Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn: Anti Communist/Pro Russian, by Scipio

Now that we are in a New Cold War, many people are starting once again to quote Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s past anti-communist statements. Unfortunately, people often put those quotes in contexts that ignore the other side of Solzhenitsyn, his anti-Western quotes.  To fully appreciate Solzhenitsyn, one needs to embrace both sides of the man and his ideas.

At the height of the Cold War, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s writings exposed the atrocities of the Soviet Communist prison system and work camps. For his efforts he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1970 but didn’t get to accept it until 1974 when he was kicked out of the USSR and stripped of his citizenship.

We use the term “Gulag” today to refer to some god forsaken torture prison in the boondocks somewhere. We got that term from Solzhenitsyn’s land mark book, The Gulag Archipelago: 1918-1956, which described the Soviet work/prison camps in Kazakhstan where he was brutalized for eight years.

Arguably Solzhenitsyn was the most popular and most influential intellectual spokesperson opposed to the USSR in particular and Communism in general during the Cold War. His first book, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich described the pain and degradation of what daily life was like in the camps.  When I taught high school, I required reading that book in my senior history classes, and we spent a week discussing its significance and its application in our contemporary world. Solzhenitsyn’s anti-communist credentials are impeccable and his anti-communist statements is often quoted in the West.

Most people are unaware that in addition to persecution from leftist communists, Solzhenitsyn’s  family experienced persecution from the rightist monarch, Tsar Nicolas II.  One night his grandmother, an outspoken critic of the Tzar’s brutality “disappeared” when the Okhranka (Secret Police) paid her a visit.  Years later the communist KGB took up where thirty years of Okhranka reign of terror left off. Freedom of expression ran in the Solzhenitsyn family and because of it Alexandr was arrested for criticizing Stalin. Solzhenitsyn understood totalitarianism from the left and right perspective, and hated them both, few people have that personal experience.

In 1971 assassins made an attempt on his life poisoning him with ricin. While in the Gulag he survived a barbaric operation to remove a cancer, and he wrote about it in Cancer Ward. When freed from the USSR, Solzhenitsyn eventually moved to the USA living in Cavendish, Vermont. For the next several years he traveled and lectured around America describing the evils of Soviet Communism.  He was given a hearty welcome where ever he went, and was a media darling.  There was no one at the time who had the literary genius of expression and personal physical experience of torture to explain to the world how horrid the Soviet Socialist system was.

However, living in America, he began to see some trends in America that disturbed him, and he began pointing them out. He was awarded the Templeton Prize in 1983. In Solzhenitsyn’s May 10, 1983 acceptance speech, he criticized the previous year’s Templeton Prize award winner for his pro-communist views. The audience was startled. But he hit a tender spot when he said, “Over half a century ago, while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of older people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: ‘Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened.’”

“Since then, I have spent well-nigh 50 years working on the history of our revolution; in the process I have read hundreds of books, collected hundreds of personal testimonies, and have already contributed eight volumes (it would eventually become thirty volumes) of my own toward the effort of clearing away the rubble left by that upheaval.  But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous revolution that swallowed up some 60 million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: ‘MEN HAVE FORGOTTEN GOD; THAT’S WHY ALL THIS HAS HAPPENED.’”

Further Solzhenitsyn said, “Only the loss of that higher intuition which comes from God could have allowed the West to accept calmly, after World War I, the protected agony of Russia as she was being torn apart by a band of cannibals, or to accept, after World War II, the similar dismemberment of Eastern Europe.  The West did not perceive that this was in fact the beginning of a lengthy process that spells disaster for the WHOLE WORLD; indeed, the West has done a good deal to HELP the process along.”

Prior to the Templeton Award, Solzhenitsyn had already lost a lot of shine among America’s elite and a Russo phobic public when he shocked the Harvard graduating class and the world on May 8, 1978 with his commencement speech titled, “A World Split Apart”.

Here are some selected highlights of that insightful speech forty years ago and its timely message for today:

“A DECLINE IN COURAGE may be the most striking feature that an outside observer notices in the West today.  The Western world has lost its civic courage, both as a whole and separately.  In each country, in each government, in each political party, and, of course in the United Nations.  Such a decline in courage is particularly noticeable among the rulers and intellectual elites, causing an impression of a loss of courage in the entire society…And the decline in courage, at times, attaining what could be termed a LACK OF MANHOOD, is ironically emphasized by occasional outbursts of boldness and inflexibility on the part of those same functionaries when dealing with weak governments and with countries that lack support…which clearly cannot offer resistance.  But they get tongue tied and paralyzed when they deal with powerful governments and threatening forces, with aggressors, and international terrorists.”

“When the modern Western states were being formed, it was proclaimed as a principle that GOVERMENTS ARE MEANT TO SERVE MAN and that man lives in order to be free and pursue happiness. (See, for example, The Declaration of Independence). Now at last during past decades technical and social progress has permitted the realization of such aspirations; THE WELFARE STATE.”

“Even biology tells us that a high degree of HABITUAL WELL-BEING is not advantageous to a living organism. Today, well-being in the life of Western society has begun to TAKE OFF ITS PERNICIOUS MASK.”

“I have spent all my life under a Communist regime and I will tell you that a society WITHOUT ANY OBJECTIVE LEGAL SCALE is a terrible one indeed.”

“THE DEFENSE OF INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS has reached such extremes as to make society as a whole defenseless against certain individuals.  It is time, in the West, to defend not so much human rights as HUMAN OBLIGATIONS.”

“On the other hand, destructive and irresponsible freedom has been granted boundless space. Society has turned out to have scarce defense against the abyss if human decadence, for example against the misuse of liberty for MORAL VIOLENCE against young people, such as motion pictures full of pornography, crime, and horror.”

“And what shall we say about dark realms of OVERT CRIMINALITY? The culprit can go unpunished or obtain underserved leniency- all with support of thousands of defenders in society.”

“THE PRESS, too, of course, enjoys the widest freedom… But what does it make of it?…  If they MISLEAD PUBLIC OPINION by inaccurate information or wrong conclusions, even if they have contributed to mistakes on a state level, DO WE KNOW OF ANY CASE of open regret voiced by the same journalist or the same newspaper?…  The press merely picks out sensational formulas.”

“However, many people living in the West are dissatisfied with their own society.  THEY DESPISE IT or ACCUSE IT of no longer being up to the level of maturity attained by mankind. AND THIS CAUSES MANY TO SWAY TOWARD SOCIALISM, which is a false and dangerous current.”

“But should I be asked, instead, whether I would propose the West, such as it is today, as a model to my country, I would frankly have to answer negatively.  NO, I COULD NOT RECOMMEND YOUR SOCIETY AS AN IDEAL FOR THE TRANSFORMATION OF OURS.  Through deep suffering, people in our country have now achieved a spiritual state of spiritual development of such intensity that the Western system in its present state (it’s gotten worse) OF SPIRITUAL EXHAUSTION DOES NOT LOOK ATTRACTIVE. Even those characteristics of your life which I have just enumerated are extremely saddening.”

Disheartened and disappointed in what he saw developing in America and the West, and heartened by the changes he saw happening back home after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, Solzhenitsyn returned to Russia in 1994 where he was welcomed back and his citizenship restored. He worked to rebuild Russian culture from the devastation of communist rule. He was loved by the Russian people because he loved Russia.  He was also loved by the Russian people because he hated communism. He died in Moscow in 2008 at age 89.

Today in the West, many people have trouble distinguishing the Russia of today from the Russia of the USSR. My Russian history professor told us that to understand modern Russia, you need to read modern Russian literature.  We were required to read works by Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Turgenev, Pushkin, Pasternak, Chekhov, and of course Solzhenitsyn. Consequently, I have a slightly different perspective on Russia than most. Still Russia is difficult to understand, especially if all you are listening to is propaganda. Turn off your TV. The West has always had trouble understanding Russia, just as Westerners have trouble with the way Easterners think.  That lack of understanding of Russia combined with the toxic “empire of lies” has created a dangerous situation in the world today.

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About the Author: Patriotman

Patriotman currently ekes out a survivalist lifestyle in a suburban northeastern state as best as he can. He has varied experience in political science, public policy, biological sciences, and higher education. Proudly Catholic and an Eagle Scout, he has no military experience and thus offers a relatable perspective for the average suburban prepper who is preparing for troubled times on the horizon with less than ideal teams and in less than ideal locations. Brushbeater Store Page: http://bit.ly/BrushbeaterStore

15 Comments

  1. Holy Serf March 17, 2022 at 06:31

    Very good article! Thanks for posting. I’ve noticed that I am at odds with people who are glued to the TV because of the MSM propaganda they watch. I’m a proud American and I try to empathize with what Russian people have experienced. It gives me a better understanding of the geopolitical situations. Thanks again for posting.

  2. American Yeoman March 17, 2022 at 08:27

    It’s a good thing Solzhenitsyn died in 2008 because otherwise he’d be right back in the Gulags, or simply poisoned to death in Putins Russia. There was a brief window in the late 80’s and early 90’s when there was some hope that the Russian people could over come the “strong man” government they have always labored under.The breakdown of centralized and hierarchical control gave it a chance. But, Glasnost was killed in it’s cradle. Putin slammed that window shut long ago. I don’t think Solzhenitsyn would exactly be proud of what Russia is today. It’s nothing more than the Soviet Union without the Communist Religion/Dogma at center stage.

    The ironic and sad thing about it all? The decline of the West which he so lamented and found disgusting etc…Was brought about in large measure by…wait for it….Russian COMMUNIST INFLUENCE…. I don’t understand how people on one hand can say, “Oh, all of our institutions were corrupted by the communists and that’s why things are the way they are here in Murrica now”—- and give the PEOPLE WHO ENGINEERED IT A FREE PASS! Putin wasn’t selling girl scout cookies door to door in Dresden, East Germany.

    I wear a watch from time to time that was given to me by a Russian foreign exchange engineering student I met in 1994. He was from a top secret Siberian Military factory town- one that didn’t appear on the maps in Soviet times- Kosmolosk on Amur. It is the largest manufacturer of Russian Aircraft including the Su 27 which graces my watchface. He and I and his friends, Igor and Vitaly shared many drinks and cooked for one another at times, his borscht and pilmeni were excellent. I have no issue with the Russian people- until they put on a uniform or enter government and begin making strategic decisions, then they are my enemies, now and forever.

    • boss21 March 17, 2022 at 09:12

      Communism started in the sewers of Paris and preceded‘Russian’ communism by a century. The ‘90s were hell on Russia and they are never going back to that or communism ( unless the retards in the West get Putin overthrown, then Russia gets a Yelstin or a Stalin) It was ‘intellectuals’ from the west , many of whom were Jews that infected Russia with that pestilence. Then Russia was used as a launch pad for their ideology into the world, all bankrolled by western banking houses. You got it backwards. I travelled around Russia 2007,08 and 2011. Regular cops don’t even carry anymore. The place is basically as staid and boring as what I imagined 1950s America was like. The problem is in our backyard. Our real enemies are making strategic decisions but they aren’t Russians or in uniforms.

      • American Yeoman March 17, 2022 at 12:26

        As an ideology you are certainly correct on the origins of Communism. But, that ideology was exported to the world by the Soviet Russians. Before the Soviet Union there was not a single Marxist state in existence and they did everything they could during their time to expand that evil to all the corners of the Globe. You can argue pretty forcefully, that Communist agitation in Germany during the collapse of Weimar is what lead to WWII and Hitler. A lot of American blood and treasure was spilled trying to contain it. Even AFTER the Soviet Union was no more- Who cleaned up their damn nuclear mess in Ukraine? Gee, that was US! Leaking nuclear missiles in silos filled with water…..

        You are also correct in that there are plenty of real enemies in our own back yard. With the current occupants of the White House that’s kind of a Captain Obvious moment… I am not blind to that reality- but the two things are not mutually exclusive. I hate them every bit as much and more! I’ve often heard it said- “Grandad went to Korea to kill communists, daddy went to Vietnam and I get to stay home”.

        • NC Scout March 17, 2022 at 21:25

          The US is a more open and blantant Marxist state than the current Russian Federation. To argue otherwise is ignorant and stupid.

    • Blackie Sherman March 18, 2022 at 02:31

      “It’s a good thing Solzhenitsyn died in 2008 because otherwise he’d be right back in the Gulags, or simply poisoned to death in Putins Russia.”

      Here you go pal:

      “MOSCOW – In the last years of his long and stubbornly contrarian life, Alexander Solzhenitsyn finally found a political system he could embrace: Vladimir Putin’s Russia.”

      http://archive.boston.com/news/world/articles/2008/08/05/toward_end_solzhenitsyn_embraced_putins_russia/

      Putin laying flowers at the grave:

      https://jamestown.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/putin_cemetary.jpg

  3. Scipio March 17, 2022 at 08:46

    Dresden Germany? The one the Allies firebombed the civilian population during WWII when the war was already won at that point? That Dresden?

    • American Yeoman March 17, 2022 at 11:39

      Yes, that Dresden. That is where Putin was stationed in his KGB days. It’s about 2oo miles from Berlin where the “conquering Hero Soviets” raped every woman from the age of 8 to 80— That’s from Antony Beevors Fall of Berlin…. A man who probably knows a small thing or two about the verifiable history of it.

      • boss21 March 17, 2022 at 12:27

        I happened to be in Berlin at the 70th anniversary of the Dresden raid , so I took the train down there. On a rebuilt cathedral wall they etched ‘ we know the city has no military significance, but we bombed it to show the Soviets what Bomber Command could do’. – ‘Bomber’ Harris , RAF. He was pulled over drunk by a cop in Ireland and the cop said you could kill someone, he replied- ‘I kill thousands every night’. Notice the Russians did no strategic bombing of German cities.

        • American Yeoman March 17, 2022 at 13:16

          Harder to loot rubble.

  4. Dana Henry March 17, 2022 at 08:46

    Excellent article. I got to meet Solzhenitsyn when he visited Colonial Williamsburg where I worked at the time. It was a real rush even then. What a brave man. One of my best memories.

  5. boss21 March 17, 2022 at 09:15

    Good article, many of his historical fiction books are excellent also. He definitely woke me up to a lot.

  6. American Yeoman March 17, 2022 at 11:57

    I have to wonder what Solzhenitsyn would have to say about the closing of the Gulag Museum and the “disappearance” of all of the records courtesy of the Russian Government in 2017? The Magic Kingdom whitewashes its history….

    https://www.france24.com/en/20180720-russian-gulag-museum-forced-shut-authorities

    • NC Scout March 17, 2022 at 21:23

      He’d probably wonder more about the political prisoners in the US, the framing and murdering of innocents at the hands of the FBI and ATF, the creation of a militarized police state, the fear instilled in anyone advocating for actual political accountability, the empowerment of agencies far beyond the capabilities of the NKVD, and the lies of our internal propaganda believed by the masses without question.

      That’s what he’d wonder about.

  7. Blackie Sherman March 18, 2022 at 01:55

    Five stars for that article!!!!

    I can also say that a Russian “History Through Literature” undergrad course changed my worldview more than any other I had at university.

    Solzhenitsyn was right, modern America has forgotten God. They’ve also forgotten history, culture and a number of other things as well, all of which would have helped apply the brakes to what is happening now.

    Replaced by this has been the money power and their mass manipulation through scientific psychology. Freud’s nephew, Edward Bernays (basically the father of modern advertising and public affairs) stated:

    “If we understand the mechanisms and motives of the group mind, it is now possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without their knowing it In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind.”

    Bernays shaped, among others things, why we eat what we eat for breakfast, why we got involved in WWI, and why women started smoking (“Freedom Sticks” and all that). Research which of his relatives currently runs NETFLIX.

    The tricks are vastly more sophisticated today (Bernays operated a hundreds years ago), but the DNA of the people doing the damage hasn’t changed much.

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