Date: Mon, 28 Oct 1996 18:19:00 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re: M-TH: The Unknown Lenin


On Mon, 28 Oct 1996, Rosser Jr, John Barkley wrote:

>     A new book is out, _The Unknown Lenin_, claiming 
> to contain documents from secret Soviet archives on 
> Lenin.  It is edited by the very anti-Lenin, Richard 
> Pipes, whose commentaries are often utterly ridiculous.

Pipes is a fool. His History of the Russian Revolution is a scholarly
embarassment, full on contradictions--internal ones I mean. Therea re
respectble right wing scholars of the USSR--Robert Conquest, Leonard
Shapiro, Edward Crankshaw, etc. Pipes is not one of them.

Nonetheless, the documents may genuine. What they imply is another question.

>      The documents contain allegations that:
> 1)  Lenin was paid by the Germans.

Even if true, so what? The old charge was that Lenin took German money and
that this was supposed to show he was a bad guy without even the
motivation of his announced princples. This is ridiculous. L might have
taken German money--to help him realize his principles. The evidence is
crystal clear that L was selfless and utterly devoted to the cause.

> 2)  Lenin issued an order that led to the death of 
> thousands of priests.

Quite possible. He did order the shooting of hostages--this is not to be
doubted. But it doesn't add very much to our ap[praisal. We knew already
that L was capable to ruthless authoritarianism.

> 3)  Lenin approved of Stalin but thought that Trotsky 
> was politically incompetent.

T was politically incompetent. L thought S a competent administrator. He
was right. But L's Testement is his last word: as all here know, there he
said T was a bit flashy and superficial, but that S had to go.

--JUstin




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