(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania’s public colleges aren’t doing enough to contextualize Marxism, according to a new proposal circulating Wednesday.
Rep. Brian Rasel, R-Jeanette, wants his House colleagues to support legislation that requires students at higher education institutions to take a course “on the dangers and realities of communism and socialism in a free society.”
“Too many young people today view communism and socialism as positive systems of government; or support these ideologies without fully understanding what those beliefs really mean,” Rasel wrote in a cosponsorship memo. “This is a dangerous trend as these ideals have led to the crumbling of nations and loss of life for hundreds of millions across the globe.”
The freshman Republican pointed to survey results from the Cato Institute, which found that 62% of Americans aged 18-29 hold a “favorable view” of socialism, while 34% feel the same about communism. A 2020 YouGov poll revealed that 68% of all Americans are unable to define socialism at all, he added.
The class would focus on communist history, its application, socialism in modern countries and “the systemic destruction of civil liberties, personal freedoms and freedom of the press.”
“Our next generation must be well educated about the dangers of these historically violent ideologies,” Rasel said. “It’s crucial that our young people understand that the perpetual revolutions being promoted do not lead to peace. Nor do they bring prosperity; rather, they undermine the very stability and opportunity we seek as contributing citizens of our society.”
State-run colleges and public universities, like West Chester University and Penn State, already offer courses that focus on the history of communism. Slippery Rock University also includes Russian history in the 20th century, where the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 ushered in the first communist government under Joseph Stalin.
TCS was unsuccessful reaching the Pennsylvania Department of Education to determine what authority it would have to mandate a course statewide.
