Why is it that with the exception of Hitler the US tends to be more accepting of right-wing dictatorships?

Question

Why did the U.S. support brutal dictators like Trujillo, Batista, Pinochet, just to name a few. I mean Batista was just as totalitarian and evil as Fidel. Trujillo tortured hundreds of thousands of dissenters and massacred close to 50,000 Haitians yet the U.S. turned a blind eye. Is right wing totalitarianism better than left wing totalitarianism?

Answer 1

Because it is in their interest, it does not matter what you are, as long as you are useful.

Answer 2

Actually, Hitler wasn't really an exception. Look at your history more closely. We did not enter the war because of Hitler. Hitler had many admirers in the states, particularly in the business section... Henry Ford, Prescott Bush... all these guys liked the look of Hitler's total control state.

The largest nazi rally held in the world was right here in the states, at Madison Square Garden.

The feeling, up till the moment the Japanese dragged us into choosing sides, was that if Hitler seized control of Europe, we would offer an Alliance, so we made no overt moves against him at first. At this point, it is pretty much out in the open that we knew what was up with the death camps, and when that get's more widely understood, it will be a good thing.

How could we not have known? The camps were common knowledge among germans; average germans worked in them, and our intelligence had to have known of their existence and probably guessed what was going on behind the barbed wire.

But Hirohito's attack changed the tone.

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In the current world, look at what we did to Pol Pot. A major murderous maniac, whom we put in house arrest.

Your basic observation has the ring of truth.

Answer 3

Because on a foreign relations level it's easier to deal with one guy who is going to be the leader forever than trying to make friends with every new president or Parliament that gets elected?

Answer 4

Your point is well taken.
I've said this before and I'll say it again.
WE MUST NEVER support tyrants!
During the "Cold War" it was expedient, but that doesn't make it right. It did help block Communist takeovers in those Countries. We are now paying the price for that flaw in our foreign policy.
DON'T REPEAT IT!

Answer 5

Here's a history lesson. Central America at the time was nothing but brutal dicators and they were all our puppets anyway. Ever heard of banana republic's? We were empire building.

Answer 6

People in the US are no less immune to right wing authoritarian goons than people in other societies.
Its about power and money -

Answer 7

because america is capitalist right wing , they'd rather right dan left .
plus it wasnt a threat to them , it was propbably quite good for them

Answer 8

they are more like us.