# TL;DR: because communism did, in fact, kill people. Between 23 million (low estimate) and 100 million (high estimate) of them killed by regimes that collectively self-branded themselves as led by "communist" parties. The question contains two premises, both 100% false: 1. That the only reason Communism is seen as evil is "because propaganda" and "because the people with that view are uneducated/stupid". Contrary to that, as the answer below shows, there's objective evidence leading people to consider Communism evil. 2. That Communism is universally unpopular in the West, especially USA. Let's expand on both points: -------------- > Is it merely due to the propaganda during the Cold War? I find that doubtful. That was so long ago, and the people who were subject to that propaganda are all old or dead now. So why have Americans and other westerners not smartened up by now and understood what Communism is? It's a nice theory that is fully contradicted by the fact that among the most anti-communist segments of population are those who know best - immigrants from "communist" (well, socialist) states. People from former USSR, refugees from Castro's Cuba, Venezuelans who escaped Chavez's regime - they are all far more anti-Communist than the average Westerner. Because: 1. They know exactly what the reality of living in a "communist" society entails. 2. They know their history. My grandmother was almost repressed because she happened to study genetics when Lysenko was in power. Many members of my extended family were repressed during Stalin's times. She also remembers "Doctor's Plot" (and the fact that [Stalin missed out on getting rid most Soviet Jews](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctors%27_plot#cite_ref-eisenstadt_38-0) by a few weeks when he died unexpectedly). Or, for less personalized history lessons: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_killings_under_Communist_regimes * http://victimsofcommunism.org/category/research/ * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Book_of_Communism The editor of the latter book quantifies the answer for why communism should be considered as evil as nazism: > Communist regimes have killed ***approximately 100 million people in contrast to the approximately 25 million victims of the Nazis*** So yes, people who "understood what Communism is" are actually the ones most anti-Communist. ------ Secondly, Communism is actually pretty popular in the US/West, especially [among millennials][1]. [1]: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/nov/4/majority-millennials-want-live-socialist-fascist-o/ [2]: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.147.6141&rep=rep1&type=pdf [3]: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/oct/6/liberal-professors-outnumber-conservatives-12-1/ [4]: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/communism-george-w-bush-joseph-stalin-survey-millennials-younger-generation-death-killed-a7366131.html