this post was submitted on 29 Jul 2024
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The current usage refers to people who back dictatorships that call themselves socialist.
Historically, the definition was slightly tighter. A few years after the death of Stalin, the USSR brutally crushed a revolt in Hungary with tanks. The UK's communist party was okay with this. This led to a lot of people leaving the party and calling the people who remained "tankies".
Over time, the term became more broad. A lot of the original users of the term supported Stalin, and would be considered tankies themselves by the modern definition.
It is also sometimes misused. Some people think that dictatorships are the only form that socialism can take. As a consequence, these people call all socialists tankies, including anarchists and demsocs.
Ah ok cool thanks for the clarification, I have been seeing a lot of people calling anyone on the left who is not an anarchist a tankie, and I was getting concerned as a marxist. Like fuck Stalin, and I know plenty of anarchist comrades, but I was worried it was being applied in a too wide brush.
Glad to be of service!
The UK bit makes more sense, I can hear the accent.
I thought it was about the Teineman square tank man with the bags, and Tankie's were on the side of the tanks. I mean it's the same concept but yours goes back further.
I thought similar. I thought these were tankies
Goals
(1) To the extent possible make America the target of criticism. Play down the existence of Taiwan.
(2) Do not directly confront [the idea of] democracy; rather, frame the argument in terms of "what kind of system can truly implement democracy.”
(3) To the extent possible, choose various examples in Western countries of violence and unreasonable circumstances to explain how democracy is not well-suited to capitalism.
(4) Use America's and other countries' interference in international affairs to explain how Western democracy is actually an invasion of other countries and [how the West] is forcibly pushing [on other countries] Western values.
(5) Use the bloody and tear-stained history of a [once] weak people [i.e., China] to stir up pro-Party and patriotic emotions.
(6) Increase the exposure that positive developments inside China receive; further accommodate the work of maintaining social stability.