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The term useful idiot, for a foolish person whose views can be taken advantage of for political purposes, was used in a British periodical as early as 1864. [3] In relation to the Cold War, the term appeared in a June 1948 New York Times article on contemporary Italian politics ("Communist shift is seen in Europe"), [1] citing the Italian Democratic Socialist Party's newspaper L'Umanità []. [4]
Neoconservative philosopher Leo Strauss argued that Soviet leader Joseph Stalin may have believed that, because fools were numerous, a "socialism of fools" would be advantageous. Strauss suggested that Stalin deliberately fostered antisemitism for this reason. [4]
"A 2010 BBC radio documentary titled Useful Idiots listed among "useful idiots" of Joseph Stalin [clarification needed] several prominent British writers including H. G. Wells and Doris Lessing, the Irish writer George Bernard Shaw, the American journalist Walter Duranty, and the singer Paul Robeson" —User 0 0 0 name 18:08, 28 April 2015 (UTC)
Analyzing various explanations for Stalin's perceived antisemitism in his book The Lesser Terror: Soviet State Security, 1939–1953, historian Michael Parrish wrote: "It has been suggested that Stalin, who remained first and foremost a Georgian throughout his life, somehow became a 'Great Russian' and decided that Jews would make a scapegoat ...
Ben Carson became the joke of the day in Russia on Sunday after the presidential candidate used what appeared to be a fake quote during the debate. Russians think Ben Carson's fake Stalin quote is ...
In fact, if someone was or was not a "useful idiot" can never be proven, this is just a popular terminology used to express a personal opinion. It only matters, this is a notable claim, it was widely published and well sourced, and it is about the contemporary usage of the "useful idiot" expression, which is the subject of the page.
Image credits: famous_unicorn #5. Not the biggest, but: Molotov said he wasn't bombing Finland, he was bringing them food. In actuality, he was bombing them. Finns got cheeky and called the bombs ...
“In essence, many of the Jan. 6 participants have said that they were useful idiots,” said NBC News legal analyst Joyce Vance, a former top federal prosecutor. “Trump literally cannot do ...