Summary and Comments on "What was Lenin?" by H. Carrère-Dancourse - This book is a great way to learn more about Lenin.
Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924)Wikipedia.
I would like to introduce a book titled "What was Lenin?" written by H. Carrère-Dancourse and translated by Harumi Ishizaki and Hideo Higashimatsu, published by Fujiwara Shoten in 2006.
Let me quickly quote from the "Introduction" to the work about the book.
Now that communism has been rejected and the struggle abandoned, the idols no longer have a reason for existence. The Soviet Union has entered "history. Lenin will henceforth belong to those who think long and hard, appreciating the achievements and events of a man without regard to political necessity or imperative.
Today, it is possible to ask oneself the following important questions about Lenin Who was Lenin? Was he a criminal responsible for one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century? Or was he the victim of a sudden turn in "history" that will one day be vindicated by a new and perhaps final turn?
It is difficult to separate a person from his country in political action and political production, but how much of this should be attributed to the personality of Lenin? How much of his choices and their consequences was due to the political context - the delay of the revolution in Russia and the delay of the revolution outside Russia?
Was Lenin the embodiment of a terrible century in which disregard for humanity was endemic? Or was he a prophet who charted a path to a peaceful and serene future for mankind - perhaps too soon?
It is the desire of this book to help separate Lenin from his ideological passions and to place him squarely in the history of the twentieth century, which is coming to an end. For this century will have been dominated above all by his ideas and will, whether we want it to be or not.
Fujiwara Shoten, H. Carrère-Dancourse, translated by Harumi Ishizaki and Hideo Higashimatsu, "What was Lenin?" 14-15.
Some line breaks have been made.
The book is characterized by the major question posed by the title of the book, "What was Lenin?" The book explores the question of why Lenin was Lenin and what were the factors that made him Lenin.
The translator's introduction describes the book's features as follows
The author, Hélène Carrère-Dancourse, is one of the leading scholars of Russian-Soviet studies in France, and her fame is well known in Japan, where about 10 of her works have already been translated into Japanese, already in 1979,Lénine, la Révolution et le PouvoirHe published a book titled "Lenin - Revolution and Power. This is therefore the author's second book on Lenin. （The book is the author's second book on Lenin.)
The most important feature of this book, as opposed to the previous one, is, of course, that it is a study of the Soviet Union after its collapse. While the previous work could not possibly have been completely free from the various restrictions and considerations imposed by the complex task of Soviet research, this time it takes full advantage of the conditions that have freed it from any taboos and made many secret documents accessible to the researcher.
Carrère-Dancourse then attempts to tear away the veil of the legend that Stalin concocted to get at the real image of Lenin the man. The myth of "Lenin the Good" has allowed Lenin, unlike many dictators of the 20th century (Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, etc.), to escape the fall of the man long after his death, enshrined in a mausoleum, the object of idolatrous worship. ......
Fujiwara Shoten, H. Carrère-Dancourse, translated by Harumi Ishizaki and Hideo Higashimatsu, What was Lenin, p. 623-625
Some line breaks have been made.
This book was written by Carrère-Dancourt, a leading scholar on the Soviet Union, using materials newly made available to the public with the collapse of the Soviet Union. The book also provides an insight into the real image of Lenin, a man who had been idolized until now.
Perhaps the most important proposition suggested by this book is that many of the elements denounced in the name of Stalinism were formed by Lenin, or at least under his leadership.
The Chequers were established as early as November 1917, immediately after the seizure of power; the cold-blooded order to "hang them by the neck or shoot them"; the reality of "iron fist" requisitioning by military labor detachments for food procurement, which were given the right to shoot peasants who did not obey their demands; the order to "strike back in revenge against peasant rebellion, burn villages, shoot rebel peasants, take their entire families hostage and execute them. The most astonishing proof, however, is the concentration camps. It had already been functioning since 1918, and the suppression of the Kronstadt uprising was the impetus for the expansion of many more camps.
The difference between Lenin and Stalin is not a decisive difference between a sincere revolutionary, whose devotion to revolutionary ideals sometimes forced him to resort to illegal and cruel means, and a crassly ambitious man, bent on personal power, but at best a difference in nuance, rather in continuity and development.
Besides this chilling confirmation, the image of Lenin depicted here also takes us by surprise and thoroughly betrays the legend.
Fujiwara Shoten, H. Carrère-Dancourse, translated by Harumi Ishizaki and Hideo Higashimatsu, What was Lenin, p. 625-626
Some line breaks have been made.
As I mentioned earlier, this book, as the title suggests, takes the stance of "Who was Lenin really, although he had been idolized and worshipped until now?" As you can see at the end of this quote, we will come to know a completely different Lenin from the image we had of him in the Soviet era.
In terms of reading interest, here is the one I introduced earlier.Lenin, Power and Love.is the most interesting and recommended in terms of readability.
However, if you are interested in learning more about Lenin, I would recommend this work by Carrère-Dancourse. If you read "Lenin: Power and Love" first to get a general idea, and then read "What was Lenin? We recommend that those interested in Lenin read the two books as a set.
The above is "H. Carrère-Dancourse, "What was Lenin?" This is the book to learn more about Lenin.
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