Date: Mon, 28 Oct 1996 01:25:21 +0200 (EET)
Subject: M-TH: Stalin therapy?


Sorry for the wrong subject line in last post.

Now when I've heard fabulous opening bars of Wagner's Meistersingers
(and music has regressed into those not-so-fabulous-half-hours Richard
Strauss joked about) and have finally done the work of the day
(changed places of half a dozen or so semicolons) I can wonder what
Chris B is aiming at.

I mean, what is the relevance of Stalin and stalinism, today? Surely
it isn't the news that he might have killed only ca. one million of
USSR citizens?

About Stalin's "grave mistakes" and other sayings: it has been claimed
every now and then that Stalin used such ideological doublespeak where
"peace" meant "war" and "mistake" meant "breakthrough", to put it
roughly. It doesn't matter much what he said or wrote until we can
'decode' his writings and speeches.

A new book on Stalin is coming soon out, by one Russian named Edvard
Radzinski (I don't know how you would spell that name). English
translation might be on the market already. It seems to be bestseller
type of book, unfortunately.

About that in Russia communists are "making much of Stalin having
killed less than a million people": what about it? In a matter of fact
there have been signs of new Stalin cult in Russia.

I've wondered whether Chris has in mind a collective therapy... I
remember you once wrote about it. What is the greatest traumatic
phenomenon in the history of marxism? Stalinism, of course. So let's
go it through, let's analyze what really happened, and why, Chris
seems to be thinking. That might work, but only on condition that
people are ready for such an undertake, I guess.

Chris thinks this list may not be the best place for Stalin debate. I
agree. For such a very special threads there have been "seminar rooms"
earlier. You know, list for restricted life span with restricted
agenda. "Stalin-therapy" could help to get rid of some fear and such,
but I believe what would be more fruitful is dedemonization of that
era: now, when I've finally realized Chris' idea, I can see that era
was historically so strongly constituted or 'determined' that it's
hard to imagine USSR without any kind of state terrorist period. That
doesn't whitewash Stalin a bit. As an individual he should be judged
as an individual for what he did.

Jukka



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