Back in the day when communism was a politically viable economic program, its capitalist enemies used to love to rail against the evils of "Marxism-Leninism".
Interestingly, they almost always attacked it for all the wrong reasons, citing, for example, the lack of political freedom in societies where it was being practiced, the aggressive tendencies of national leaders in those countries seeking to conquer their neighbors, or the ideology's hostility to religion. That last one in particular was always a good one for getting Americans to rise out of their pews in disgust and anger. Those commies don't even have Jesus!
The fact that none of these critiques had anything at all to do with the economic system that communism actually is was always telling. It's not so easy to attack the idea of sharing and community, is it? Better to wrap it up instead inside the godless thugs - sometimes real, sometimes not - who embraced it abroad. What could be more un-American?
