Results 1 to 5 of 5

Thread: Two Questions about Russia today

  1. #1
    Council Member kowalskil's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Fort Lee, New Jersey, USA
    Posts
    49

    Default Two Questions about Russia today

    How to explain it?


    The 70th anniversary of the German attack on the Soviet Union was on June 21. On that occasion I visited many Russian websites. What a surprise to find that both communists and anticommunists glorify Stalin in today's Russia.

    Communists remember him as a great Marxist ideologist, as Lenin's partner, as a leader responsible for collectivization of agriculture, for rapid industrialization, and for merciless destruction of traitors, especially within the communist party and the military, in the late 1930's. Briefly, they glorify him as the leader of the Soviet proletarian dictatorship, and as a military genius responsible for the Soviet victory over fascism.

    The anticommunists also claim that Stalin was responsible for the Soviet victory over fascism. But they totally ignore his communist ideology, and the brutality he used to impose obedience. Logically, the attitude toward Stalinism should divide communists and anticommunists. But in reality it seems to unite them. How can this be explained?

    And this is not the only puzzle. As some of you probably remember, I wrote a memoir about life in the Soviet Union during the first year of the war. It can be seen at

    http://pages.csam.montclair.edu/~kow...dedenievo.html

    Thinking about the approaching 70th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War--that is how Russians refer to their experience during WWII--I sent the above link to perhaps as many as 20 editors of Russian newspapers, giving them permission to translate and publish my memoir. Not a single one responded. How can this be explained?

    Ludwik Kowalski (see Wikipedia)

    My profile==> http://csam.montclair.edu/~kowalski/my_profile.html
    .
    .
    .
    Ludwik Kowalski, author of a free ON-LINE book entitled “Diary of a Former Communist: Thoughts, Feelings, Reality.”

    http://csam.montclair.edu/~kowalski/life/intro.html

    It is a testimony based on a diary kept between 1946 and 2004 (in the USSR, Poland, France and the USA).

    The more people know about proletarian dictatorship the less likely will we experience is.

  2. #2
    Council Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Harlem, GA
    Posts
    11

    Default

    "How to explain it?"

    Good question. I think it is normal human behavior to seek out exactly what we are looking for: Marxist hero or savior of WWII. We tend to ignore that which we don't "like" in favor of the positives we desire.

    As to why the Russian newspapers are not interested, I cannot speak to that. Perhaps they view your story (and I have read it) as something contray to the agenda they have established.
    bs

  3. #3
    Council Member slapout9's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Posts
    4,818

    Default

    That's pretty easy IMO. Capitalist are Communist.....Corparate Communist its Big Banking not business as many people think.. That is why they worship the to big to fail philosophy. It's Marx vs. Shumpeter. Marx thought everybody should belong to a labor union. Shumpeter thought everybody should belong to a Corparation. That is a simplification but close enough for government work.

  4. #4
    Council Member Stan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Estonia
    Posts
    3,817

    Default

    Hmmm, in this neck of the woods nobody would be surprised.

    When Putin did a "Soviet-style rewriting" of Russian history half of the Baltic just laughed (at us the West when we acted surprised)

    When we told the Germans and Russians Estonia was littered with hundreds of thousands of UXO they almost denied ever being here.

    However, when Estonia wanted to move a bronze statue from the middle of the city to the grave of the unknown soldier we had riots.

    When Putin moved a "freedom fighter statue" to make a highway... No big deal and if you complain, the Milits will help you with your capitalist thoughts

    Mr. Kowalski, I would concentrate your efforts in the former states because they will at least appreciate where you are coming from and they will make a mess of the Russian media.

    Good luck, Stan
    If you want to blend in, take the bus

  5. #5
    Council Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Rocky Mtn Empire
    Posts
    473

    Default I'll go one further

    In Russia, the Great Patriotic War, and many of the myths that surround it, transcends politics. I'm am not much surprised that both communists and their opponents can agree on this. I think that the Stalin part is peripheral to the GPW legend.

Similar Threads

  1. Defending Scandanavia (catch all)
    By jmm99 in forum Europe
    Replies: 30
    Last Post: 04-03-2017, 09:02 PM
  2. Has The West Lost Russia ?
    By Stan in forum Europe
    Replies: 14
    Last Post: 08-30-2008, 05:21 PM
  3. Russia and the US
    By Brian Hanley in forum Europe
    Replies: 37
    Last Post: 11-05-2007, 10:26 PM

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •