Was the twentieth century's original sin actually the rise of colonial empires?
In short: Domenico Losurdo, a provocative Italian Marxist philosopher, argued that the true original sin of the twentieth century was not totalitarianism, but the expansion of colonial empires. By re-examining the history of liberalism and socialism, he challenged mainstream narratives, sparking intense debates about Stalin, the Holocaust, and Western imperialism.
Domenico Losurdo (1941–2018) was a prominent Italian historian and philosopher whose work sought to contextualize political thought within its historical time. A lifelong communist, Losurdo utilized a Hegelian and Marxist framework to critique liberalism, capitalism, and colonialism. He famously argued that the origins of Nazism were rooted in the imperialist and colonial policies of the Western world, rather than being an isolated phenomenon. In his 2005 work, Liberalism: A Counter-History, he contended that the liberal tradition, while championing individual liberty, was historically inseparable from racism, slavery, and genocide.
Losurdo was perhaps most controversial for his attempt to dismantle what he called the 'black legend' surrounding Joseph Stalin. In his 2008 book, Stalin: History and Critique of a Black Legend, he argued that the demonization of Stalin was a product of Cold War-era anti-communism. He rejected the common comparison between Nazism and communism, asserting that Nazi concentration camps were defined by an 'irreversible' naturalistic despecification—the biological exclusion of individuals—whereas Soviet Gulags were characterized by political-moral exclusion. He maintained that the latter, while condemnable, functioned as re-educational systems rather than death camps.
His methodology faced significant criticism. While some scholars praised his intellectual autonomy and rigorous historical contextualization, others, such as historian Sean Purdy, accused him of charlatanism. Critics like David Broder noted that Losurdo’s attempts to relativize Stalin’s leadership were often driven by a polemical zeal that lacked sufficient evidence. Furthermore, his collaboration with figures like Grover Furr and his defense of the legitimacy of Soviet purges as a response to a 'fifth column' during the 1930s sparked intense backlash, even within leftist circles. Despite the controversy, Losurdo remains a significant figure in the history of ideas, known for his relentless critique of Western imperialism and his efforts to re-evaluate the legacy of socialist states.
Losurdo’s intellectual reach extended to the study of Kant, Nietzsche, and Heidegger, always with an eye toward how these thinkers were applied in modern political life. He introduced concepts like 'autophobia' to describe how defeated political groups internalize the hatred of their oppressors. By challenging the 'incomparability' of the Jewish Holocaust—arguing that it must be viewed alongside other mass exterminations like the genocide of Native Americans—he forced a confrontation with the historical perspective of Western powers, whom he accused of committing crimes as severe as those they attributed to their adversaries.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Domenico Losurdo
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