Evening star., 1951-04-29

Certainly there is constant u
the Western Ukraine. Certainly tn
the decentralization of the people
in the early days of the last war
s and must take into consideration
its recurrence in the event OF an
other war. Certainly tens OF MIL
lions, bitterly detest the regime
and all it stands for, SO that the
nolice terror of the '30s, which
was the cause of their disillusion-
ment, has now gone too lar ever
to be safely relaxed. Certainly
there are increasing signs OF a
genuine organized resistance Tor
the first time since the early days
of the revolution. Certainly this
situation-police terror leading TO
popular hatred of the government,
which calls for increased police
terror, and SO on III vicious circle
cannot continue indefinitely
But, with all this, it is not sale
to say that if war broke out next
week the Russians would not
fight. or that the machine would
break down as it broke down in
1871.
Ignorance Is Factor
We have to take into account
the ignorance in which the Rus
sian people are kept and the per-
petual enthusiasm of the very
young. We have to take into ac-
count, also, the impassioned desire
of the Russian people for peace.
It may seem paradoxical to say
that the only danger OF war from
Russia comes from the popular
longing for peace: but it is true
The Russians are a loving
people. They have suffered toe
much and too often from war tc
believe that it can do them any
good at all. And today it is no ex-
aggeration to say that his promise
of peace provides Stain with his
solitary hold on the people. The
bogus peace movement is not, as
is commonly supposed, directed
only at causing confusion in the
outer world: 1t has a domestic
use of extreme Importance.
After the tightening UP OF police
rule which followed the brief re-
taxation in 1945 and 1916, the
Russians have no use for the
refine which used them during
the war to preserve itself and
then, when the danger was past,
instead of rewarding them. put
them back into irons. The strain
of rearmament and the cold war,
the strain, that is to say, OF the
considered policy of the kremlln,
has cost the long suffering Rus
slams further privation and want.
Resources which, intelligently
used, could have transformed the
life of the Soviet Union. have been
heedlessly squandered in the
colossal effort required to make
the Soviet Union strong enough
to stand up to the west ana IlluS
extend her empire.
The consequences of this policy
are reflected in the conditions OF
industry, in the new revolution IN
the countryside, involving the dis
placement and bondage OF mil
lions of peasants, in the neglect OF
housing and consumer goods, sc
desperately needed. IN the
STRENGTHENING of the apparatus ol
repression to force the masses
ranging from the apathetic to the
actively rebellious, to work harder
still for all too little return. From
this springs the discomfort anc
the spirit of revolt which. if Stalir
openly declared, war next week
would certainly bring about the
collapse of the regime.
On the other hand. stronger
than discomfort is the horror
of war. The Russians will make
sacrifices for peace which they
would never make for the Krem'
lin. And so Stain has set him
self up as the great preserver o1
peace and told the Russian
people that they, in their strug'
gle for peace. have rallied round
themselves the inarticulate masses
of all the world. If only, HI
tells them, they will go on work
ing hard, making a few more sac
rifices-if only they will do this
their efforts, his leadership, ant
the support of the common peo
pie everywhere, will defeat th'
Vaccinations of the professiona
war-mongers.
Good Line in Russia
This may seem absurd to us
but in Russia it is a good line
Indeed, it is Stalins only pos
sible line. The Russians know
they want peace. 1t is incon
ceivable to them that Stalil
should be so mad as to wan
to start a war himself. 1t seem
very reasonable to them to sup
pose that the common peopl
everywhere, whom they are taugh
to see as downtrodden slave!
should feel about war and peac
as they do. And since there
plainly a Warlike atmosphere i
the world, this must be due t
the irresponsible capitalists an
empire builders of the Wes
Carefully chosen extracts fror
speeches by prominent American
and headlines in the America
press are all that is necessar
to confirm this belief and tur,
it into a fearful hatred of tn
Western administrations.
1t is as simple as that-and q
dangerous. For while the chief i'm
mediate value to Stain of tn
peace campaign inside the Sovit
Union is to force the people
carry out his own policies undo
the threat of attack from withou
it has also a possible future valu
Should war ever break out, tt
Kremlin has so arranged thin,
H. -. l. I