In April 1990, the Berlin Wall was torn down, allowing East Germans to travel to their family, friends, and countrymen in the West for the first time since 1961. This wall, which served as the preeminent icon of Communist oppression, was not strong enough to withstand the resistance of the oppressed people who longed for freedom. Phyllis Schlafly dedicated many long hours to the fight against Communism, both abroad and right here in America. When the wall finally fell, she published a great “I told you so” in her April 1990 Phyllis Schlafly Report for the entire world to see that conservatives had it right when they said freedom will prevail against Communist tyranny.
She wanted to remind us of Communist atrocities so we would never forget the threat that Communist ideology poses to humankind. She recognized that the Communist threat was far from over. Indeed, today’s headlines prove that to be true.
Although communists painted themselves as the inevitable wave of the future, Phyllis was proud to proclaim in the victorious year of 1990 that “This Communist myth was finally exposed for the lie it always was. It became obvious to all that Communism and socialism are bankrupt; they have failed politically and economically. History is now clearly on the side of freedom from government, and the aging commissars of Communism are falling into the dustbins of history.” For the free people that will remain vigilant, the principles of Communism and socialism stand no chance.
Phyllis was wise to point out the rightness of conservatives on the communist threat because the fight against communists is more than a so-called “McCarthyistic witchhunt;” it is a fight to protect the rights and lives of millions against an objectively evil force.
If we are to stop the open call for socialism that has been manifesting in America, we must look to our history. From the failure of Chairman Mao’s “Great Leap Forward” to the victory of the United States in the Space Race to the fall of the Berlin Wall, it is clear to see that history is on the side of freedom.
