Anti-Enterprise Extremism as Economic Sabotage
Marxist regimes demonized all forms of enterprise, even small-scale trade. They branded modest merchants or farmers as “kulaks” or “capitalist roaders” deserving punishment. In the USSR, successful peasants were executed or starved; in Cuba, street vendors faced harassment. This blanket rejection ignored Marx’s nuanced view of capitalism’s historical role. Economic disaster followed as entrepreneurial activity was criminalized, creating black markets and corruption while state planners failed to match market efficiency.
