Mike Pence claims 'freedom' ended slavery and won two World Wars

Mike Pence continued to rip into socialism on Friday, saying it was "freedom, not socialism" that ended slavery and defeated Hitler – a claim that has previously been derided as historically inaccurate.

The vice president joined in on the anti-socialism rhetoric by Republicans at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) yesterday, when he declared:

It was freedom, not socialism, that ended slavery, won two World Wars and stands today as the beacon of hope for all the world.

But some noticed that the vice president's unique interpretation of the past was not entirely thought through.

In a Newsweek essay, political editor Jason LeMiere pointed out that while Pence had no problems preaching about how freedom ended slavery, he chose to ignore addressing how slavery began in the first place.

If it was freedom that ended slavery then presumably it was also freedom that allowed it, with a provision written into the Constitution that specifically referred to slaves and the 'three-fifths compromise', whereby they were counted as less than free people.

Referring to the second claim of it defeating Hitler, Le Miere continues:

Pence’s claim about the ending of the World Wars is also historically questionable. The Soviet Union, under communist control, played a crucial - to some historians the most crucial - role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II.

The country also paid the heaviest price during the war as it battled Germany on the Eastern Front, losing an estimated 26 million people, including about 11 million soldiers

Other journalists took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his questionable and confusing remarks.

It seems the anti-socialism feelings are so strong amongst Republicans, that there were even "Socialism sucks" t-shirts on sale at the conference.

HT Newsweek