> CB: Does this mean Solzhenitsyn thinks his People
> should have kept the USSR
> ?
>
Why would a Russian nationalist, which Solzhenitsyn is, be in favor of breaking up the USSR? He was anti-CPSU, not anti-Soviet Union. (Come to think of it, the USSR was broken up in large part BY the CPSU.) None of the big-name dissidents were in favor of breaking up the USSR. Sakharov in particular struggled hard to preserve the Union.
Translation of the interview here:
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn: "Saving the Nation Is the Utmost Priority for the State" By Vitaly Tretyakov Nobel Prize winning author Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn is interviewed by Moskovskiye Novosti editor-in-chief Vitaly Tretyakov
Internet - version MN (02.05.2006) Russian. Àëåêñàíäð Ñîëæåíèöûí: "Ñáåðåæåíèå íàðîäà - âûñøàÿ èçî âñåõ íàøèõ ãîñóäàðñòâåííûõ çàäà÷":
- Aleksandr Isayevich, what is your general impression from Russia’s development in the recent period – under President Putin as compared with the Yeltsin and Gorbachev era?
-- Under Gorbachev, the concept and perception of statehood per se was discarded. (Hence his numerous acts of capitulation and unconditional concessions in foreign policy which won him kudos in the West.) On Yeltsin’s watch, that line was essentially continued, but it was further aggravated by the uncontrolled plundering of Russia, its property and national legacy, as well as by inaction and collusion in the face of a countrywide crisis. Under Putin, efforts were made, although not immediately, to reverse the trend and save Russia’s statehood. At first, however, some of those attempts were rather cosmetic, but then they became more focused. Considering our condition and our potentialities, the country’s foreign policy today is sensible and increasingly pragmatic. Russia, however, has yet to do much to overcome the heavy burden of the past. The overall condition of people’s life is still difficult and there is much chaos.
Etc.: http://english.mn.ru/english/issue.php?2006-15-35
Nu, zayats, pogodi!
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