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May 31, 2021 • 3hr 53min
#19 – The Anti-Humans
The Martyr Made Podcast
This episode of the Martyr Made podcast examines the brutal subjugation of Eastern Europe by the Soviet Union in the wake of World War II. The host, Darryl Cooper, warns listeners that the content is extremely dark and disturbing. He explains that while Nazi Germany's atrocities are well known, many people are unaware of the unprecedented savagery unleashed by Stalin's Soviet Union on the civilian populations of Eastern Europe after WWII. The episode aims to convey the true horror of Soviet communism and why it posed such a grave threat to human civilization.
#19 – The Anti-Humans
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Key Takeaways
- The Soviet takeover of Eastern Europe after World War II was marked by unprecedented brutality and savagery against civilian populations
- The Soviets used mass rape, torture, executions, and deportations to terrorize and subjugate the people of Eastern Europe
- Communist regimes sought total control over not just people's actions, but their thoughts and beliefs as well
- The "Pitești experiment" in Romania was an extreme example of communist attempts to break down and remake human personalities through torture
- Resistance movements like the "Forest Brothers" in the Baltic states fought against Soviet occupation for years after WWII
- The brutality of Soviet communism was unprecedented in human history in its scale and totalizing ambitions
Introduction
This episode of the Martyr Made podcast examines the brutal subjugation of Eastern Europe by the Soviet Union in the wake of World War II. The host, Darryl Cooper, warns listeners that the content is extremely dark and disturbing. He explains that while Nazi Germany's atrocities are well known, many people are unaware of the unprecedented savagery unleashed by Stalin's Soviet Union on the civilian populations of Eastern Europe after WWII. The episode aims to convey the true horror of Soviet communism and why it posed such a grave threat to human civilization.
Topics Discussed
Soviet Brutality in Eastern Europe (2:03)
The episode begins by describing the extreme violence and cruelty employed by Soviet forces as they swept through Eastern Europe at the end of WWII. Some key points:
- Soviet propaganda encouraged soldiers to take revenge on German civilians
- An estimated 2 million German women and girls were raped by Soviet troops
- Mass executions, torture, and deportations were commonplace
- The Soviets often encouraged local populations to take revenge on Germans and other minorities
Cooper provides graphic descriptions of atrocities committed by Soviet forces, including mass rapes, mutilations, and killings of civilians. He emphasizes that this was not just the actions of individual soldiers, but part of a systematic campaign of terror approved at the highest levels.
Communist Takeover Methods (28:25)
The episode then examines how the Soviets consolidated control over Eastern European countries:
- Existing institutions were co-opted or destroyed
- Local communist parties were put in power, often staffed by aggrieved minorities
- Mass deportations and population transfers reshaped demographics
- Resistance was brutally crushed through executions, torture, and imprisonment
Cooper notes that the Soviets often exploited ethnic tensions and empowered previously marginalized groups to carry out repression against the majority population. This created deep societal divisions that persist to this day in some countries.
Resistance Movements (1:38:36)
The episode discusses resistance movements that fought against Soviet occupation, focusing on the "Forest Brothers" in the Baltic states:
- Guerrilla fighters in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania continued armed resistance into the 1950s
- They engaged in hit-and-run attacks on Soviet forces and assassinations of communist officials
- The Soviets responded with brutal counterinsurgency tactics against fighters and civilian supporters
- Despite heroic efforts, the resistance was eventually crushed due to overwhelming Soviet power
Cooper relates stories of brave resistance fighters like Jonas Žemaitis in Lithuania, who fought against both Nazi and Soviet occupiers. He emphasizes the incredible courage and determination of those who continued to resist despite facing certain defeat.
The Pitești Experiment (3:11:00)
A significant portion of the episode is devoted to describing the horrific "Pitești experiment" carried out in Romanian prisons in the late 1940s and early 1950s:
- It was an attempt to completely break down and remake the personalities of anti-communist student activists
- Prisoners were subjected to extreme physical and psychological torture for months on end
- They were forced to renounce their beliefs and participate in degrading acts that violated their deepest values
- The goal was to prove that there was no inviolable human "soul" that could not be remade through conditioning
Cooper provides extremely graphic and disturbing details of the tortures inflicted on prisoners at Pitești. He emphasizes that this was not just sadism, but a systematic attempt to destroy and remake human personalities in line with communist ideology.
Unprecedented Nature of Communist Totalitarianism (3:47:11)
In the concluding section, Cooper reflects on what made Soviet communism uniquely evil and dangerous:
- It sought total control not just over people's actions, but their thoughts and beliefs
- It aimed to destroy all traditional sources of meaning and identity - family, religion, nation, etc.
- The scale and intensity of its brutality was unprecedented in human history
- Its totalizing ambitions posed an existential threat to human civilization
Cooper argues that while Nazi Germany's crimes are well known, many people fail to grasp the true horror and danger posed by Stalinist communism. He contends it was "something like Satanism in a modern disguise" and the greatest threat humanity has ever faced.
Conclusion
The episode concludes with Cooper reflecting on why he felt compelled to cover this dark subject matter. He argues that too many people lack understanding of the true nature of Soviet communism and why it provoked such a strong reaction in the West during the Cold War. While acknowledging the excesses of anti-communist movements like McCarthyism, Cooper contends that the threat posed by the Soviet Union was very real and unprecedented in human history. He sees Stalinist communism as not just a rival political system, but an attempt to fundamentally remake human nature and destroy everything people had valued for millennia. The episode aims to convey the full horror of this system and why resisting it was so crucial.