Workers were to have “no country”. No country and no religion. For a people, like the Polish, who identified so strongly with both, its a wonder socialism was successful at all. Notice I used the word “socialism” instead of “communisim”. Why?
Communism remained this ideal, for all but Khrushchev apparently, that would only be realized in the far far future. It would only be much later the individuals would really receive from society based on their need. In socialism your needs are provided for but in part based upon the work that you do.
What resonates most in these chapters with the people I think is that claim of no exploitation. No landlords. No stock traders. No one making money off of others money, no billionaires, but no paupers (homeless) either. This would seem a powerful promise after decades of depression and World War.
A nice perspective is also here from White, of the relative isolation of the USSR. Completely isolated until WWII but then again largely so by the 1960s when not only were Hungary and Poland feeling a bit independent, we also know that China was clearly out on its own.
Click here for entertaining video of life in Russia today.
Both chapters for tomorrow. 1 & 2. What do you think?
The only thing that I can think of off the top of my head about the reading is the irony of the Soviet Communist Philosophy. They promised equality and a sort of utopian lifestyle, yet they enforced it with extreme control and censorship. In order to make everyone happy, they literally alienated everybody who didn’t already subscribe to their precise philosophy. As for that video, wow, just wow.