Russian Bronze Statue in Estonia

[Dominique R. Poirier]

I appologize for dragging France on the table once more but there exists a situation I find rather similar to this Estonians experienced during WWII, thought certainly less dramatic, of course. Let just say that since things seem to change a bit, in appearance at least, since the election of Nicolas Sarkozy which happened on last May the following applied until the end of Jacques Chirac’s mandate. That is:

French people who are looking for a political party whose program is libertarian and inspired by the U.S. way of capitalism and individual freedom just can’t find one since there is no such a thing. All French political parties preach discreet defiance, when not overt hostility, toward the U.S. model, including those that claim to be on the rightist side. I must add to this that French are rather uneducated—not to say ignorant—about politics; to the point that they are just unable to provide a correct description of what is socialism, communist, capitalism, national socialism, or even fascism. The reason for this stems from a general unwillingness of the ruling elite to educate them about politics, and the main criteria available when the time to vote is coming are as subjective as: “who is the most trendy and the most attractive during public speeches;” the likelihood of promised tax cuts once elected, and the like.

As a result, those who feel rightist join rightist parties and many of them joined the ranks of the Front National—whose program is truly national socialist—because it is officially ear-marked “far rightist” by all other parties that, at the same time, claim that the United States is a far rightist country.

Confusion and mistakes ensue, of course.

So, French people are in a situation nearly similar to this Estonian experienced during WWII. Either they join a leftist party or a national socialist one that claims to be anti-communist and anti-left in general (?). It tantamount to say that they have no choice but to stand by a political party, if ever they still want to join one, that will: be anti-American and anti-free capitalism and entrepreneurship; favor the welfare state; favor a heavy tax system whose role is to finance the welfares.

Similarly, appearance suggest that Estonian who felt hostile to communism and the Soviet Union during WWII could hardly do more than either give up and submit willy-nilly to the ruling power of the moment (an attitude somewhat close to this of “passive resistance,” as Tequila suggests on his latest post) or stand by the Nazi (which was national socialist too, anyways). I hazard the guess that true passive resistance was a position quite hard to stand and intellectually accessible to a tiny courageous and well educated part of the Estonian population.
Overall, I just surmise that Estonians were perhaps more politically conscious and educated during WWII than French are today since things were less subtle and confusing in those earlier times than they are nowadays.

In any case, if we can pardon many Estonian who stood by the Nazi during WWII because there was no alternative available, it remains that those veterans of Estonia's Waffen SS division who still meet annually can hardly be excused the same way on the mere ground that Nazi don’t like Russia.

Have I been that simplistic in my analysis?