Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-28
By WiIIiom [. Ryon

Joseph Vissarionovich Stain died
. year ago this week. Gradually his
successorS-it was collective" now
instead Of 0 one-man dictatorship
carved out q niche In history for
Stain, many notches below his demi-
god stature In life.
But Stalinism-though it was not
called that-waS far from dead. In
that one respect, the death Of the
dictator changed nothing. However.
much else was changed, including
the Communist movement around
the world. It still reels from the
shock. In the last turbulent IL
months Of purge and crisis, Com
munist weaknesses have been ex-
posed for the whole worlds inspec-
ton.
In that hectic II months inside
the Soviet Onion no one man proved
big enough to emerge - Stains
real successor on the throne OF
world communism. Outside the So
Wet Union the cold war went on
after q brief spell Of what looked
like reasonableness while the new
regime nervously began to solidify
Itself.
The death Of the Communist
oracle was Q profound shock to the
worlds StalinistS, but only the firSt
shock. There followed the purge OF
the Soviet secret police attendant
upon the seizure and execution OF
It's boss, Lavrenti P. Beria, in
struggle for power. There was still
more shock for world Communists
In the Soviet Unions internal and
external Figs and Gags.
The new regime announced pro-
gram to step up consumer goods
production within two or three
years" Satellite Communist nations
were thrown into confusion trying
to follow suit. The Kremlin an
nounced it would provide more Of
everything for its civilian economy,
but the program was not more than
\ few months under way when the
party sharply warned the nation
that ''the basis Of the prosperity Of
our peaceful economy, the basis Of
the defense capability Of the coun-
try was and remains heavy indus
try"
No Sinews Sacrificed
That meant that there would be
no sacrifice of that sector Of the
Soviet economy which produced the
sinews Of war. II the Malenkov con-
sumner program were to succeed, it
would be only by means of more
work and more production out Of
more people.
Unrest and even open rebellion
stirred in the satellite nations. But
Moscow did not for moment re-
lease its grip. 1t simply shifted en-
phasis so that the satellite empire,
ruled by Beria for Stain, became a
colonial empire ruled by Communist
proconsuls for the Soviet Unions
new and strange collective" of die
tators. Communist fifth columns
stepped up their activities as Soviet
publications promised that "the U.
S. S. r. will not abandon moral and
political support of national liberia
ton movements" This meant Mos
COW would keep finger in the pie
in all chaos-ridden areas Of the
world.
Western nations scented possibili-
ties for selling the initiative at a
time when the Soviet Union was
concerned with domestic political
and economic problems. BY pushing
hard, the West induced Moscow to
join in four-power talks which the
Kremlin, from all signs. would rather
have avoided. At the Berlin meeting
1t became clear Moscow had no in
tention Of giving UP what it held in
Germany and Austria.
Intent. first, on building the home
front against the possibility Of q
major shock. and second, on expan-
sion along lines Of least resistance
IN Asia-the Kremlin likely would
nave preferred to leave things COM