Florida kindergarten students will learn the “evils of communism”

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The U.S. state of Florida has passed a law requiring teachers to hold classes on the "evils of communism" in public schools.
Florida has passed a law requiring teachers to give classes on the "evils of communism" in public schools.

The U.S. state of Florida has passed a law that will require state schools to teach the history of communism in the U.S., and its “threat” to the country, starting in 2026.

Republican Governor Ron DeSantis said the new educational standard would teach students “the truth about the evils and dangers of communism”.

Once it comes into effect, it’ll apply to students in all years, from kindergarten up.

Communism

Communism is a political ideology based on a ‘classless society’, where people are not divided according to wealth.

Property and resources are distributed equally among citizens. In practice, this has meant governments are central to the organisation of society.

The U.S, by contrast, is built on a system of capitalism, centred on individual gain and profit, where the government has a more limited role to play in day-to-day lives.

The U.S. and its allies faced off against communist countries during the Cold War from the 1940s to the 1980s.

Communism took hold in Russia through a series of revolutions in the early 20th century. Russia transformed into the Soviet Union, led for decades by dictator Joseph Stalin.

Stalin had at least a million people executed in his crackdown against perceived political threats in society.

Florida law

Students at Florida public schools, from kindergarten up, will be taught about the “evils of communism” from 2026.

The new law requires the state’s education department to develop age-appropriate curriculums for teaching students:

  • ‘The history of communism in the U.S.’
  • ‘Atrocities committed under communist regimes’
  • ‘The increasing threat of communism in the U.S. during the 20th century’
  • ‘Cuba’s communist policies’

DeSantis

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the purpose of the education reforms is to teach the “truth about the evils and dangers of communism”.

DeSantis also said the new teaching areas will protect students from being “indoctrinated by communist apologists in schools”.

Opposition

The law had little opposition.

However, seven of 120 representatives in Florida’s lower house voted against the education reforms.

Democrat representative Anna Eskamani compared the bill to “McCarthyism”, a fear campaign during the early years of the Cold War in the U.S. against suspected communists.

Eskamani also told local media she found it “disingenuous for Republican colleagues… to sponsor a bill that would require a specific political viewpoint to be espoused onto our students”.

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