Strategic advantages of armies of the Left

What do you guy think are the Strategic advantages of armies build in a leftist nation or based on leftist ideals.

Dedication and cutting edge weapons. The SU's Military tech far surpassed that of the US. It was only near the collapse that they started losing.

Dedication and cutting edge weapons. The SU's Military tech far surpassed that of the US. It was only near the collapse that they started losing.

And the reason for the Left out teching them is? Are we more up mind or is there something more?

Revolutionaries have the morale advantage of understanding what they are fighting for and believing in it. Those who are convinced that they're struggle is just, will risk their lives to see it realised.
Whereas soldiers within Capitalist governments are often fighting, not out of ideals or a just belief, but as a last resort, which would otherwise cause them to be jobless and live with little prospects. This often means that their willingness to fight is extremely limited, and the ability for revolutionaries to have a successful physiologic impact on advance, massive.

Military firepower has nothing to do with it. At it's height, the 26th July movement reached 1500 guerrillas, yet it managed to overthrow a government with the military capacity of 50.000 soldiers.

In terms of Guerrilla Warfare, the revolutionary force has the advantage of time, mobility and space. Governments receive no benefit from prolonged wars. Whereas the guerrilla has nothing to lose from prolonged wars - They can afford to continue, whereas governments cannot.

Due to the mass of space in rural areas, and because guerrillas have no rear, unlike the military, they can strike the military with surprise almost anywhere with the element of surprise, as there is too much space in countries for governments to successfully watch and protect.

The following is an accurate summary of the advantages held by the guerrilla -

“The Guerrilla fights the war of the flea, and his military enemy suffers the dog’s disadvantages: too much to defend, ubiquitous, and agile an enemy to come to grips with”

Military firepower has nothing to do with it. At it's height, the 26th July movement reached 1500 guerrillas, yet it managed to overthrow a government with the military capacity of 50.000 soldiers.

can you please list which group you are talking about here?

can you please list which group you are talking about here?

It's the 26th of July movement set up by Fidel Castro which included Che Guevara,Camillo Cienfuegos,Raul Castro,Frank Pais etc which eventually overthrew the Batista regime in Cuba in 1959.Their name comes from the date that Fidel and his fellow revolutionaries attacked the Moncada army barracks in 1953 which led to Fidel along with others being imprisoned.

All combat power is based on one's capacity to generate violence:

Well then let's go into more detail. If it is ture that "All combat power is based on one's capacity to generate violence", then there must be some reason, why communist groups same better able to "generate violence".

I think there are two main advantages that Leftist armies have/had over their enemies:

1) One is the use of political officers/cadres who served as a sort of glue that held helped to boost the morale of those fighting by drawing on ideology to convince comrades to give their all in times of struggle. In a sense, during the darkest of times (Battle of Stalingrad etc.) these cadres functioned sort of as chaplains to help the soldiers keep up their fight. (religion may be the opiate of the masses, but there are times when such powerful narcotics are called for- as long as they elevate the Proletariat and struggle rather than some imaginary old man)

2) I think that one of the main advantages Leftist armies have is that they tend to be more democratic , allowing their soldiers greater initiative to carry on the fight. This is no mistake- reactionary armies fundamentally do not trust the "people" from which the lower ranks of the military are generally derived. Therefore, the American military (for one) is much more repressive (if not physically, then psychologically) than it's Leftist counterparts, which generally allow greater freedom to it's NCO's and low ranking officers.

The best example of this would have to be the way in which the Viet Cong were ae to operate in the rural areas of South Vietnam and rely very little on a centralized command structure.

2)

And the reason for the Left out teching them is? Are we more up mind or is there something more?

Actually, Comrade_Stalin, I believe the Comrade is wrong, the SU did not "out-tech" the west, except for a brief period in the early fifties (the space-race). In particular, the SU lagged very far behind the US in electronics technology, for example.

I think that Communism if course would allow for society to progress leaps and bounds beyond our current technology- because research and development will be controlled by the priorities set out by the dictatorship of the proletariat. Capitalism in fact does not allow for technological progress to happen to quickly- the result of this happening causes booms and busts in the economy.

Actually, Comrade_Stalin, I believe the Comrade is wrong, the SU did not "out-tech" the west, except for a brief period in the early fifties (the space-race). In particular, the SU lagged very far behind the US in electronics technology, for example.

I think that Communism if course would allow for society to progress leaps and bounds beyond our current technology- because research and development will be controlled by the priorities set out by the dictatorship of the proletariat. Capitalism in fact does not allow for technological progress to happen to quickly- the result of this happening causes booms and busts in the economy.

He may have been right if we look at When the SU was under Stalin, at the time the T-34 was a match for most heavy tanks of that day, and clearly out class any medium tank. Also most of the technolgy that lead to the early fifties space-race came from Stalin time. If they had not turn on him you would of seen red and yellow insteand of the red, white and blue on the moon.

I think there are two main advantages that Leftist armies have/had over their enemies:

1) One is the use of political officers/cadres who served as a sort of glue that held helped to boost the morale of those fighting by drawing on ideology to convince comrades to give their all in times of struggle. In a sense, during the darkest of times (Battle of Stalingrad etc.) these cadres functioned sort of as chaplains to help the soldiers keep up their fight. (religion may be the opiate of the masses, but there are times when such powerful narcotics are called for- as long as they elevate the Proletariat and struggle rather than some imaginary old man)

You mean the Commissar system?

2) I think that one of the main advantages Leftist armies have is that they tend to be more democratic , allowing their soldiers greater initiative to carry on the fight. This is no mistake- reactionary armies fundamentally do not trust the "people" from which the lower ranks of the military are generally derived. Therefore, the American military (for one) is much more repressive (if not physically, then psychologically) than it's Leftist counterparts, which generally allow greater freedom to it's NCO's and low ranking officers.

The best example of this would have to be the way in which the Viet Cong were ae to operate in the rural areas of South Vietnam and rely very little on a centralized command structure.

2)

It may not have to do with the centralized command structure, but more to the able of NCO to change there tactics with changes in the field.

Interestingly there is the point that weapons designed by Leftist states tended to be more reliable and designed for mass use as there was no "arms market" , eg the PPSH and AK47 and also the RPG-7 this was a clear advantage in Vietnam the VC ha over the US MI6s and M14s.The success of these weapons dsigned by the USSR is significant in that they have become widespread.

because of the reliability of the designs