Lenin

History of the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin

Shigeru Takamoto, "The Forgotten Revolution - 1917" - What was the Russian Revolution? A book that describes the author's anguish.

The book will explain the process of Soviet dictatorship from the Russian Revolution of 1917 onward.

The book is unique in that it is written from the perspective of the author himself, who was once impressed by the ideals of the Russian Revolution and committed to Marxist thought, but who eventually came to understand the reality of the Soviet Union over time and now feels anguish over it.

The book is not a criticism of Marxism from the beginning, but rather a torment that can only be told because of a long commitment to it.
History of the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin

S.P. Melignov, "Red Terror in Soviet-Russia (1918-1923)" - Shocked by the horrific system of repression in the Lenin era...

I read this book to find out what the hell was going on during the Soviet era, and it was far more tragic than I had ever imagined. I was shocked at how cruel and violent human beings could be.

I visited Auschwitz in 2019. Even then, I felt the cruelty of mankind in all its glory. But I learned again that massacres on a comparable scale were committed during the Lenin/Stalin era.

This book is quite shocking. It made me want to turn away from reading it.
History of the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin

Masashi Jinno, World History Theater: The Impact of World War I - Without this war, there would have been no Russian Revolution.

Continuing from our previous article, we would like to introduce the writings of Mr. Masashi Jinno.

The Russian Revolution was an event so closely linked to the war that it might not have occurred without World War I.

The Great Russian Revolution," but it is important to know more about this revolution and its impact on the world situation.

It is not just a memorization of years and events, but also a great introduction to how history worked. And it's just so interesting that you can read it in one sitting. I really appreciate this book.

This book is also recommended to learn more about the Russian Revolution and the situation Russia was in at the time.
History of the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin

Masashi Jinno's "World History Theater: The Russian Revolutionary Upheaval" - A recommended introduction to the Russian Revolution and what it is all about!

As usual, Jono's books are really easy to understand and, above all, interesting. It is really easy to understand the flow of history, or rather, the sense of connecting the dots.

Learning about the Russian Revolution will be very important for understanding later socialist states and the world during the Cold War.

The author, Mr. Jono, is quite harsh on socialism, and the book makes it very easy to understand why he says so.

This book is a great introduction to the Russian Revolution. The complex history of the revolution is explained very clearly.
History of the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin

Synopsis and Impressions of Gorky's Masterpiece "Dondoko" - The Soul Cries of People Living at the Bottom of the Hill

This is a dramatic work. Moreover, as mentioned in this commentary, like Chekhov, there is no easy-to-understand plot. Therefore, it is difficult to grasp the flow of the play even if you read it as a book. I also could not understand it after reading it once, so I had to reread it many times.

Like Chekhov, I am sure that this work will have a tremendous impact when seen on stage as a play.

This piece is quite powerful. Chekhov's plays have a quiet atmosphere, but Gorky expresses the cries of the souls of those who are at rock bottom. The power of the words is tremendous. If you only read it in a book, it must be amazing to hear it on the stage.
History of the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin

Criticism of Dostoevsky by leading Soviet writer Gorky

As we discussed in our previous article, "Gorky from the Biography of Stalin: Gorky as a Soviet Propaganda Writer," Gorky was a leading Soviet writer and played a major role in promoting Soviet propaganda during the Stalinist regime.

What would this Gorky say about Dostoevsky?

This, in other words, is how the Soviet Union views Dostoevsky.

Therefore, in Seiro Sato's "The Life of Gorky," there is a passage in which Gorky mentions Dostoevsky, and I would like to look at that in this article.
History of the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin

Gorky from "Biography of Stalin" - Gorky as a Soviet Propaganda Writer

The image of Gorky that I read in "Biography of Stalin" was quite different from that in Seiro Sato's "Life of Gorky.

Nevertheless, it is also true that Gorky struggled from an early age and pursued his own ideals even after becoming a writer. And after the Russian Revolution, he opposed Lenin's dictatorship and left the country as well. Therefore, I believe that the image of Gorky written by Mr. Seiro Sato is not wrong in this respect.

However, I think we can say that Stalin was too cunning. He took Gorky into his own hands and used him. He had Gorky at his beck and call and used him to make him believe that Stalin's Soviet Union was wonderful, without letting him realize his own intentions. I think that Stalin's method is a terrible one.
History of the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin

Seiro Sato, "The Life of Gorky" - Biography recommended to learn about the tumultuous life of one of the Soviet Union's leading writers.

The book describes Gorky's life in considerable detail from his childhood, but much of the information about the young Gorky, for whom public records are scarce, is based on autobiographical novels written by Gorky himself. For those who wish to know more about Gorky, we recommend reading his autobiographical novels, such as "Among the People.

This biography reveals how tremendously Gorky lived his life from an early age.

His masterpiece, "Dondoko," was precisely because of his own experience of living through the bottom of society. It is amazing that he made it big as a writer from there. I was really surprised when I read this biography. He is no ordinary man.
History of the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin

Gorky and Dostoevsky, leading writers of the late imperial and Soviet periods

In "Evil Spirits" and "The Brothers Karamazov," Dostoevsky predicted an era in which people would lose their freedom due to socialist ideology.

And indeed, Russia has done just that. It did, despite the fact that Dostoevsky was so concerned about it and spoke to his readers about it. And Dostoevsky is no longer read very much by the public...

I suddenly wondered if this was a defeat for literature and thought. No matter how much literature or thought we express, if we are threatened by power or force, we are powerless...that is what I felt.

Therefore, in order to learn about these times, I decided to first read Gorky, the leading Soviet writer.
History of the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin

The Soviet Union and Dostoevsky - Why I Study the Soviet Union - Future Blog Updates

Dostoevsky predicted the coming totalitarian misery in "Evil Spirits" and "The Brothers Karamazov."

Is literature powerless in the face of overwhelming power? Is thought meaningless in front of a gun?

I still have to learn the history of the Soviet Union as well. I felt that I could not pass this place by. That is why I also tried to learn about the world after Dostoevsky's death.