[misja111]

> somewhat similar to the demonization of communism that the west pushed for decades?

I'm not sure what you mean with 'the west', but in Western Europe communist political parties were allowed just like any others. When I went to high school in the 80's it was even kind of fashionable to have communist sympathies. This was before the fall of the iron curtain though, once it went down it became clear how terrible communism had really been.

[ausudhz]

that doesn't make it less demonized. Unless you forgot the media campaigns on it and the plenty of wars that started in the attempt to stop the spread of communism.