[lit-ideas] Collapse of the USSR
- From: "Andy Amago" <aamago@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "lit-ideas" <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2006 23:02:18 -0500
BBCRussian.com has begun a series (in Russian, obviously) commemorating the
beginning of the Thaw, attributed to Kruschev's secret speech given at the XXth
Congress in February 1956. In that speech Kruschev denounced Stalin and the
cult of Stalin. That speech is credited as the beginning of the end of the
USSR, so much so that Ben Gurion, among the first in the West to read it,
predicted upon reading it that the end of the USSR would happen in 30 years.
It happened in 35. I thought it interesting for purposes of this list because
of the earlier thread that the demise of the USSR is credited to Reagan. Far
from it. The USSR was based on the cult of Stalin. When Stalin died, there
was nothing left to hold it together, and a mere 35 years later, it collapsed.
I would paste the link but it's in Russian and there's no translation. What
the heck, I'm pasting it.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/russian/in_depth/newsid_4743000/4743480.stm
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