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What is to be in Russia?
July 11, 1949 | Ivan Ilyin

Posted on 09/21/2013 8:28:01 AM PDT by annalex

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Written in 1949 this prophetic article predicted what we have in Russia now: a phony democracy, national breakdown, and the rise of large and corrupt ruling class. An American reader, however, will note many sad parallels to the state of American psyche in the past few decades, as we see our culture of self-sufficiency and self-government recede -- not destroyed by a revolution, but rather allowed to weaken though our own neglect.
1 posted on 09/21/2013 8:28:02 AM PDT by annalex
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To: A.A. Cunningham; andyk; BatGuano; Belteshazzar; bert; Bibman; Bigg Red; bigheadfred; ...

If you want to be on this right wing, monarchy, paleolibertarianism and nationalism ping list, but are not, please let me know. If you are on it and want to be off, also let me know.


2 posted on 09/21/2013 8:28:54 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex
Communists still continue to do everything possible to deprive the people from national and statesmanlike outlook and replace it with world-revolutionary fervor, with arrogance, with self-confidence of the international adventurism.

Sounds familiar.
3 posted on 09/21/2013 8:29:58 AM PDT by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
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To: annalex
Previously by Ilyin:

Ivan Ilyin, "The idea of Kornilov"
On Totalitarian Regime

4 posted on 09/21/2013 8:33:08 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: cripplecreek
Sounds familiar.

Yeah. Some things never change...

5 posted on 09/21/2013 8:34:07 AM PDT by null and void (I'm betting on an Obama Trifecta: A Nobel Peace Prize, an Impeachment, AND a War Crimes Trial...)
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To: annalex

good translator, annalex.


6 posted on 09/21/2013 8:42:25 AM PDT by campaignPete R-CT (we're the Beatniks now)
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To: annalex
What is to be in Russia?

Probably happiness. They've taken up the mantel of protecting Christianity and Christians in this world, you have to amuse that God is on their side.

7 posted on 09/21/2013 8:43:14 AM PDT by varmintman
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To: annalex

At the most fundamental level this is simple. Cleave to God, follow biblical principles, and pray to The Lord to heal their land. What will happen is each person that does so will be healed individually and ultimately that will heal their land. They will in the majority act morally and righteously and their society will prosper. Boy do we need it here.


8 posted on 09/21/2013 8:50:10 AM PDT by Nuc 1.1 (Nuc 1 Liberals aren't Patriots. Remember 1789!)
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To: varmintman

I think, Putin sees an opening in situations like now in Syria and he exploits it. That is all. While most of Russians are nominally Orthodox Christians, the decay of communist rule has gone deep. The statistics of church attendance, or of familiarity with basic Christian tenets, or of private prayer are awful, — all under 10%. Communist leaders are rising in posthumous popularity; there is a new cult of Stalin afoot. This is not a human material to protect Christianity with.


9 posted on 09/21/2013 8:56:15 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex

Democracy, that’s what we need. Russians too, that’s what they need.


10 posted on 09/21/2013 8:57:40 AM PDT by Navy Patriot (Join the Democrats, it's not Fascism when WE do it, and the Constitution and law mean what WE say.)
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To: annalex

There still is widespread decay, and a Mafia-like ruling class. But things are far different than they were under the Communists—so far, at least.

Putin and his buddies execute a few troublemakers here and there. Stalin sent tens of millions to the camps, or executed them by the millions.

I don’t think Putin is a real Christian, but he does find the Russian Orthodox Church useful for his purposes, so he supports it. And the Church in Russia is no longer as corrupted as it was under the Communists, but it still answers to the political powers, as it has always done.

I have considerable respect for the Orthodox Church. But, historically, it has cooperated with the Czars, the nobles, or the political powers, whereas the Catholic Church spend centuries fighting against Emperors and Kings, to avoid being subordinated to the political powers. That didn’t always work perfectly, of course—nothing does. But except in countries like France, it meant that there was a degree of separation between Church and State, and kings could not set all the religious and moral rules.

Anyway. Russia has NEVER known real freedom. And the present system is corrupt. But it sure is a whole lot better than it was under the Communists.


11 posted on 09/21/2013 9:10:55 AM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: annalex; Cringing Negativism Network

Communists still continue to do everything possible to deprive the people from national and statesmanlike outlook and replace it with world-revolutionary fervor, with arrogance, with self-confidence of the international adventurism....


This is done by every supporter of Free Trade today...Free Traders hate American soverignty, hate American exceptionalism, and believe that world bodies...UN, EU, NAFTA Courts, WTO Courts...should rule over American rule and law

There was a big reason why Karl Marx supported Free Trade...and why our Founding Fathers did not


12 posted on 09/21/2013 9:16:21 AM PDT by SeminoleCounty (Anti-Birthers = Obama Supporters)
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To: SeminoleCounty

Ironically, Putin’s Russia is one of the last remaining truly Nationalistic countries.


13 posted on 09/21/2013 9:17:01 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: annalex

14 posted on 09/21/2013 9:31:40 AM PDT by mac_truck ( Aide toi et dieu t aidera)
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To: Cicero

But it sure is a whole lot better than it was under the Communists.....Not arguing with YOU, but so says you. My brother and his wife went on a cruise to Russia where Jean, his wife, asked an old lady who was selling trinkets, apples, etc. where we disembarked how she liked it now, since she was free? The old lady looked at her with a tear in her eye and said it was terrible, the government provided for us and made sure they were fed, clothed and housed. Now, she must do this all by her and her husband’s efforts. I was floored, Jean (a Filipina) had her mouth open and couldn’t respond and my stupid brother paid no attention to this eye-opening insight into what happens to people’s souls when you have been dependant, once.


15 posted on 09/21/2013 9:48:27 AM PDT by Safetgiver ( Islam makes barbarism look genteel.)
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To: Safetgiver

Oh, yeah. And most ordinary Russians are just waiting for Putin to go out and conquer all their neighbors again. They took great pride in being the great Soviet Union, and hate the idea that they gave away all that glorious empire.

Still, better to be sniveling about a lost empire than to be starving in a Gulag. They just don’t know it.


16 posted on 09/21/2013 10:19:25 AM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: annalex

Oh, make no mistake, FRiend. Our destruction is indeed by a revolution - an underground revolution of secularism.


17 posted on 09/21/2013 10:24:54 AM PDT by BuckeyeTexan (There are those that break and bend. I'm the other kind. ~Steve Earle)
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To: mac_truck

That graph tells most of the story. Russians were starving in 1999; You can’t accomplish anything at all while you’re starving.


18 posted on 09/21/2013 10:49:21 AM PDT by varmintman
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To: Navy Patriot
Democracy, that’s what we need.

No, I disagree. No one needs democracy. Democracy is what the government uses to oppress minorities: intellectual, ethnic and religious. What every people needs is aristocracy, nationhood, Church, rule of law.

19 posted on 09/21/2013 11:00:01 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: Cicero

I agree wholly with your post.

Decidedly, Russia is far better place now than it was under the Soviet rule, but it is still a very sick country and miracle cannot be expected of it. It cannot protect Christianity. It can poke a finger in the eye of Obama and his kind; that is useful but it is not going to save us from ourselves. The best thing for Russia would be — as much as I dislike McCain, — is what he said: take care of your own people, build your own economy not based on the oil pipe, make it an attractive country to invest money and do business in.


20 posted on 09/21/2013 11:04:49 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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