Comment by DiogenesKynikos
2 years ago
The term "useful idiot" was invented by conservatives in the West during the Cold War, as a slur against social democrats.
Lenin never used it. It didn't even exist during his lifetime.
2 years ago
The term "useful idiot" was invented by conservatives in the West during the Cold War, as a slur against social democrats.
Lenin never used it. It didn't even exist during his lifetime.
It was a slur against collaborators with communism, not against social democrats: https://quoteinvestigator.com/2019/08/22/useful-idiot/
The slur was originally directed against social democrats by conservatives who accused them of helping communism.
Later, the term became a much more general slur used by conservatives against anyone who wasn't sufficiently "tough" against the USSR.