H. G. Wells’ interview with Stalin (1934)
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H. G. Wells’ interview with Stalin (1934)
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Re: H. G. Wells’ interview with Stalin (1934)
#2"We Bolsheviks call it “self-criticism”. It is widely used in the USSR."
Indeed! Coming out of Stalin, the irony of these word is unbearable.The first Moscow trial was to take place in two years.
Re: H. G. Wells’ interview with Stalin (1934)
#3This was a particularly interested/relevant excerpt from Wells. I think of the open source ethos as one small example of what he's calling for in the second paragraph:
I object to this simplified classification of mankind into poor and rich. Of course there is a category of people which strive only for profit. But are not... people in the West for whom profit is not an end, who own a certain amount of wealth, who want to invest and obtain a profit from this investment, but who do not regard this as the main object?...
During the past few years I have been much engaged in and have thought of the need for conducting propaganda in favour of Socialism and cosmopolitanism among wide circles of engineers, airmen, military technical people, etc. It is useless to approach these circles with two-track class-war propaganda. These people understand the condition of the world. They understand that it is a bloody muddle, but they regard your simple class-war antagonism as nonsense.
Re: H. G. Wells’ interview with Stalin (1934)
#4Not one mention of the terrible famine in the Ukraine which had occurred over the two previous years.
As Malcolm Muggeridge wrote, initially a supporter of the Soviets until he witnessed what their policies actually meant as a correspondent for the Guardian in Moscow:
"The novelty of this particular famine, what made it so diabolical, is that it was the deliberate creation of a bureaucratic mind, ... without any consideration whatever of the consequences in human suffering"
Re: H. G. Wells’ interview with Stalin (1934)
#5This was a particularly interested/relevant excerpt from Wells. I think of the open source ethos as one small example of what he's calling for in the second paragraph: I object to this simplified classification of mankind into poor and rich. Of course there is a category of people which strive only for profit. But are not... people in the West for whom profit is not an end, who own a certain amount of wealth, who wan…
Credit to Wells for then saying:
"They understand that it is a bloody muddle, but they regard your simple class-war antagonism as nonsense."
I wonder if Wells was one of the last people to disagree with Stalin who didn't end up with a bullet in the back of their heads?
Re: H. G. Wells’ interview with Stalin (1934)
#6great comment by nmrm
Stalin, in particular, has been a fascination of mine. Anyone interested in learning how a man can literally seize control of the thoughts of millions of people - utterly - in an age when the radio was considered cutting-edge technology should read "Who Killed Kirov?" (http://amzn.to/1moOVmE) That book haunts me.
Re: H. G. Wells’ interview with Stalin (1934)
#7This was a particularly interested/relevant excerpt from Wells. I think of the open source ethos as one small example of what he's calling for in the second paragraph: I object to this simplified classification of mankind into poor and rich. Of course there is a category of people which strive only for profit. But are not... people in the West for whom profit is not an end, who own a certain amount of wealth, who wan…
Credit to Wells for then saying: "They understand that it is a bloody muddle, but they regard your simple class-war antagonism as nonsense." I wonder if Wells was one of the last people to disagree with Stalin who didn't end up with a bullet in the back of their heads?
No. Lots of people disagreed with Stalin all the time. Famous example being Zhukov.
Re: H. G. Wells’ interview with Stalin (1934)
#8Very interesting. Was it ever translated into Russian? I wouldn't be too surprised to learn that it wasn't.
Re: H. G. Wells’ interview with Stalin (1934)
#9> But I have some experience in fighting for Socialism, and this experience tells me that if Roosevelt makes a real attempt to satisfy the interests of the proletarian class at the expense of the capitalist class, the latter will put another President in his place. The capitalists will say: Presidents come and Presidents go, but we go on for ever; if this or that President does not protect our interests, we shall find another. What can the President oppose to the will of the capitalist class?
Thats the truth we have all resigned to ourselves unfortunately.
Re: H. G. Wells’ interview with Stalin (1934)
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
Credit to Wells for then saying: "They understand that it is a bloody muddle, but they regard your simple class-war antagonism as nonsense." I wonder if Wells was one of the last people to disagree with Stalin who didn't end up with a bullet in the back of their heads?
No. Lots of people disagreed with Stalin all the time. Famous example being Zhukov.
True, but didn't Zhukov (perhaps the greatest general of WW2) come perilously close to being tried in the aftermath of WW2 - largely due to his personal reputation and international standing?