Friday, October 25, 2013

The New Soviet Union.

Recent events make it abundantly clear that a new Iron curtain is descending in Russia and other parts of Eastern Europe. Vladimir Putin and his Neo-Soviet cohorts are gradually strangling the life out of representative government in Russia, and many of the former republics. Putin's agents are active throughout Eastern Europe spreading his baneful influence. The Russian dog, devouring it's own socialist vomit should come as no surprise to the thoughtful reader. Eastern Europe did not undergo a great religious or even philosophical awakening in 1989-90. It merely saw the collapse of an unworkable economic system . Like its sometimes rival ,sometimes partner red China is has disproven the libertarian saw that free markets would always leader to greater liberty for men.
The third generation of Soviet leadership did not maintain a strong commitment to Marxists theory, and lost with it the will to maintain a Huge military to sustain its empire. The politicians played a game of musical chairs, the country went broke and there was not the sort of spiritual change which could have transformed Russia.

      This is why Solzhenitsyn returned to Russia he found himself respected but largely ignored. This is why in Russia Putin is  facing so little resistance in his drive to become president for life. People in ordinary times are not too demanding in what they expect from the state and its leadership.

   When I lived in New Hampshire I had a coworker from the Ukraine. He was a simple sort who had been a heavy equipment driver in the Rovno area and  was a Russian Baptist. I used to talk to him and over the years his English became good enough that he could carry on a conversation with reasonable ease. He seemed to appreciate talking to someone who knew about his country and its history. Once out of curiosity I ask him for his opinion of the various Russian leaders of the past. To my shock the one he seemed to like the most was Brezhnev. Now in the west we think Of Brezhnev
as a corrupt party hack and when I asked Mikhail why he liked him he said because under him "things got better". As long as Putin can increase the material things the Russian people own, millions will ignore his trampling of liberty. what we must hope is that the Russian system transforms to something better. Only by a real reformation and revival can Russia, (or we survive)!
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