One of the very few disadvantages of the fall of Communism in Europe in 1989 is that the true extent of the heinousness of this system was never fully revealed. The enslavement and annihilation of people, the gulags, and the evilness of the regimes of the past were relegated to secondary status over the elation of the actual fall.
And that's too bad.
After World War II, the Nazis were put on public trial at Nuremberg to answer for their behavior. They had to account for the suffering, killing, and destruction of Europe and take responsibility for upsetting world peace. Many of these leaders were hanged, and aside from the acquittals of three minor participants, the rest were given prison sentences, some of them substantial.
After its collapse, Communism was never given such an airing out.
Instead of being held accountable for conditions and actions that often matched or even surpassed that of the Nazis, some communist leaders around 1989 suffered few consequences. For example, East Germany's Erich Honegger was never arraigned, in spite of his role in the secret police, the "Stasi." His successor, Egon Krenz, got only four years. (Granted, some exceptions did occur, like Nicholai Ceausescu's execution in Romania.)
So what should have happened?
Nuremberg 2.0. Communist leaders should have been forced to stand trial in front of an international tribunal. The ruthlessness of their actions should have been on display for all the whole world to see.
So... how bad was communism?
The current estimate is that 125 million people perished under that system. This number does not include those who survived but whose lives were shattered by poverty, abuse and the gulags. With China, North Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, and Laos still involved with this system, the numbers are still going up.
The lack of an international trial had another side effect. Today, Communists are still blatantly active, even in democratic countries (think of "Antifa" in the U.S.). Somehow, being a Communist has never carried the stigma that the Nazis so rightfully have had to endure.
Anyone who pretends that communism isn't as bad is a liar and deceiver.
And they need to held to account for their beliefs.
