The Gulag Archipelago

[Wolfdog91 6,261]

Anyone happen to have read the whole thing? Heard on a podcast it had a large part to do with the fall of the Soviet union so found the free audiobook on YouTube and I'm 10hr into the he first volume outta three. It's extremely ....enlightening,for lack of a better word.

Edited January 20, 2022 by Wolfdog91

[WILF 44,291]

2 hours ago, Wolfdog91 said:

Anyone happen to have read the whole thing? Heard on a podcast it had a large part to do with the fall of the Soviet union so found the free audiobook on YouTube and I'm 10hr into the he first volume outta three. It's extremely ....enlightening,for lack of a better word.

Expand ?……what do you find interesting about it ?

It looks amazingly interesting to be fair, I like stuff like that.

[Astanley 11,465]

It's an incredible book ,not only did it shed light on the corruption and cruelty of the state over a long period ,it's a celebration of how strong the human spirit can be ,.Just the story of how the book was written and came to be published is a heroic tale ..there is an abridged version of the book which skips a lot of the Russian political stuff ,which can be complicated for non Russians to follow ,an important book that imho should be on the school curriculum ,I strongly urge people to read it .

[Greb147 6,808]

It takes a brave man to be a coward in the Red Army. 

[WILF 44,291]

21 minutes ago, Astanley said:

It's an incredible book ,not only did it shed light on the corruption and cruelty of the state over a long period ,it's a celebration of how strong the human spirit can be ,.Just the story of how the book was written and came to be published is a heroic tale ..there is an abridged version of the book which skips a lot of the Russian political stuff ,which can be complicated for non Russians to follow ,an important book that imho should be on the school curriculum ,I strongly urge people to read it .

Thank you mate, I’m having some of that

[smithie 2,429]

3 hours ago, Wolfdog91 said:

Anyone happen to have read the whole thing? Heard on a podcast it had a large part to do with the fall of the Soviet union so found the free audiobook on YouTube and I'm 10hr into the he first volume outta three. It's extremely ....enlightening,for lack of a better word.

Put a YouTube link up please and I'll give it a go at work 

[Astanley 11,465]

2 hours ago, WILF said:

Thank you mate, I’m having some of that

He also wrote ..A day in the life of Ivan Denisovik (spelling) ,a short book and a perfect "taster" of what your going to get with The Gulag archipelago ,,The cancer ward , is another work of his well worth reading 

[Astanley 11,465]

I have a copy of the book ,I will be happy to send it to anyone who wants to read it providing they pass it on on here .

[Greyman 25,242]

Top man Stanley, nice gesture I only came on here because I thought it was a recipe

[PMul 145]

We read “A day in the life…” in school in northern England in the 70’s. 
At 14 yrs old it gave me a realization that government was corrupt. 
Many years later I read and then listen to “The gulag..” Solgenitzin(sp) was an incredible author/story teller, and all round brave individual. 
Anyone that wants to further their education should read his works. 
His thought on how the people should have reacted to the secret police are as relevant now as they were then. 

[stonewall 1,913]

 summary.

 

Edited January 20, 2022 by stonewall

[Astanley 11,465]

1 hour ago, stonewall said:

 summary.

 

Just got tickets to a JP lecture in Sept .

[Wolfdog91 6,261]

22 hours ago, WILF said:

Expand ?……what do you find interesting about it ?

It looks amazingly interesting to be fair, I like stuff like that.

Man where to start. I guess without me sitting here tuple for three hours it would probably be just how insidiousness can sleep into the government or a people under the guise of a Revolution. Like he spends hours talking in great detail how the Soviet union basically brain washed people into thinking all of this was ok. To the point people where legit selling out their husbands,wives,sons daughters hell the nuns and bishops to the secret police for something as simple as a conversation about bread. 

Wait really struck me though and still is , I'm about 12hr in total , is how ...easy it's was for again lack of better words , for the "organs" as their called, to find enemies or " wreckers" everywhere with everything and how they would twist and turn everything to make it "better for the states interest".

A good example of this was a man was brought in for having a old Finnish hunting rifle in his basement. The judge wrote it off as a " hidden stock pile of weapons with probable use in terroristic actions".  Or another man was brought in after his neighbor of hear him say something along the lines of  " the collective farms need some work they will get there but right now they are not very good" this was turned into an act of defamation of the peoples farm and a act of verbal terrorism. Now sit back and think, look at the news or modern SJW culture. How much further away is that from some liberal reporter calling a man a violent homophobe  after. He had a little scrap at the bar with a guy who just so happens to , play for the other team ?  Heck it's not even the liberals it's the radical conservatives too but I think you get the jist of my point with that.

And the length they went to to get confessions.  There is at least TWO HOURS of nothing but them talking about interrogation techniques. Was to completely and totally break a person over hours ,days, weeks ,months to the point they will admit to anything and then they call it proper justice. And no one bats an eye. Because of course if they where told on they where against the state and there for your enemy ! And that thought process was placed in the people of Russia head  though propaganda. To the point their own RUSSIAN POWs where sent to prison and all these horrible interrogating practices  and no one thought this was ...not a good thing. The power of a government of an unquestioning fractured population  

Another part that really really kinda made me say " hay ......we arnt far from that " is how the blue caps of the "organs"  very quickly realized they could use their positions to get what ever they wanted.  The people who where out hunting for these "wreckers" these enemies of the state with all this power to arrest , search and detain who ever they felt like , well. That beautiful woman who they had their eyes one.....would be a shame if her husband was found to be ... Spreading subversive thoughts though casual conversation.....or that well to do businessman with the house full of expensive what nots.... What if it was discovered ,though of course a completely routine search if the house , a note , discussing how much better it would be Russia traded with the Americans more . Ahhh sentiments towards the enemy, he gets off to prison and some of his expensive what nots..... Go , unaccounted

And it goes on and on with stuff like this that at least for me makes me go " Why in the F@#K do people think communism or any all powerful government body is a good thing!?"

That along with the idea that there will always be wolves in higher places of leadership and a bunch of sheep no matter how meek and well behaved will only be devoured.

[Wolfdog91 6,261]

14 hours ago, Astanley said:

Just got tickets to a JP lecture in Sept .

Lucky, would love to go see him live. 

[Wolfdog91 6,261]

21 hours ago, smithie said:

Put a YouTube link up please and I'll give it a go at work 

Here ya go . This is only part 1 of 7.5