Hey, Jane! We need to have a discussion (off line if you want). I don't run accross many people whose opinion on this subject comes so close to mine. Poor Castro! He never stood a chance of making it work, did he? ------ Robert Handy Brazoria County Historical Museum 100 East Cedar Angleton, Texas 77515 (409) 864-1208 museum_bob [log in to unmask] http://www.bchm.org ---------- From: Jane Sarre[SMTP:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Monday, February 08, 1999 2:09 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: democracy vs communism two faces of the same big event Perhaps i should have explained myself better, - when i suggested the influence of democracy i was implying people's desire to govern themselves and the subsequent opposition and downfall of previous, generally monarchic systems. I suggested this because to me the twentieth century seems to have been characterised by the fight for the rights of the common individual. I see state communism as an extension of this philosophy and therefore falling under the same heading of being driven by the exisatence of the mass rather than just the top level of the hierarchy. You suggest that communism was responsible for the cold war - i for one would be just as likely to blame it on US paranoia and inability to accept that other countries may wish to govern themselves. NOT you understand that i particularly support what turned into the soviet system of government as it was clearly cruel and unfree, but then so is what passes for electoral democracy here in the west! Yes, i think the bolshevik revolution has had a massive influence on the political formation of this century, but i think it is more wide-reaching than simply conflating it with the effects of soviet rule. The effects of the october revolution were not simply responsible for the current state of the Russian economy and ethnic tension in the Baltic states (I think western market forces, fear, insecurity, religion and history may also have a hand in that...?). As well as leaving people free to reignite old hatreds, the revolution was responsible for freeing millions from feudal serfdom paramount to slavery and inspiring millions more by showing that brutal and unfair regimes did not have to be tolerated but that people could be free to determine the path of their own lives. In retrospect it is clear that the downtrodden people who make up systems and benefit from them found this deeply threatening and acted against the movement to thwart their efforts (much as feminism lead to backlash and civil rights actions got a heavy response from the klan etc). Despite all these attempts to destroy the revolutionary ideal of freedom and self government, i think the idea remains a strong driving force for change.