.
Unveiling the Hidden Hand: Antony Sutton's Explosive Thesis
Antony Sutton, a research fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution, dared to challenge the accepted narrative. His meticulously researched book, Wall Street and the Bolshevik Revolution, presented a shocking thesis: that powerful Western financial interests, primarily from Wall Street, provided significant funding and support to the Bolsheviks before and during the Russian Revolution. This wasn't simply a case of a few rogue actors; Sutton argued that this was a deliberate, strategic investment in a communist state.
But why would capitalists, the supposed sworn enemies of communism, fund a revolution that aimed to abolish private property and seize the means of production? This is the central mystery that Sutton sought to unravel. His answer: the pursuit of profit and, more importantly, the desire for control. Sutton termed this phenomenon "corporate socialism," a system where powerful elites collaborate with governments to achieve their goals, often at the expense of individual liberty and economic freedom.
The Players: Follow the Money Trail
Sutton's research meticulously traced the flow of money and resources. He exposed the involvement of key figures and institutions, including:
Jacob Schiff of Kuhn, Loeb & Co.: A prominent banker who provided substantial financial backing to the Bolsheviks.
William Boyce Thompson: A director of the Federal Reserve and a major investor in Bolshevik Russia.
Leon Trotsky: The revolutionary leader whose movements, according to Sutton, were curiously facilitated by Western interests.
The evidence Sutton presented was compelling, comprised of primary source documents, financial records, and personal correspondence. This was not conjecture; this was painstakingly documented history. But the implications of his research were, and remain, profoundly disturbing.
The Suppression: Why Was Sutton's Work Marginalized?
If Sutton's research was so well-documented, why was it largely ignored or suppressed? The answer, as always, lies in the uncomfortable truths that his work exposed. His findings challenged the prevailing Cold War narrative, which presented capitalism and communism as irreconcilable enemies. To admit that Western financiers had funded the Bolsheviks would undermine the ideological justification for the Cold War itself.
Furthermore, Sutton's work directly implicated powerful individuals and institutions. It questioned the very foundations of the established order. It's not hard to see why his work, though initially published by a respected institution like the Hoover Institution, would eventually be marginalized. It's a classic case of shooting the messenger, or in this instance, silencing the historian.
“The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.” – George Orwell (Often attributed)
Corporate Socialism: A Blueprint for Control?
Sutton's concept of "corporate socialism" is perhaps his most enduring legacy. He argued that powerful corporations and financial institutions often benefit from a centralized, controlled economy. This is because such a system allows them to:
Influence government policies to their advantage.
Eliminate competition.
Control resources and markets.
In essence, corporate socialism is not true socialism; it's a form of crony capitalism, where the state and powerful corporations work hand-in-hand. It's a system where wealth and power are concentrated in the hands of a few, while the illusion of ideological conflict distracts the masses.
The Implications for Today: Echoes of the Past?
What relevance does Sutton's research have today? His work offers a critical lens through which to view contemporary events. It encourages us to question the accepted narratives about international conflicts, economic policies, and the motivations of powerful elites. Could we be witnessing echoes of the past in the present? Are we seeing corporate interests influencing geopolitical events, manipulating public opinion, and profiting from conflict?
Consider the rise of global institutions, the increasing concentration of wealth, and the blurring of lines between government and corporate power. Do these trends align with Sutton's observations about corporate socialism? The questions are uncomfortable, but they are vital to ask.
A Deeper Dive: Exploring the Evidence
For those who want to delve deeper into the evidence, I highly recommend this video exploring Antony Sutton's groundbreaking work:
It's a powerful and thought-provoking analysis of Sutton's research.
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Awakening to the Hidden Architecture
Antony Sutton's work, though often marginalized, offers a vital perspective on the hidden architecture of power. His research challenges us to question the accepted history, to look beyond the surface narrative, and to recognize the complex and often self-serving motivations that drive historical events. His exploration of the funding of the Bolshevik Revolution is just the beginning of a much larger story.
The suppression of his work serves as a warning: that powerful interests will always seek to control the narrative, and that critical thinking and independent research are essential for uncovering the truth. By understanding the past, we can better navigate the present and strive for a future where power is more accountable, and truth is not a casualty of ideology or greed.
Great, Thank You so much!
A few social/labor uprisings or revolutions notwithstanding, it seems the superfluously rich and powerful have always had the police and military ready to foremost protect their big-money/-power interests, even over the basic needs of the masses, to the very end.
Even in modern (supposed) democracies, the police and military can, and perhaps would, claim — using euphemistic or political terminology, of course — they have/had to bust heads to maintain law and order as a priority during major demonstrations, especially those against economic injustices. Indirectly supported by a complacent, if not compliant, corporate news-media, which is virtually all mainstream news-media, the absurdly unjust inequities/inequalities can persist.
Perhaps there were/are lessons learned from those successful social/labor uprisings, with the clarity of hindsight, by more-contemporary big power/money interests in order to avoid any repeat of such great wealth/power losses (a figurative How to Hinder Progressive Revolutions 101, maybe)?
Morally speaking, we collectively deserve far better than always having either the usual callous establishment conservative or neo/faux liberal government.
Regardless of who’s president or prime minister, we in the Far West live in a virtual corpocracy. And the more they make, all the more they want — nay, need! — to make next quarterly. It’s never enough, yet the corporate news-media, which make up virtually all of Western mainstream news media, will implicitly or explicitly celebrate their successful greed [a.k.a. ‘stock market gains’].
Corporate officers shrug their shoulders and say their job is to protect shareholders’ bottom-line interests. The shareholders in turn also shrug their shoulders while defensively stating they just collect the dividends and that the big bosses are the ones to make the moral and ethical decisions.
It seems there's little or no human(e) or moral accountability when big profit is involved; nor can there be a sufficiently guilty conscience if the malpractice is continued, business as usual. ‘We are a capitalist nation, after all,’ the morally lame self-justification will typically go.
Still, there must be a point at which corporate greed thus practice will end up hurting big business’s own monetary interests. But, maybe the unlimited-profit objective/nature is somehow irresistible. It brings to mind the allegorical fox stung by the instinct-abiding scorpion while ferrying it across the river, leaving both to drown.
With such insatiable greed, already very profitable big businesses will always need to become all the more profitable, even if much human suffering results. It really does seem there's little or no accountability when huge profit is involved; nor can there be a sufficiently guilty conscience if the malpractice is continued, business as usual. ‘We are a capitalist nation, after all,’ again the morally lame self-justification will go.
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“The point is, ladies and gentlemen, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms — greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge — has marked the upward surge of mankind …”
“It’s not a question of enough, pal. It’s a zero sum game — somebody wins, somebody loses. Money itself isn’t lost or made; it’s simply transferred — from one perception to another. Like magic.”
(the morbidly greedy and corrupt bank-financier character Gordon Gekko, Wall Street, 1987).