Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

 Interpretacion a otros lenguajes

“The battleline between good and evil runs through the heart of every man.” – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was a Russian individual who was a writer and poet. Solzhenitsyn would write freely about what he believed and would send his correspondence to friends. Up until the point when the Soviets took power and opened one of his letters. The clear intrusion of privacy did not register in the minds of the Soviets as it was known that Aleksandr was a writer. Like any group think ideology, the Soviet Communists decided that in order to prevent wrong think or "evil ideologies" from flourishing (evil as in everything that they, the Soviets, themselves did not believe in), they needed to invade Aleksandr’s privacy and bring him to social justice.

 

“Violence can only be concealed by a lie, and the lie can only be maintained by violence.” – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

 

After having his letter stolen and taken into the Soviet court, Aleksandr was charged with writing against the Communist government. He was sentenced to confinement and taken to multiple locations. It was there that he found out what the reality of Communism was. He made it his mission to find out the most he could from the people’s own mouths concerning the government. He found out at the reality was worse than he thought. People were silenced, tortured, used, abused, hated, envied, destroyed, all for the sake of the illusion of "unlimited power". Neighbor hated neighbor and soldiers used their power to get what they wanted.

 

“Justice is conscience, not a personal conscience but the conscience of the whole of humanity. Those who clearly recognize the voice of their own conscience usually also recognize the voice of conscience.” – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

 

As he continued to live under the terrible management of the government, Aleksandr learned to understand those compatriots who had suffered the same fate. They all specified how they were lied to and how they never understood why. Aleksandr understood that the government was using lies as the only method of suppressing the truth. To the outside world, Russia was seen as a strong force, but inside the country, people were suffering. Many people were sent to labor camps where they worked for no pay and only a stingy meal. All was not well in the Soviet Union.

 

“For us in Russia, communism is a dead dog, while, for many in the West it is still a living lion.” Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Russians living in the Soviet Union knew what their truth was. They knew that it was a cannibal like led government that survived by eating its own citizens. Russians knew that in their day to day lives. Only the West was unaware of the reality of the roaring Bear. It is many years later and yet we see the influence that such a dangerous ideology leads many astray. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was able to speak the truth and was able to write the reality he lived in. For that, the West, should be greatful for the truth expressed by Solzhenitsyn.

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Socialists Attempted to Confiscate Guns From the Working Class Only to Use Said Guns on the Working Class

There is a story of the socialists in the 1900s who attempted to confiscate the guns of the working class. The socialists advocated for peace and serenity while actually persecuting the working class. The socialists wanted individuals from the working class to turn in their weapons in order to usher in a utopia where there was no more conflict and warfare. This was a lie and the socialists took the guns and shot the working class workers with said guns. We can practice healthy skepticism by not believing the temporary lies of socialists. 

We learn that in America there is the right to self defense and to bear arms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. We have specific rights given by the Constitution and Bill of Rights and are able to persevere distrusting socialists and communists who hate and envy others for no reason. The stories of the Soviet Union allow us to have healthy skepticism concerning lying socialists who speak about creating utopia while actually attempting to decrease rights and automy

Describing the Lies and Deceit of Communist Propaganda

"It is not necessary during the interrogation to look for evidence proving that the accused opposed the Soviets by word or action. The first question which you should ask him is what class does he belong to, his origin, his education and his profession. These are the questions that will determine the fate of the accused. Such is the sense and essence of red terror." (page 21)

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described in the Gulag Archipelago the manner that socialism and communism did not actually help individuals. We learn that the Soviets wanted to remove the intellectuals and believers in order to create a society without history, science, writing, Christianity, logic, truth, filial love, and genuine empathy. We learn that socialism and communism is actually the religion of envy and coveting. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that what "appeared" to be a "well intentioned" revolution to help the prolitariat was actually persecution. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that the communists of the 1918 "revolution" were actually trying to impose an unjust system that looked to get rid of what in its paranoic mind was opposition. We learn that communism and socialism are often romanticized in marxist literature while actually not showing the reality of the religion of envy and coveting. 

"For several decades political arrests were distinguished in our country precisely by the fact that people were arrested who were guilty of nothing..."- (page 9)

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that the strategies of the socialists and communists was to falsely accuse individuals so that they ended up in Gulag, or the prison system of the Soviet Union. We learn that there were informants everywhere including theater cashiers, railway operators, and taxi drivers that were ready to accuse anyone they did not like. We learn that the accusations were false and targeted individuals that were not a part of the Soviets. We learn that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was a loyal soldier who was accused falsely of sedition because he wrote a letter to a friend in another country. The soviet informants disregarded the privacy of its citizens opening Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's letter and accusing him of criticizing Stalin. For this, he was sentenced to the gulag system. We learn that in prison, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn converted to Christianity seeing that there were individuals who were faithful and did not renounce their zeal despite the persecution. 

The Bolshevik Revolution in 1918 Killed  Proletariat Workers

"Among them, for example, were six collective farmers from nearby Tsarskoye Selo who were guilty of the following crime: After they had finished mowing the collective farm with their own hands, they had gone back and mowed a second time along the hummocks to get a little hay for their own cows. The All-Russian Central Executive Committee refused to pardon all six of these peasants, and the sentence of execution was carried out."- (page 132)

While the Soviet Bolsheviks of 1918 stated that the Russian revolution was to help the working class, we learn that instead they persecuted the workers. There were different stories about the Soviets executing workers when they had stated that the "revolution" was to help the workers. In the story mentioned above, six farmers had finished working the collective farm of the Soviet state. After finishing their work, they took a small amount of clippings from the farm to feed their cows. The Soviet Union considered this theft and decided to kill the six farmer by shooting them. This is not the only story concerning the incongruence of what socialism states and the true reality of socialism. 

The socialist Bolsheviks decided to kill the workers instead of having genuine empathy and understanding. Even a prison sentence would seem rather harsh for taking a few clippings from the collective farm. This is with the understanding that the workers were probably not paid much, probably worked long hours, and had no incentives for being efficient or productive. The punishment against the workers describes the reality of socialism being a flawed false philosophy that did not help anyone. Instead of helping the working class, workers were imprisoned or killed because of the envy of the Bolsheviks. There are other stories of individuals who were persecuted for either being efficient, truthful, or autonomous.

The Soviet Union Persecuted Priests, Nuns, Loyal Soldiers, Teachers, the Workers, and Parents

We learn from the writings of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in the Gulag Archipelago about the manner that the Soviets did not try to help individuals. While communism states that it tries to relieve the injustices that have occured helping the prolitariat workers, it actually does nothing but propagate envy and lies. In fact, the prolitariat workers were persecuted and envied. We learn that the soviets persecuted:

Priests and Members of the Clergy

Priests and members of the clergy describing their intolerance of the true faith. We learn that Christianity and communism are opposed because Christianity describes the need to obey the commandments of Moses while communism describes the need to disobey the commandments of Moses. We learn that communism taught the need to envy and covet other people's resources, talents, and virtues. This was one of the reasons why the communists envied the priests and nuns. We learn that socialism, marxism, and communism attempt to lead individuals to have negative emotions because they describe that there is the need to be atheistic meaning not professing faith in the Creator and nihilistic meaning not believing in meaning and purpose because they do not believe ir GOD Almighty. 

"For this reason the Patriarch Tikhon was arrested and two resounding trials were held, followed by the execution in Moscow of those who had publicized the Patriarch's appeal and, in Petrograd, or the Metropolitan Veniamin, who had attempted to hinder the transfer of ecclesiastical power to the 'Living Church' group. Here and there in the provincial centers and even further down in the administrative districts, metropolitans and bishops were arrested."- (page 22-23)

If there is no faith in GOD Almighty, then there would be no need to obey the commandments according to socialist and communist propaganda. Instead, the worship goes to idols and idolatry. We learn that this is something that happens when there is no faith in GOD Almighty. The Soviets attempted to create a "church" that was actually supposed to replace existing true faithful leadership with that which would prioritize communism over the true faith. The Soviets would then persecute any true priests and faithful believers who trusted in GOD Almighty over the state. We learn that the true faith in GOD Almighty allows individuals to prosper while everyone improves. In socialism and communism where there is envy and coveting, there are attempts at preventing others from improving. The Soviets taught the need to falsely accuse others whenever they coveted or wanted what other people had. Private property was a difficult concept for socialism and communism because it teaches the need to envy and covet. 

Loyal Soldiers

"They took those who were too independent, too influential, along with those who were too well-to-do, too intelligent, too noteworthy; they took particularly, many Poles from former Polish provinces. They arrested officers everywhere."- (page 30) 

Loyal and capable soldiers were persecuted in 1939-1940s from Czechoslovakia, Ukraine, Byelorussia and Poland who were deemed too independent and capable. There were 30,000 Czechoslovakians who went to live in the Soviet Union after moving from Chechoslovakia, who were placed under suspicion, arrested, and placed in gulag.  There were loyal Soviet soldiers that had fought against the nazi socialists in the 1940s who were persecuted. We learn that loyal and good soldiers were also persecuted by the Soviets because of envy. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was an example because he was a loyal and good soldier who was envied. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was falsely accused of sedition. We learn that his private letters were opened and read by Soviet soldiers without consent. We learn that not only is private property a difficult concept for socialists and communists but also privacy. We learn that Aleksandr described how he had to tell the Soviet soldiers where the gulag prison was because they did not know the directions. We learn that this was interesting being that there was envy and hate, yet a lack of needing to improve and better oneself. Another example, described Soviet soldiers who fought in the Second World War and ended up in Sweden. In Sweden, they were given freedom and autonomy and treated well. When they were returned to the Soviet Union, they were arrested for speaking good about Sweden and capitalism.

"For example, during the first days of the war one of our destroyers went aground in Swedish territory. Its crew proceeded to live freely in Sweden during all the rest of the war. After the war, Sweden returned them to us along with the destroyer. Their treason to the Motherland was indubitable-but somehow the case did not get off the ground. They let them go their different ways and then pasted them with Anti-Soviet Agitation for their lovely stories in praise of freedom and good eating in capitalist Sweden. (This was the Kadenko group)."- (page 32)

There where Soviet soldiers who ended up in Sweden during the Second World War and were given the freedom to live in Sweden for a specific amount of time until the war ended. They were returned to the Soviets and were arrested for Anti-Soviet Agitation or speaking well of autonomy and freedom in capitalist Sweden. This describes the incongruency that existed in communism during the 1940s in the Soviet Union where individuals could not have the freedom to speak well of Sweden because it was capitalist and respected autonomy. This was with the intention to suppress any information that allowed individuals to learn about the benefits of capitalism and autonomy. There were also Soviet soldiers who had fought against the Germans in the Second World War and instead of being received with gratitude, they were sent to the gulags after surviving the war. 

Loyal Soviet Soldiers Were Envied Because of Surviving the Second World War Against the Germans and Were Taken to Gulag

"These were the defenders of their native land, the very same warriors whom the cities had seen off to the front with bouquets and bands a few months before, who had then sustained the heaviest tank assaults of the Germans, and in the general chaos, and through no fault of their own, had spent a certain time as isolated units not in enemy imprisonment, not at all, but in temporary encirclement, and later had broken out. And instead of being given a brotherly embrace on their return, such as every other army in the world would have given them, instead of being given a chance to rest up, to visit their families, and then return to their units- they were held on suspicion, disarmed, deprived of all rights, and taken away in groups to identification points and screening centers where officers of the Special Offices started interrogating them, distrusting not only their very word but their very identity."- (page 32)

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how loyal Soviet soldiers who fought against the Germans in the Second World War were detained and sent to gulag. We learn that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn questioned how it was possible to send to gulag loyal Soviet soldiers who risked their lives fighting against the Germans in the Second World War. There were stories of prisoners of war that were captured and were repatriated to Russia and the Soviets would send their repatriated Soviet soldiers to gulag. This story acknowledges the incongruencies of Soviet socialism and communism even more since Soviet soldiers that were not captured by the enemy, survived the Second World War, and returned to Russia were sent to gulag. 

"The victory outside Moscow gave rise to a new wave: guilty Muscovites. Looking at things after the event, it turned out that those Muscovites who had not run away and who had not been evacuated but had fearlessly remained in the threatened capital, which had been abandoned by the authorities, were by that very token under suspicion either of subverting governmental authority (58-10); or on staying on to await the Germans..."- (page 32)

There was the story after the Second World War of individuals living in Moscow who stayed in Moscow during the Second World War and did not flee. When the Soviet authorities of Moscow returned from having fled Moscow, they arrested the individuals who had stayed in Moscow during the ongoing war. This is quiet ironic being that the individuals had courage to stay in Moscow amidst German attacks and were still sent to gulag being slandered by Soviet authorities after having the courage to stay in their city while the Soviet authorities fled to other cities. This describes the discrepancies and incongruencies of the Soviet socialism system that had paranoia and madness. There is the questioning of how could the Soviet authorities hate their own loyal soldiers and citizens? This can only be explained by envy and cowardice that existed and exists in socialism and communism.

Envy and Resentments in Socialism and Communism

"And the peaked roofs of ugly camp watchtowers became the most dependable landmarks in our landscape, and it was only by a surprising concatenation of circumstances that they were not seen in either the canvases of our artists or in scenes in our films."- (page 195)

The Gulag Archipelago describes about how there were two distinct Russias during the time of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. We learn that the true Soviet Russia tried to “appear” to be perfect when in reality there were significant difficulties because of the envy and coveting that existed. He described how there were watchtowers in multiple places with barbed wires describing the gulag system, yet Soviet artists and propaganda movies did not portray this in their canvases and movies. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described the story of a Swedish soldier, Erik Arvid Andersen, in a delegation serving in Russia that was able to speak to actresses that lived in luxury because of the motive to get him to speak well of socialism and communism in the newspapers, media, and publications. This was to convince him to speak well about Soviet Russia. The Swedish individual was rich and was a soldier. He decided to like communism and socialism and went so far as to be a Swedish soldier in a delegation in Russia speaking well of socialism. While in Russia, it appeared that everything was perfect when in reality that was not the case. We learn that he was asked to renounce capitalism in public in the newspaper publication in order to obtain benefits in Russia. The Soviets had told him that he would be able to live like a capitalist in Russia. Even amidst the offer, the Swedish individual did not deny capitalism and was envied by the socialists and communists.

"In those very years, in 1947 and 1948, they were roping in from all sorts of nooks and crannies progressive young westerners prepared to renounce the West publicly (and it appeared that if they could only have collected another dozen or so the West would shudder and collapse.) Erik's newspaper articles caused him to be regarded as suitable for this category. At the time he was serving in West Berlin, and he had left his wife in Sweden... He used to visit an unmarried German girl in East Berlin. And it was there that he was bound and gagged one night (and is not this the significance of the proverb which says: 'He went to see his cousin, and he ended up in prison"? This was probably going on for a long time, and he wasn't the first.) They took him to Moscow where Gromyko, who had once dined at his father's home in Stockholm and who knew the son also, not only returned the hospitality but proposed to the young man that he renounce publicly capitalism... And in return he was promised full and complete capitalist maintenance to the end of his days here in our country."- (page 163)

We learn that he did not negate capitalism and was kidnapped when he went to meet with a young woman in East Berlin. We learn that the Soviets had envy because he was a wealthy capitalist, married, who was a Swedish soldier serving in Russia, and knew three languages. We learn that he did not publicly renounce capitalism and was taken captive being kidnapped by the Soviets who placed a woman in East Berlin to tempt him. He was told to renounce capitalism yet did not do so. Aleksandr Solzhenytsin relates the story of how even after speaking well of socialism and communism, he was still hated for not completely renouncing capitalism. This was due to the belief that if the Soviets were able to get Western individuals to renounce capitalism publicly, capitalism would falter. This did not happen since it was actually the Soviet Union that collapsed in the 1990s. There also must have been envy because he was married and well off. After being placed in gulag, the Swedish individual learned the truth about the actresses that appeared to be living in luxury during his visit to Moscow. This was after his difficulties in East Berlin. He found out that the actresses were not what they appeared to be in the Soviet Russia gulag.

The Story of Liutenant Pavel Chulpenyev Describes the Envy of Socialism and Communism

"The military medical assistant Lozovsky, who was jealous of Liutenant Pavel Chulpeneyev because of some woman, realized this...He addressed questions to Chulpeneyev. Chulpeneyev answered and forgot about them. And Lozovsky wrote a denunciation... He had one confrontation with Lozovsky. Their previous conversation was not even brought up by the interrogator. One questions was asked: 'Do you know this man?' 'Yes.' 'Witness you may leave.'" (page 118-119)

There is another story of Liutenant Pavel Chulpenyev who was envied by an individual named Lozovsky. Liutenant Pavel Chulpenyev had the affection of some woman and Lozovsky, a medical assistant, was envious. Lozovsky slandered Liutenant Pavel Chulpenyev based on false accusations and slander, and Liutenant Chulpenyev was taken to gulag. When confronted by his accuser, instead of having dialogue and arguments, Lozovsky was asked if he knew Chulpenyev and after saying yes, he was allowed to leave. This describes the manner that there was no truth and with a simple slander accusation individuals were taken to gulag.

"But Chulpaneyev was not of their breed...Give me an assignment that will mean my death so as to assure itself once more of my patriotism... Me and the person who slandered me-both of us together.' Oh, no. Our job is to kill of all those chivalrous sentiments in the people. Lozovsky's duty was to hand out pills and Seryegin's duty was to indoctrinate soldiers. Whether or not you died was not important. What was important was that we were on guard."- (page 119)

Liutenant Pavel Chulpenyev described that to prove his patriotism he would go on a difficult mission against the enemy, at that time, Germany, and we learn that the Soviets denied the request showing that they did not really care about patriotism and instead only used patriotism as an excuse to “appear” good. Liutenant Pavel Chulpenyev stated that he be sent on a mission against the enemy of Russia to prove his loyalty with Lozovsky, who had slandered him. To this, the Soviets denied the request. Aleksandr Solzhenytsin described the incongruency of taking loyal and capable soldiers to gulag rather than helping them. This also described the manner that there were temporary lies told in the Soviet Union due to envy. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that the Soviets were able to falsely accuse individuals based on envy and this led to individuals being taken to gulag. The interesting point is that the Soviet Union looked to change the previous system with a prison gulag system where the citizens where taken to gulag based on false accusations so that they could work being free labor for the socialist Soviet stagnated system. There were "appearances" that were made so that individuals did not learn about the truth of the Soviet communist system. Lenin was the individual who advocated for a gulag system. We learn that Lenin was exiled by Stalin. And Stalin was later exiled also describing how socialism does not help anyone. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was an individual that was important to the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s along with Pope John Paul II. We learn that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was able to write about the conversations and circumstances that allowed him to discover that the Soviet Union based on socialism and communism was not what it appeared to be and that socialism and communism is actually the religion of envy and coveting. The Gulag Archipelago describes how Russian citizens were envied by the Soviets. After speaking, writing truth, and publishing the Gulag Archipelago, the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn helps us know that we can speak truth to the temporary lies of socialism and communism. 

The Gulag Archipelago Describes the Temporary Lies and Envy That Exists Against Bastiat and Hayek-Fashioned True Capitalism

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was able to describe how the Soviet Union was not what it appeared to be. We learn that the practice of socialism and communism was very different from the temporary lies that were stated. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn realized this after being in gulag because he was falsely accused of sedition to the Soviet Union while, in reality, the Soviet Bolsheviks had infringed upon his privacy reading his letters, without consent, that he sent to a friend from another nation. We learn that the stories of the Soviet Union described in the Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn allow us to know the truth of socialism and communism. We learn that some of the stories are consistent with the manner that there is envy and coveting in the practice of socialism and communism. Instead of helping the working class, socialism looks to lead to disobedience of the commandments of Moses and envy.

We are able to learn about this in the Gulag Archipelago. I knew about how socialism and communism did not help the working class nor industrious individuals seen in the manner that there were stories about how there was no incentive to work hard in socialism. Individuals that worked hard either were envied, hated, and falsely accused or were not given incentives for their dedication. In socialism and communism, there is no incentive for hard work since this leads to the Soviet Bolsheviks envying industrious individuals. There is the story of the inventor of the Kalashnikov rifle in Soviet Russia who was awarded a ribbon for his invention. After having created a new rifle and having dedicated himself to the creation of a new invention, the Soviets gave the individual a ribbon for his hard work and dedication. There is the question of how a ribbon could be an incentive? This is not the only example of how socialism penalizes and even discourages hard work and innovation. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how individuals at a forge that were industrious blacksmiths were able to construct sturdy axes after working from sunrise to sunset. The Soviet Bolsheviks would create a monopoly with certain other forges and blacksmiths to prevent the value of the axes from being sold at a reasonable price that would benefit hard workers and the customers. The prices of the axes were decreased artificially in order to prevent individuals from improving themselves and be able to rise above their circumstances because of envy from the Soviet Bolsheviks. The Soviet Bolsheviks did not like true capitalism fashioned after Bastiat and Hayek not because of fearing envy and greed, but because they feared that people would improve their circumstances through hard work and dedication. We learn that being industrious and innovative like Kozyrev and Motya caused the Soviets to envy and have hatred for their brilliance and ingenuity. Shurka was envied being an adolescent who provided for his family working the land having discipline at a young age. Instead of fostering the talent and virtues of hard workers, the Soviet Union penalized and envied talented and hard working individuals. When individuals attempted to build two story houses for themselves in villages, the envy of the Bolsheviks led to sending the innovative individuals to gulag. If there was a house of bricks in a row of log houses, the owner of the brick house was sent to gulag. There was the questioning by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn of why individuals needed two story houses with chimneys for their fires when they were from the working class? This describes that there is obvious incongruencies between the lies of socialism and the truth of real capitalism that was described by Bastiat and Hayek. We learn that “monopoly” capitalism is essentially the same as socialism and communism. True capitalism describes the need to allow for individuals to compete in order to create the best products and services while decreasing the costs of products and services. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that the Soviet Bolsheviks would artificially prevent competition of prices and instead would seek to decrease the cost of good products in order to prevent the working class from turning a profit. This was to make it appear that the prices were decreased to benefit customers with less expensive products while actually the intention was to prevent the working class from obtaining profits from making amazing products. If this was not enough to discourage industrious entrepreneur blacksmiths, then the Soviet Bolsheviks would assign a false value to the forge that was substantially higher than its actual value, impose substantial taxes that could not be paid, and take the forge from the working blacksmiths. This was all in order to "save the working class" from the improvements of true capitalism fashioned after Bastiat and Hayek. 

                Business Owners and Workers

"Who was arrested in the 'gold' wave? All those who, at one time or another, fifteen years before, had had a private business, had been involved in retail trade, had earned wages at a craft, and could have, according to the GPU's deductions, hoarded gold. But it so happened that they had no gold... They had high hopes, of course, in arresting dental technicians, jewelers, and watch repairmen." (page 25)

Business owners and workers that had gained sufficient resources were persecuted. The Soviets did not produce resources because there was slothfulness and envy instead of discipline and industriousness being exemplified. We learn that the Soviets cared about the class and professions of individuals so that they could obtain resources. They wanted to persecute dental technicians, jewelers, and watch repairmen with the intention of confiscating gold and precious metals. They also persecuted anyone who had received wages for fifteen years, had a business, and was involved in retail trade, and whom soviets thought may have held gold. 

“Here is one vignette from those years as it actually occurred. A district Party conference was under way in Moscow Province. It was presided over by a new secretary of the District Party Committee, replacing one recently arrested. At the conclusion of the conference, a tribute to Comrade Stalin was called for. Of course, everyone stood up (just as everyone had leaped to his feet during the conference at every mention of his name). The small hall echoed with 'stormy applause, rising to an ovation.’ For three minutes, four minutes, five minutes, the 'stormy applause, rising to an ovation' continued. But palms were getting sore and raised arms were already aching. And the older people were panting from exhaustion. It was becoming insufferably silly even to those who really adored Stalin. However, who would dare be the first to stop? The secretary of the District Party Committee could have done it. He was standing on the platform, and it was he who had just called for the ovation. But he was a newcomer. He had taken the place of a man who'd seen arrested. He was afraid! After all, NKVD men were standing in the hall applauding and watching to see who quit first! And in that obscure, small hall, unknown to the Leader, the applause went on-six, seven, eight minutes! They were done for! Their goose was cooked! They couldn't stop know until they collapsed of heart attacks. At the rear of the hall, which was crowded, they could of course cheat a bit, clap less frequently, less vigorously, not so eagerly- but up there with the presidium where everyone could see them?”

There is the story of a businessman who had a factory who was taken to gulag because he failed to keep applauding Stalin's speech after more than 10 minutes of clapping. No one wanted to stop clapping for the fear of being sent to gulag. We learn that even sycophants were fearful of persecution in the Soviet Union. The factory owner decided to sit down after more than enough clapping after a tribute to Stalin. The interrogator had given him advice that "one should never be the first person to stop applauding". This describes the sheer madness of socialism and communism. We learn that individuals were not given the ability to have autonomy and independence. This describes why socialism is not a good philosophy and the manner that the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s.

Anatoly Fastenko, a Worker, Reproved Idolatry and Descriptions of the Temporary Lies of Communism

"Nonetheless, he did say to me, in the clearest Russian: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image!' But I failed to understand him." (page 90)

There was an individual named Anatoly Ilyich Fastenko who was a worker and was imprisoned in gulag because of Stalin. We learn that he was an individual who reproved Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn concerning idolatry. While Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn did not understand the reproof at that time, we learn that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was able to later understand the importance of renouncing idol worship for King Jesus Christ. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn had been a loyal supporter of socialism and communism being a sympathizer of Lenin. We learn that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn would be able to understand after conversations with different individuals in gulag about the truth about socialism and communism. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn would renounce idolatry for the true faith in GOD Almighty.

"Or he said, 'Hardly any of the old hard-labor political prisoners of Tsarist times are left. I am one of the last. All the hard-labor politicals have been destroyed, and they even dissolved our society in the thirties.' 'Why?' I asked. 'So we would not get together and discuss things.'"- (page 90)

The Gulag Archipelago helps us see the truth of socialism and communism idolatry. We learn that the false temporary lies of socialism and communism of wanting to help the working class is actually deceit to attempt to restrict truth, privacy, autonomy, and freedom of speech. The Gulag Archipelago describes the truth about the temporary lies of the Soviet Union. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was able to describe the deceit of Soviet communism based on conversations and stories of individuals that ended up in gulag because of the injustices of the Soviet Union. We learn that Anatoly Fastenko described how the working class was hated and how he being from the working class was one of the few individuals left due to the fear of freedom of speech from Stalin. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that he had an open mind when learning from individuals that allowed him to realize the truth. Anatoly Fastenko was not liked because he had extensive knowledge of the Russian revolutions and also of seeing the truth from the Soviet lies and propaganda. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that individuals like Anatoly Fastenko were needed because they were able to instruct truth and also had a cheerful demeanor. Despite his older age, Anatoly Fastenko allowed Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn the manner to understand the need to renounce idolatry and keep healthy skepticism. 

Stories of Working Individuals That Were Envied and Taken to Gulag Because a Soviet Sycophant Was Offended

“The village club manager went with his watchman to buy a bust of Comrade Stalin. They bought it. The bust was big and heavy. They ought to have carried it in a hand barrow, both of them together, but the manager's status did not allow him to. 'All right, you'll manage it if you take it slowly.’ And he went off ahead. The old watchman could not work out how to do it for a long time. If he tried to carry it at his side, he couldn't get his arm around it. If he tried to carry it in front of him, his back hurt and he was thrown off balance backward. Finally he figured out how to do it. He took of his belt, made a noose for Comrade Stalin, put it around his neck, and in this way carried it over his shoulder through the village. Well, there was nothing here to argue about. It was an open-and-shut case. Article 58-8...ten years.”- (page 240)

There was a story about an old watchman who was tasked with taking and carrying a bust of Stalin to a village club manager's specific place. Instead of the village club manager helping the watchman carry the bust of Stalin together, the village club manager decided to leave the arduous task to the watchman. The solution was to get a wheelbarrow and divide the work between both, yet knowing the hypocrisy of socialism, only the watchman was supposed to carry the statue. The watchman could not figure out how to accomplish the task since the statue was heavy. The watchman could not carry it at his side because of the size of the statue nor could he carry it with his arms because the bust was too heavy and caused his back to hurt.

The old watchman decided to use his belt so that the bust of Stalin could be carried on his shoulder instead. We learn that the watchman was able to carry the bust of Stalin to the specific location, yet was denunciated for carrying the bust of Stalin in a manner that was deemed offensive by socialist and communist sycophants. The watchman was given ten years in gulag for accomplishing his job, yet having offended the socialist and communist sycophants. We learn that the watchman was an old man who was not looking to offend and only looked to accomplish his job, yet the socialist sycophants sentenced him to gulag. This story is another example of why socialism and communism are the worst options of governance. This describes how socialism and communism are not helpful for individuals and instead breeds cowardice, hate, envy, anger, malice, and slothfulness. There are multiple stories that describe individuals being envied and resented because of some socialist or communist sycophant being offended. This describes the incongruencies and inconsistencies of socialism and communism. 

Individuals Envied For Stating Truth About Socialism

“A seventy-year-old former Tsarist diplomat was charged with making the following propaganda, 'That the working class in the U.S.S.R. lives badly. That Gorky was a bad writer.' To say that they had gone to far in bringing these charges against him is out of the question.’”- (page 253)

There were several examples of people being falsely accused for deciding to describe the manner that the working class was not living well under the Soviet Union. We learn that there was an older individual that had written about how the working class was not improving under Soviet socialism and was sent to gulag. We learn that the individual had written the truth that Soviet socialism does not help the working class and the individual was sent to gulag. The individual also stated that Gorky, a Soviet leader, was not a good writer. For these two reasons, the older individual was sent to gulag.

“Skvortsov, for example, in Lokchimlag (near Ust-Vym), harvested fifteen years, and among the charges against him was the following, 'He had unfavorably contrasted the proletarian poet Mayakovsky with a certain bourgeois poet.' That's what it said in the formal charges against him, and it was enough to get him convicted.’”- (page 253)

In another story, there was an individual, Skvortsov, that had written an article that described a specific writer in a favorable manner while he had constructively criticized the writings of a Soviet poet. The Soviet socialists falsely accused the writer of anti-Soviet propaganda for having criticized the Soviet poet while being favorable to the writings of the other Russian writer. Skvortsov was given fifteen years for expressing favorable views of a Russian writer that was not a Soviet. Even in Soviet socialism, individuals were not allowed to express their own views seen in the manner that having preferences of Russian writers and literature caused an individual to be taken to gulag. 

Students and Professors

"In that same year the practice of arresting students began... Also in 1921 the arrests of members of all non-Bolshevik parties were expanded and systematized. In fact, all Russia's political parties had been buried..."- (page 22)

Students, professors, and historians who were not a part of the Bolshevik parties in the 1920s were persecuted. Essentially, the Bolsheviks did not want any other party to exist. We learn that students who were not members of the Bolsheviks were arrested and persecuted for not belonging to socialism and communism. In the 1920s, there were historians who were arrested because socialism and communism did not want individuals learning. This describes the perils of socialism and communism of attempting to prevent self-improvement through learning and education. 

There was also a story of a professor that was arrested during Stalin's time as leader for mentioning Lenin and Marx in his lecture but not citing Stalin. To this an informant that was a student decided to accuse the professor of failing to mention Stalin in his lecture while having mentioned Lenin and Marx. The professor was not seen after he conducted that lecture. This describes the insanity of socialism and communism. 

                       Parents of Children

"In the 1920s the religious education of children was classified as a political crime under Article 58-10 of the Code- in other words, counter-revolutionary propaganda! True, one was permitted to renounce one's religion at one's trial: it didn't often happen..."- The Gulag Archipelago (page 23)

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that the Soviets attempted to prevent parents from teaching their children about Christianity. Individuals were able to have faith, yet were not allowed to voice their belief. There were cases where parents of children were falsely accused of sedition against the state when we know that they were instructing their children on the true faith. This allows us to know why we can not believe any of the romanticized versions of marxism that are actually false and either make its supposed "heroes" appear "benevolent" when in reality they persecuted their citizens and offered nothing but envy and temporary lies. We learn that the Soviets did not want true Christianity to be preached because the worship of GOD Almighty allows people to better themselves and their children. 

We learn that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that people who were faithful believers did not renounce their faith. While in prison, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn decided to renounce socialism and communism for King Jesus Christ. We learn that this is important because while in the gulag system, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote about the truth of the Soviet Union without any lies. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote about how communism and socialism were nothing good. We learn that the writings of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn were another main reason why the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s. The Gulag Archipelago described the reality of the false system of socialism and communism that offered nothing but envy, temporary lies, and fakeness while persecuting the individuals that were helping and improving society describing its own soldiers, family structure, and priests. For this and too many reasons that can be described, the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s.

Socialism and Communism Advocate For Adultery and the Breaking Up of the Family Structure

“In the conflicts between people in freedom, denunciations were the superweapon... I can confirm that I had heard many stories in imprisonment about the use of denunciations in lover's quarrels: a man would remove an unwanted husband; a wife would dispose of a mistress, or a mistress would dispose of a wife; or a mistress would take revenge on her lover because she had failed to separate him from his wife.”- (page 241)

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that false accusations were often used by adultresses and adulterers who envied others. We learn that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how in gulag he heard many stories of individuals that practiced adultery that had used false accusations to attempt to remove the significant other of the spouse with whom the adultress/adulterer was having a adulterous relationship with. This describes that socialism and communism attempts to lead to adultery and then negative emotions describing envy and coveting. We learn that the intention of this was to break up families so that there was no family structure. We learn that the intention of socialism and communism is to envy the family structure because the snake hates the family structure. We know this since the story of Cain and Abel how the snake lied to Cain in order to deceive him to have negative emotions such as envy and anger against Abel for no reason. We learn that while only being four people in all the earth, Cain decided to envy Abel instead of living his own life somewhere else. The same is said of the wicked in the times of Lot who could not live their own lives and instead needed to see who the visitors of Lot where.

We learn that evil hates the family structure since the family structure allows individuals to grow and mature with discipline and genuine empathy. We learn that socialism despises traditional and conservative families because it does not want individuals to improve, grow in virtues, get better, and have genuine empathy. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that in the Soviet Union, adulterers and adultresses attempted to get rid of spouses by false accusations. We learn that socialism also wanted children to grow far apart from their parents so that they could have resentments, anger, hate, and bitterness and be led to the practice of idol worship and sin. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how socialism proved to hate the traditional family structure, children, and conservative values describing obedience to the commandments of Moses. This truth allows us to not believe the “benevolent appearances” of socialism that speaks lies about wanting to help individuals while actually leading to negative emotions, disobedience, and vices.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's Criticism of the Attempts of the Soviet Union to Indoctrinate Children and Envy Against Industriousness

“Did any child suffer such a fate in the nineteenth century?”- (page 426)

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how the Soviet Bolsheviks attempted to prevent children from being intructed in the true Christian faith. We learn that believers were able to have belief, yet when they instructed their children in the true faith, there were informants that falsely accused parents of sedition against the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union attempted to prevent parents from instructing their children in the worship of GOD Almighty. The Soviet Union did not want families to improve in the Christian faith because then the children grow in virtues, develop maturity, and improve themselves. This was with the intention to lead to the practice of idol worship that is socialism. We learn in the story of Zoya how her family members were sent to gulag and separated so that they would not be together. We learn that Zoya was sent to a separate orphanage so that she would not be with any of her family members. This was intentional so that the children would not have stability and support from their family members and have negative emotions and be led to disobedience and socialism. This was also so that important virtues were not instructed describing industriousness, humility, courage, and genuine empathy. We learn that Christianity helps stabilize and improve individuals and society. We learned that the Bolshevik Soviets did not want that because then the children were not going to want to practice socialism and idolatry. There were righteous individuals that did not want to be informants, envious, slothful, and backstabbing.

“Every miller was automatically a candidate for dekulakization (being removed from the land, taken to gulag, or shot)- and what were millers and blacksmiths but the Russian village's best technicians.”- (page 426)

We learn that the Soviet Bolsheviks hated the virtue and positive quality of industriousness. There were stories about the manner that the Soviet Bolsheviks hated the working class comprised of agronomers and blacksmiths. Because individuals decided to work hard in private enterprise growing grain and wheat from the land and forging metal tools, the Soviet Bolsheviks envied them. Individuals that were industrious were envied by the Bolshevik Soviets. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how socialism in 1928 led to the persecution of farm workers and blacksmiths because they worked hard, were self-sufficient, and produced abundance from their labor. To this, the Soviet Bolsheviks who spoke about “fighting for the peasants” decided to persecute the farm workers and blacksmiths. If an industrious agronomer or blacksmith was well off so that he had a two story house in a row of one story houses, the individual was taken to gulag, removed from the land and property, and falsely accused of...sedition against the Soviet Union. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how there were stories of industrious hard working individuals that were envied by the Soviet Bolsheviks and had their forge removed because of envy. This describes how socialism attempts to lead to envy, temporary lies, vices, and coveting.

The Soviets Also Arrested Based on Quotas

"The real law underlying the arrests of those years was the assignment of quotas, the norms set, the planned allocations. Every city, every district, every military unit was assigned a specific quota of arrests to be carried out by a stipulated time." 

We learn from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn that the Soviets also arrested individuals based on quotas. This describes that there was no real explanation or cause other than to increase the numbers of individuals in gulag. This describes that the selection was based on arbitrariness and totalitarianism and not based on actual breaking of the law. We learn that the charges were based on false accusations and not on actual truth. We learn that essentially anyone could be falsely accused with breaking Article 58 section 10. We learn that there were Soviet soldiers who returned from Sweden after fighting in the Second World War who were arrested for speaking good things about the autonomy and freedom they enjoyed in capitalist Sweden. Also just possessing literary materials like the historian mentioned previously could have caused envy. There was a historian who was arrested for having literature and books about history. This was obviously not to help its citizenry and instead was to keep individuals from understanding the truth and improving themselves through learning.

"There was no section in Article 58 which was interpreted as broadly and with so ardent a revolutionary conscience as section 10. Its definition was: 'Propaganda or agitation, containing an appeal for the overthrow, subverting, or weakening of the Soviet power... and, equally, the dissemination or preparation or possession of literary materials of similar content.'"- (page 27)

Falsely Accused Individuals Were Given a Form to Sign Concerning Their Accusations While They Did Not Receive a Trial

"Arnold Rappoport took the pen and wrote on the back of the verdict: ''I protest categorically this terroristic, illegal sentence and demand immediate release.' The officer who handed it to him had at first waited patiently, but when he read what Rappoport had written, he was enraged and tore up the paper with the note on it. So what! The term remained in force anyways. This was just a copy."- (page 115)

The Soviet Union had attempted to prevent any free thinking, individualism, and autonomy. We learn that they attempted to place in gulag individuals that were either not sympathizers of socialism and communism or individuals that were too independent and autonomous. We learn that an individual named Arnold Rappoport protested his arrest, terms, and false accusations by not signing the form and writing his denial in the back of the form. We learn that the Soviet officer became angry and tore the form showing the lack of civility and discussion in the Soviet Union. We learn that most of the charges were brought against individuals based on envy from a Soviet officer. The Bolsheviks had attempted to remove any other political parties from the political system. With this in mind, we can understand the lack of justice and equity that existed in the Soviet Union. 

"Vera Korneyeva was expecting fifteen years when she saw with delight that there was a typo on the official sheet- it read only five. She laughed her luminous laugh and hurried to sign before they took it back. The officer looked at her dubiously: 'Do you really understand what I read to you?' 'Yes, yes, thank you very much. Five ears in corrective-labor camps."- (page 115)

Vera Korneyeva who was able to speak truth was expected to be given fifteen years. This was because any information that was deemed dangerous against the Soviet Union under article 58 caused the Soviet Union to falsely accuse individuals even if they were speaking truth. Simply by speaking truth or possessing truthful information, the Soviets attempted to accuse individuals under article 58. This was to prevent other individuals from learning the truth about how socialism and communism does not help anyone at all. Vera Korneyeva who spoke truth while being falsely accused caused individuals to realize the truth about the Soviet Union. We learn that individuals told the interrogator to be quiet while they heard her preach. Vera Korneyeva was expecting to receive 15 years in gulag for speaking truth. Another individual named Janos, a Hungarian, was read his form in Russian without a translator. He signed it not knowing his sentence and later awaited his trial. He was surprised that there was no trial in the Soviet Union and only was taken to gulag. This recount describes the manner that in the Soviet Union, anyone who was not a socialist and communist was sent to gulag because either they were speaking truth or there was envy from a Soviet officer. 

Goodness of Individuals Despite Persecution and Envy

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how there were righteous individuals who persevered despite the persecution. We learn of a priest in 1934 that went to "Alma-Ata to visit some believers in exile there". While he was visiting the faithful believers in another region, the Soviets went to his Moscow apartment to arrest him multiple times. We learn that the priest was able to persevere despite persecution. When he returned, righteous faithful individuals met him at the transportation station and "refused to let him go home and for eight years hid him in one apartment after another." 

The priest was able to persevere despite the persecution from the Soviets. We learn that he was arrested years later and was glad that he did not have to hide from the Soviets anymore. We learn that he sang hymns of worship to GOD Almighty. This describes that the worship of GOD Almighty is greater than the circumstances or persecution. We learn that there were individuals that despite the obstacles, envy, and difficulties imposed by the persecution of the Soviets, they were able to worship GOD Almighty through it all. We learn that the righteous Christians did not renounce their faith in King Jesus Christ. This is impressive seeing the manner that even amidst the sheer number of informants of the Soviet Union, righteous Christians persevered and the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s.

   Righteous Individuals Persevering With                                           Courage

"Only the man who has renounced everything can win that victory. But how can one turn one's body to stone? Well, they managed to turn some individuals from the Berdyayev circle into puppets for a trial, but they didn't succeed with Berdyayev. They wanted to drag him into an open trial; they arrested him twice; and (in 1922) he was subjected to a night interrogation by Dzerzhinsky himself. Kamenev was there too. But Berdyayev did not humiliate himself. He did not beg or plead. He set forth firmly those religious and moral principles which had led him to refuse to accept the political authority established in Russia. And not only did they come to the conclusion that he would be useless for a trial, but they liberated him." (page 64)

While in the Soviet Union there were attempts to discourage individuals from professing their faith, there were righteous individuals who did not fear and persevered with high courage. There was the story of an individual that was hated and envied by the Soviets, yet persevered. He did not speak lies and refused to accept the coercion and false authority of the Soviet informants. Instead of having fear, he decided to keep to his religious and moral principles that allowed him to persevere so much so that he was liberated by the Soviets.

"After all, you are afraid of your bosses, and you are afraid of each other, and you are even afraid of killing me.' (They would lose contact with the underground railroad.) 'But I am not afraid of anything. I would be glad to be judged by GOD right this minute.'" (page 64)

We learn of another story of an older woman who had helped a metropolitan by hiding him from the Soviets. The metropolitan fled to Finland and received refuge from the persecution of the Soviets. We learn that the old woman was arrested and interrogated on the whereabouts of the metropolitan. The older woman did not tell them where he fled to and was not afraid of the Soviets. There were also individuals who did not speak lies nor betray anyone. There were individuals that chose to be martyred than practice wickedness. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was able to speak and write about the valor and high courage of righteous individuals who persevered despite the discouragements and envy from Soviet informants. We learn that there were individuals that did not renounce their faith and persevered despite persecution. 

There is the story of a woman named, Vera Korneyeva, who when arrested and given the '206' form by her interrogator describing what she was being accused of, decided to describe the truth and the difficulties that were existing. She was placed in another room with other employees in order to read the form. While she read the file in another room with other employees, she began to preach. People from other offices including "typists, stenographers, and file clerks" filled up the room. She was speaking the truth concerning the injustices of a system that had apparent incongruencies and deficits. 

"It is impossible to reconstruct her monologue. She managed to work in all sorts of things, including the question of 'traitors of the Motherland'. Why where there no traitors in the 1812 War of the Fatherland, when there was still serfdom? It would have been natural to have traitors then! But mostly she spoke about religious faith and religious believers. Formerly, she declared, unbridled passions were the basis for everything- 'Steal the stolen goods'- and, in that state of affairs, religious believers were naturally a hindrance to you. But now, when you want to build and prosper in the world, why do you persecute your best citizens? They represent your most precious material: after all, believers don't need to be watched, they do not steal, and they do not shirk. Do you think you can build a just society on a foundation of self-serving and envious people? Everything in the country is falling part. Why do you spit in the hearts of your best people? Separate church and state properly and do not touch the church; you will not lose a thing thereby. Are you materialists? In that case, put your faith in education- in the possibility that it will, as they say, disperse religious faith. But why arrest people? At this point Goldman came in and started to interrupt rudely. But everyone shouted at him: 'Oh, shut up! Keep quiet! Go ahead, woman, talk.' And Vera continued in the presence of her interrogator.

We learn that the people in the room where listening attentively to the sermon that Vera Korneyeva was giving. She kept on speaking truth concerning the importance of justice and equity. When people from other rooms were filling up the room listening to her speak, the interrogator, Goldman, attempted to interrupt her. The people in the room told the interrogator to be quiet and for Vera Korneyeva to keep speaking truth.

Envy and Division in the Soviet Union

We learn from the story of the Soviet Union how individuals did not have genuine empathy for one another. We learn that Stalin hated Lenin, and Lenin hated Stalin. Stalin hated Trotsky, and, most likely, Trotsky hated Stalin. We learn that Hitler hated Stalin, and Stalin hated Hitler. We learn that Trotsky was exiled. Later, Stalin sent Lenin into exile. Stalin would also be placed in exile. We learn that Hitler attacked Stalin being that both practiced socialism. We learn that for this and so many reasons, we are not supposed to believe the temporary lies of socialism and communism that want to lead far from the obedience to the commandments of Moses. We can guard our heart and mind from the temporary lies of evil that want individuals to doubt GOD Almighty. Instead, we can doubt the false lies of evil. 

This is understood by the manner that there were informants in the Soviet Union who spoke lies and slander. Their job was to accuse and slander individuals that they thought were against the Soviets or also whom they envied. This describes that there was a lot of slander and lies spoken by Soviet informants. We learned that an informant had complained about the manner that a professor had cited Marx and Lenin in a lecture while not including Stalin. The professor did not instruct additional lectures and most likely was taken to gulag. We learn that this describes the insanity that exists in socialist and communist dystopias that attempt to lead individuals to become sycophants instead of independent thinkers and individuals. Solzhenitsyn questioned what the fate of the professor could have been had he not cited any of the communism leaders. 

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Described the Informants That Existed in the Gulag Archipelago

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn also described the manner that there were informants that existed in the Gulag Archipelago. We learn that while the Soviet socialists had informants throughout the country, there were also informants in the gulag system. We learn that there was paranoia and delirium due to the practice of idolatry seeing the manner that there were multiple informants not only in “free” society but also in the gulag system. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how individuals that were movie theater clerks, taxi drivers, and railroad operators were informants and could falsely accuse. This is interesting understanding that instead of there being harmony and serenity between individuals in society, there was envy and conflict. This describes how socialism and communism may “appear” to be “benevolent”, yet has the intention to lead to strife and conflict so that the commandments of Moses are not obeyed. We learn that disobedience to the commandments of Moses caused there to be envy and false accusations in the Soviet Union due to socialism. There were even codes that could be used to slander and falsely accuse individuals if article 58 was not used (although it was essentially the article used to justify envy and the attempts to prevent truth from being spoken).

"Anti-soviet agitation, Counter-revolutionary activity, Counter-revolutionary Trotskyite activity, Suscipicion of espionage, Contacts leading to suspicion of espionage, Counter-revolutionary thought, Dissemination of anti-soviet sentiments, Socially dangerous element, Socially harmful element, Criminal activity (a favorite false accusation against former camp inmates if there was nothing else to be used against them). 

And then, finally, there was the very expansive category:

Member of a family (of a person convicted under one of the foregoing 'letter' categories)."

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how he had been able to avoid informants in gulag who seemed too false to trust. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that even in gulag labor camps there were informants ready to accuse individuals. This describes the incongruencies and inefficiencies of Soviet socialism. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn also described how there were individuals that did not want to be informants because it entailed the need to betray, falsely accuse, and envy others. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described the incongruencies of Soviet socialism that described why the Soviet Union was not what it appeared to be. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn describes stories of individuals that were taken to gulag based on an informant who wrote a denunciation based on envy, sycophantic behavior, or resentment. Some of the anecdotes are quite comical (the paper factory director who stopped clapping first for Stalin). Essentially, anything could be categorized as article 58. There were specific denunciation codes written with the intention so that even children could learn the letters of the codes and denunciate even their parents. Most of the codes described that speaking truth was categorized as anti-Soviet propaganda. Soviet informants also disliked charismatic, bold, energetic, and individuals that were too independant. Soviet informers that falsely accused did not even need to be present to confront the accused face to face. This became even worse when new codes were created describing that speaking truth was “slander” or anti-Soviet propaganda. Instead the reality was that the truth caused individuals to understand true reality, and the Soviet socialists attempted to prevent the truth from being spoken to prevent individuals from renouncing socialism and communism seen in the story of the Russians who lived in Sweden. There were Russian soldiers who when returned to Russia, decided to talk good things about the capitalism they learned about in Sweden and were envied and taken to gulag by Soviet socialists. This was a measure from the Soviet socialists to prevent other socialists from understanding the truth and the good of true capitalism all the while speaking temporary lies and slander about capitalism and capitalist nations.  

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's Criticism of Engels and Marx

“Engels discovered that the human being had arisen not through the perception of a moral idea and not through the process of thought, but out of happenstance and meaningless work (an ape picked up a stone- and with this everything began).” (page 215)

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that socialism and communism was not what it appeared to be. Engels probably believed in the theory of evolution being that the stories of evolution are based on temporary lies. Instead of human beings being derived from apes, we learn that GOD Almighty created human beings. Based on Engels and Marx, there was the promulgation of the need to “correct” the individual being that individuals that were taken to gulag were envied by socialists and communists. Most of the individuals taken to gulag did nothing wrong as seen from the previous stories stated. Most individuals that were in the Soviet Union gulag were there because they were falsely accused, slandered, and envied by Soviet socialists. There was nothing needed to “correct” out of the individual since they had done no wrong. We learn that the need to “correct” the individual based on Engels and Marx was based on hard labor. This was with the understanding that Marx never worked, held a tool, pick axe, or wheelbarrow in all his life. Hard labor in the Soviet Union meant working fourteen hour days from before dawn to past dusk (from the time it was dark in the morning even past sunset) without needed tools, in freezing sub-arctic weather (-60°F), and without being able to kindle a fire. There were individuals that did not survive the working conditions in the Gulag Archipelago.

“Marx, concerning himself with a less remote time declared with equal conviction that the one and only means of correcting offenders (true, he referred here to criminals; he never even conceived that his pupils might consider political offenders) was not solitary contemplation, not moral soul-searching, not repentance, and not languishing - but productive labor. He himself had never in his life taken a pick in hand. To the end of his days, he never pushed a wheelbarrow, mined coal, felled timber, and we don't even know how his firewood was split…”- (page 215)

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn questioned the need to “correct” the individual who had done no wrong. We learn that individuals are created by GOD Almighty to worship GOD Almighty, live in harmony, be industrious, and creative. The socialists and communists hated and envied individuals that were autonomous and industrious seen in stories of the Gulag Archipelago. We can question how Engels and Marx came to the conclusion that individuals preferred “corrective” hard labor to autonomy and freedom? We learn that they definitely did not understand the lives of the working class. We learn that the self-entitled “philosophers” attempted to deceive individuals into the practice of disobedience to the commandments of Moses and envy. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was able to question and criticize socialism and communism in the Gulag Archipelago allowing us to understand the inconsistencies, flaws, and discrepencies of socialism. 

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's Criticism of Lenin and Stalin

“In August, 1918, Vladimir Ilych Lenin wrote in a telegram to Yevgeniya Bosh and to the Penza Provincial Executive Committee(they were unable to cope with a peasant revolt): 'Lock up all the doubtful ones [not 'guilty,' but doubtful.] In a concentration camp outside the city.’ (And in addition 'carry out merciless mass terror'- this was before the decree.) Only on September 5, 1918, ten days after this telegram, was the Decree on the Red Terror published. In addition to the instructions on mass execution, it stated in particular: 'Secure the Soviet Republic against its class enemies by isolating them in concentration camps.’ So that is where this term-concentration camps-was discovered and immediately seized upon and confirmed- one of the principal terms of the twentieth century... And this is when it was born- in August and September, 1918. The word itself had already been used during World War I, but in relation to POW's and undesirable foreigners. But here in 1918 it was for the first time applied to the citizens of one's own country.”- (page 179)

We learn that while Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was initially a socialist, he saw and understood the truth after multiple stories about the lies of socialism. We learn that Lenin was a terrorist who advocated for the creation of concentration camps in order to place dissidents and individuals that did not believe in socialism. Lenin advocated for placing individuals of his own nation in concentration camps that were labor camps. While there are romanticized lies of Lenin, we know that he wanted a two tier system where the socialists did not have to labor and the dissidents were placed in labor camps. It is interesting that despite Lenin's attempts at establishing a socialist dystopia, Lenin would be exiled by Stalin. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn discovered the incongruencies and lies of socialism and renounced Lenin socialism for King Jesus Christ. We learn that there were individuals that were socialists in gulag who converted to Christianity seeing the reality that idolatry does not help anyone.

“According to the estimates of émigré Professor of Statistics Kurganov, this 'comparatively easy' internal repression cost us, from the beginning of the October Revolution up to 1959, a total of...sixty-six million lives.”- (page 178)

We learn that the foolishness and envy of Soviet socialism caused difficulties to Russia. We learn from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn that the Russian people were not improved by socialism and instead were affected negatively. We learn from the statistics of a professor of Statistics that there were an approximate 66 million lives that were lost in Russia due to Soviet socialism policies and persecution. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that while the statistics were difficult to describe, we learn that it may be accurate due to the number of individuals that perished from camp labor in sub-zero degree weather while also not being given adequate calories and nutrition, camp injuries, and murders. We learn that the number of Russian individuals has increased despite the persecution of Stalin and Soviet socialists against his own people. We learn that the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s, and that the number of Russian individuals has increased. This describes the manner that we can keep positivity despite the attempts of socialism to discourage, demotivate, and cause negativity. Another interesting fact is that most of the individuals that were placed in gulag did not commit suicide despite the difficulties that they went through. Despite the persecution and envy by socialists, there were individuals that never attempted nor committed suicide and rather persevered to freedom, were exiled to another country, or perished by the strenuous labor, injuries from labor, or were martyred. However, they did not quit life. They decided to persevere despite opposition, circumstances, and persecution. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn allows us to know that we can have positivity because despite the deceit and lies of socialism, human individuals are capable of persevering amist times, obstacles, and circumstances. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that he undersood that there are two paths to life. The path of ascencion describing choosing to practice righteousness, goodness, and have belief in GOD Almighty while denying corruption and evil and the path of descent that leads to corruption, foolishness, and envy. We learn that socialism did not help Stalin since he was paranoid in his last years after ordering the murders of numerous people. Even Stalin was sent to exile and had to place creaking wooden boards on the floor so that he could hear the foot steps for fear of being murdered. We learn that Stalin died before the 1960s. 

The Envy of Socialism in the Soviet Union Led to Soviet Socialists Persecuting Individuals That Lived in Harmony Far Apart in the Frozen Taiga

“In 1950 a plane was flying over the vast of the Podkamennaya Tunguska. The training of airmen had improved greatly since the war, and the zealous aviator spotted something that no one before had seen in twenty years: an unknown dwelling place in the taiga. He worked out its position. He reported it. It was far out in the wilds...and half a year later they had struggled through to it. What they had found were the Yaruyevo Old Believers. They had fled... a whole village of them. And they lived there without ever poking their noses out, allowing only their headman to go to Yarutevo for salt, metal fishing and hunting gear, and bits of iron for tools. Everything else they made themselves, and in lieu of money the headman no doubt came provided with pelts…In this manner the Yaruyevo Old Believers had won themselves twenty years of life! Twenty years of life as free human beings...instead of twenty years of kolkhoz misery. They were all wearing homespun garments and homemade knee boots, and they were all exceptionally sturdy.”- (page 432)

If the previous stories of socialism do not describe the incongruencies and envy of socialism, there is another story of a village that lived in harmony and secluded in the taiga. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how a village of Christian believers were able to escape persecution by deciding to escape to the frozen taiga. While living in sub-arctic weather (weather ranging below -30°F), they were able to escape the envy and temporary lies of the socialist Soviets. In the 1930's, the Soviet Bolsheviks had persecuted the peasant workers (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that the workers of the land were the backbone of Russia.) The Soviet socialists had envy against the peasant workers and decided to persecute them and some of them were murdered. The Yaruyevo Old Believers were able to obtain refuge in the cold freezing temperature so much that they were not detected for twenty years. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how the Soviet socialists could not leave the secluded village on their own. This describes the envy of socialism and communism that does not like individuals living in harmony.

“Well, these despicable deserters from the kolkhoz front were now all arrested, and the charge pinned on them was…guess what? Links with the international bourgeoisie? Sabotage? No, Articles 58-10, on Anti-Soviet Agitation, and 58–11, on hostile organizations.”- (page 432)

We learn that an aviator in the 1950's, who was receiving training after the Second World War, spotted a house in the frozen taiga. The aviator instead of minding his own life decided to report the house to the Soviets. The Soviets decided to persecute the individuals living in frozen weather conditions yet were living in harmony being self-sufficient and industrious. In six months after the aviator's denunciation, the Soviets reached the frozen taiga and sent the village to gulag. The Soviet socialists falsely accused the village with…anti-Soviet agitation for living in harmony far apart from the temporary lies and envy of socialism. This story tells us the reality of socialism. We learn that instead of advocating for serenity and harmony, socialism advocates for envy and coveting without reason. The Soviets also falsely accused the village with...being a hostile organization. This is quite the projection of the socialists. This story helps us know that there were industrious individuals that preferred being self-sufficent and industrious in the taiga while being far apart from socialism. The Christian individuals avoided detection for twenty years in the taiga. This describes the amazing manner that individuals were able to not only survive, but even thrive amidst persecution. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that the individuals were exceptionally sturdy meaning that they were able to obtain nutritious food even in the taiga compared to the lack of nutrition and calories in the gulag. We learn that the Soviets also persecuted individuals living in the backwoods of Russia describing the incongruencies and hypocrisy of socialism that does not help anyone. 

Individuals Persecuted in the Backwoods of Russia

“In 1946 some Old Believers were stormed in a forgotten monastery somewhere in the backwoods by our “valiant” troops, dislodged (with the help of mortars, and the skills acquired in the Fatherland War), and floated on rafts down the Yenisei. Prisoners still, and still indomitable-the same under Stalin as they had been under Peter!- they jumped from the rafts into the waters of the Yenisei, where our Tommy-gunners finished them off! Warriors of the Soviet army! Tirelessly consolidate your combat training!”- (page 432)

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how the Yaruyevo Old Believers were persecuted by the Soviet Bolsheviks when they were living their lives in harmony secluded and separated from socialism. The story is interesting knowing that the righteous were able to avoid detection for twenty years living in the frozen taiga and minding their own lives. There is another story in the Gulag Archipelago where another group of faithful individuals were persecuted for living in another secluded area in the backwoods of Russia. The righteous individuals managed to take refuge in a monastery in an uninhabitable place of Russia. The Soviet Bolsheviks did not live in the backwoods, yet decided to persecute and attack the righteous faithful.

The Soviet Bolsheviks decided to storm the monastery and use mortars to attack the compound. The faithful believers did not fear and floated on rafts down the Yenisei river. Even amidst the ambush, the faithful believers kept their faith and did not renounce their belief. They kept going and after floating down the river in their rafts were martyred with guns. This story describes the absolute madness of socialism where the Soviet Bolsheviks that persecuted righteous Christians probably did not storm the nazi socialist Germans or defend Moscow in that similar manner during the Second World War, yet decided to persecute pacifist Christians without guns minding their own life in the secluded backwoods of Russia in 1946. This describes why individuals decided to not practice sin and instead preferred Christianity despite the adversities, persecution, and even martyrdom. 

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Wrote the Gulag Archipelago and Described Why the Soviet Union Collapsed in the 1990s

"“And thus it is that I am writing this book solely from a sense of obligation-because too many stories and recollections have accumulated in my hands and I cannot allow them to perish. I do not expect to see it in print anywhere with my own eyes; and I have little hope that those who managed to drag their bones out of the Archipelago will ever read it; and I do not at all believe that it will explain the truth of our history in time for anything to be corrected.” The Gulag Archipelago (page 228)

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that he needed to write about the temporary lies and deceit that occured in the Gulag Archipelago. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn collected stories of individuals that had been sent to gulag for no reason other than because of the envy and false accusations of Soviet socialists and communists. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described the stories of individuals that were hated and envied by socialists and were falsely accused. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn did not think that the Gulag Archipelago would get published, yet the stories survived and were published in 1970. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was freed from gulag after eight years and then went into exile for additional years. All the while, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn kept writing and describing the inefficiencies and temporary lies of the Soviet system. The Gulag Archipelago has multiple stories of individuals that were envied, yet kept persevering despite persecution and envy from the Soviet socialists. We learn also about how Soviet socialists were also envied and taken to gulag. This describes how the own envy of Soviet socialists affected and destroyed the Soviet socialists. We learn that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn received the Nobel Prize for Literature in the 1970s. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn kept writing additional books about camp life and the importance of truth.

We learn that along with the preaching of Pope John Paul II and the fight of Ronald Reagen against socialism and communism in the 1980s, the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s. We learn from the Gulag Archipelago that there were multiple reasons that caused the collapse of the Soviet Union including the manner that its own citizens were being persecuted without reason other than envy and resentment. We learn that the gulag was created to provide for free labor when there were no incentives for being industrious, disciplined, motivated, and efficient. In fact, the individuals that were most efficient and industrious were disliked and envied by the Soviet socialists. The Gulag Archipelago allows us to understand the truth of socialism and communism. We know that we do not need to believe the temporary lies of false systems that attempt to cause the disobedience to the commandments of Moses. We do not need false systems describing nazi socialism nor Soviet communism that attempt to lead to unnecessary quarreling and conflict without reason seen in false belief systems that do not help anyone.

The Importance of Positivity Despite Adversity

"Wasn't this the root cause of the astounding rarity of camp suicides?... There were certainly more escapes than suicides! (...I am pursuing an optimistic line.) And there were far more self-inflicted injuries [from hard labor], too, than there were suicides!...I even imagine that, statistically speaking, there were fewer suicides per thousand of the population in camp than in freedom. I have no way of verifying this, of course."-(page 300)

While the stories of the Gulag Archipelago open our eyes to the absurdities and lies of socialism, we learn to see the positive out of everything. We learn that while the Russian people went through difficulties because of the injustices and persecution of the Soviet Bolsheviks, we learn that righteous individuals persevered without becoming wicked and corrupt. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn describes righteous individuals that persisted through everything and did not care about socialism. We learn that righteous believers had courage because of their fidelity to GOD Almighty and persisted even through envy, persecution, and opposition. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that he was surprised by the manner that Christian believers persevered with steadfast faith in King Jesus Christ. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how righteous individuals did not attempt to commit suicide nor commited suicide and instead there were more attempts at escaping gulag than attempts to commit suicide.

"Let us admit the truth: At that great fork in the camp road, at that great divider of souls, it was not the majority of the prisoners that turned to the right. Alas, not the majority. But fortunately neither was it just a few. There are many of them- human beings- who made this choice. But they did not shout about themselves. You had to look closely to see them. Dozens of times this same choice had arisen before them too, but they always knew, and knew their own stand."- (page 302)

Reading about Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's recount of life in the Soviet Union helps us know that we can persevere without believing the temporary lies, deceit, and falsehoods of the snake. We learn that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was able to write at great detail the manner that righteousness helped individuals prosper and improve even under persecution. Seeing the manner that Christians kept preaching and speaking truth gives us the courage to know that GOD Almighty helps the righteous persevere. We learn about individuals that did not care about the lies and envy of socialism and kept kindling their faith by not forsaking their faith in King Jesus Christ and not betraying others. This is interesting because throughout history and for all eternity there are righteous individuals who choose to worship GOD Almighty above everything practicing obedience to the commandments of Moses and who choose to not betray others. This has also been noted by Viktor E. Frankl in the nazi socialist concentration camps where individuals unmasked themselves and described who they really were. Viktor E. Frankl described that not everyone chose the path of perdition. Viktor E. Frankl described that even in difficult conditions and circumstances, there were righteous individuals who chose to be good and sincere instead of treacherous and backstabbing. This describes the amazement that Scripture speaks truth about there being only two paths. The path of eternal salvation worshiping King Jesus Christ and the path of perdition in the practice of envy, hate, and vices. We learn that Viktor E. Frankl and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn helped us know that regardless of circumstances, times, and persecution, there are always righteous individuals who do not conform to the fickleness and treachery of the wicked and instead better themselves in the worship of GOD Almighty. We learn that GOD Almighty does not forsake the righteous and helps them persevere to eternal salvation. We can learn from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn about the importance of remaining positive despite living in not the best of times. 

Criticism of Socialism and Communism In Cuba

We have seen even after the collapse of the Soviet Union about the manner that socialism and communism do not help nations. We have seen stories of how socialism has negatively affected Cuba, Venezuela, and other nations. The criticism is against the flawed false belief of socialism that has caused greater difficulties than actually attempting to help individuals or nations. We learn that in Russia there were individuals that chose to be righteous despite the persecution from the socialist Soviet Bolsheviks. Likewise in other nations, it is not the ethnicity that is criticized but the flawed system of socialism that has only caused difficulties. We learn that the Gulag Archipelago described the manner that it was not the ethnicity that was flawed but actually the false ideology. We learn that there were righteous individuals in Russia who believed the truth and preached King Jesus Christ rather than practice envy and temporary lies.

We have seen in modern times how Cuba was affected negatively with socialism. We learned about similar stories where socialism attempted to prevent individuals from improving themselves. There are stories of the communists in Cuba attempting to prevent individuals from selling cuban sandwiches because they would be able to turn a profit and then improve their situation. We learn about journalists that disappeared in communist Cuba describing the censorship that existed against its own Cuban citizens that spoke truth and constructively criticized the flawed government of Cuba starting in the 1960s. There are stories about Cuba offering free medical care while also there are stories about communist Cuba not having medical equipment describing how medical offices and hospitals did not have medications, sterile gloves, or even lighting in some cases. There were stories of Cuban individuals that decided to leave Cuba for other nations as long as they did not have to live any longer under the austerity of Fidel Castro. There were stories of Fidel Castro being able to obtain abundance of food including steaks and high end meals while the Cuban people were not allowed such abundance. There are multiple stories of this describing how communism also did not help Cuba. So this describes that it is not about criticizing the ethnicity and instead this is about criticizing socialism and communism. We learn that the stories of the Gulag Archipelago seem to describe how socialism does not help anyone.

Socialism and Communism in the 1960's-1990's

In the 1960's, communist Cuba decided to obtain nuclear warhead missiles and store them in Cuba threatening the United States. We learn that John F. Kennedy wanted to fight against the communists in Cuba for having long range nuclear missiles that were threatening the United States. John F. Kennedy was correct in wanting to fight against the communists, yet had opposition seen in the manner that there was resistance against such initiative in different manners not only by the communists of the Cold War. We learn that the United States did not fight against communist Cuba and the Bay of Pigs “fiasco” was blamed on John F. Kennedy while he was still fighting against racism, poverty, and for civil rights in the 1960s. Even amidst all these difficulties and resistance, John F. Kennedy kept fighting for freedom, liberty, and equality.

We learn that the Soviet Union appeared to be expanding over territories in Europe and even Asia, yet the reality of socialism was not seen at the time. We learn that while some nations including Vietnam and Cuba were turning communist, the truth was not being spoken about how it was not based on civility, harmony, and improving its citizens. We learn that under Pol-Pot, Vietnam also had difficulties and many of its citizens were persecuted also. Similar to Stalin, Pol-Pot also persecuted his own citizens. While it appeared that socialism was gaining strength in the 1960's, we learn that this was far from the truth. Instead, communism was declining since nothing was being produced by the state and instead the state was persecuting its own citizens. Despite the number of nations that turned Soviet in the 1960s, we learn that by the 1990's, the Soviet Union collapsed under the weight of its own envy and hatred of its own citizens. While there are still a few socialist nations, most nations decided to renounce socialism or most of the citizens went to live in another nation. We have seen that essentially only Venezuela, Cuba, and North Korea are completely socialist. In Venezuela and Cuba, a large number of its citizens have left to other nations. We learn that there are still individuals that try to advocate for the “benefits” of socialism and communism, yet we have seen how socialism does not help anyone. We learn that we can persevere without believing the temporary lies of the snake that wants individuals to practice sin. We can persevere despite circumstances, obstacles, and persecution knowing that these are not the best of times. 

The Importance of Morality and Ethics

"Voichenko has his opinion: "In camp, existence did not determine consciousness, but just the opposite: consciousness and steadfast faith in the human essence decided whether you became an animal or remained a human being."-(page 319)

Despite the adversities and persecution that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn went through, he was able to discover the importance of integrity and righteousness. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that while it appeared that wicked individuals were able to “prosper” persecuting and betraying their own countrymen, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn learned that was not the case. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how individuals who were righteous were able to actually persist with resiliency and prosper in the long term because of their faith in GOD Almighty. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described individuals that never became corrupted and did not betray anyone. The righteous individuals were able to persevere amidst everything. There was the story of an individual that was tempted multiple times to work easier jobs (instead of the hard labor jobs) including being an informant, and he rejected all of that due to his integrity. When he was given the opportunity to take the easy way, he decided against that because of his morality and ethics that he had developed because he was a believer. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was surprised at the individual because despite working at difficult labor and being older, he did not diminish and instead prospered and improved. We learn that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was impressed by how the individual did not get sick from the cold (working in sub-zero weather at times), did not have chronic infirmities (despite the age and hard labor worked in gulag), nor have bitterness and resentments being that every time he began working and improving his situation, the Soviets would attempt to tempt him to practice corruption, and he would have to work another job because the Soviets envied him. Aleksandr Solzhenytsin was surprised that the individual actually became better in his persistance and zeal.

We learn that despite all those circumstances, the individual was able to persevere and improve with gladness of heart and integrity. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that there were such individuals who never corrupted themselves for momentary gain. This is impressive because we know that there are righteous incorruptible individuals that have integrity throughout history and for all eternity. We know that such stories are not popularized in media, especially in these times, that are described as the times prior to the great tribulation. We learn that in the Soviet Union, there were righteous individuals that were incorruptible and persevered worshiping GOD Almighty instead of worshiping false idols. Such stories allow us to know that we can persevere in the worship of GOD Almighty despite times, obstacles, and circumstances. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that he was impressed and had wonder at how could righteous individuals persevere with steadfast resolution despite the adversities. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn also further described how righteousness helps individuals in the long term because all the unneeded negative emotions of anger, resentment, bitterness, and envy are removed and instead there is serenity that prevents coveting and hate. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that righteousness in the worship of GOD Almighty allows individuals to develop resiliency that is impossible to muster on one's own being far apart from the worship of GOD Almighty. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how despite persecution, Christians did not deny their faith and grew bolder, mightier, wiser, and healthier despite the difficulties due to the envy of the snake. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn stated that while persecution was not pleasant, he understood that remaining positive and having faith allowed him to develop wisdom that kept him resolute and grateful. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how while he could not describe how the obstacles helped him, he could describe that he had improved from his past developing virtues instead of betraying, envying, and believing the temporary lies of socialism. He described how he was grateful to understand the truth because it prevented him from descending into becoming a socialist and communist sycophant. 

Perseverance in the Worship of GOD Almighty Sets Apart From the Road of Perdition

"And all those who, under the threat of a penalty zone and a new term of imprisonment, refused to become informants?"- (page 317)

In the story of Grigory Ivanovich Grigoryev, we learn about how there were righteous individuals that decided to persevere without having to practice deceit, temporary lies, and sin. We learn that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was surprised by how righteous individuals were able to persist getting better despite the adversity and circumstances that existed due to the envy of the Soviet Bolsheviks. We learn that Grigory was not the only example of goodness that existed. There were multiple stories of individuals that decided to practice righteousness and obedience to the commandments of Moses instead of becoming corrupt. While Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that the Soviet Bolsheviks attempted to recruit individuals from gulag to be informants, a large number refused such assignment knowing that they could not be corrupt, envious, and slanderous. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was surprised because informants were given easy jobs, and yet righteous individuals preferred to persevere without speaking temporary lies. There are numerous stories of righteous individuals that did not practice sin, did not give in to temptation, did not falter amidst persecution, and improved throughout everything.

"And how could one explain that certain unstable people found faith right there in camp, that they were strenghtened by it, and that they survived uncorrupted?"- (page 317)

To the logical mind, there would be the questioning of how could individuals refuse to be informants for soft jobs. We learn that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn discovered that individuals had the choice to decide and most preferred to be honest and have integrity. The zealous older women described in Dusya Chmil called “nuns” decided to persevere in the worship of GOD Almighty. We read about how the Soviet Bolsheviks placed the older zealous women with the prostitutes and thieves in gulag with the intention to discourage their faith. This describes that they also did not have it easy in gulag, yet they persevered preaching truth and individuals repented of their sin. We learn that the older zealous women did not care about socialism and cared about remaining faithful to GOD Almighty. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that individuals that were once atheists or socialists decided to renounce their lack of faith and idolatry for the worship of GOD Almighty because of the good examples seen in gulag. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was among the individuals that renounced socialism for King Jesus Christ. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that it did not make sense how righteous Christians were able to persevere despite all the envy and hate and still be bold, courageous, humble, and zealous. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how Christians persevered despite persecution, martyrdom, and envy. Despite all of this, Christianity kept growing in the Soviet Union. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that the individuals without a moral foundation found themselves learning about the confident righteous individuals who had confidence in GOD Almighty. Because the zealous Christian believers would speak truth, individuals in gulag who were not Christian and had no belief, became believers in GOD Almighty. This also happened to multiple individuals who converted to Christianity in gulag including a surgeon, that removed a tumor from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, who renounced idolatry for King Jesus Christ. The Gulag Archipelago describes that Christianity speaks truth and that individuals were able to find refuge and strength in the worship of GOD Almighty despite the circumstances and opposition of the Soviet Bolsheviks.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Survived Gulag 

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was able to convert to Christianity and persevere despite the adversities in gulag. We learn that after completing the eight years of gulag, he then was sent to exile to another country that was not Russia. We learn that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was taken to exile and had to live outside of his country because individuals who completed their terms in gulag were not received in Soviet Russia. Individuals that were loyal like Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn who fought against the German nazi socialists in the Second World War and took fire from their artillery were still exiled after completing their gulag term. This was with the intention that the survivors of gulag did not go back to Russia and lead individuals to the truth. The Soviet Bolsheviks wanted individuals to be sent to exile so that other individuals did not learn about the truth of socialism. After going through exile living in a foreign nation in the Soviet Union and then living in the United States, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was able to keep writing about the stories that he heard and lived through. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that he was able to keep writing because he needed to describe the truth of everything that he had gone through. He was able to publish multiple books. We learn that he first published A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich before publishing the Gulag Archipelago. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn also published multiple writings including Cancer Ward, Red Wheel, and poems. The Gulag Archipelago was published in the United States and in 1970 received the Nobel Prize for Literature. One of the reasons of why the Soviet Union collapsed was due to Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's writings among so many innumerable reasons.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn would renounce idolatry and even denunciate Lenin describing how he was a terrorist, liar, scoundrel, and individual that lived off of the Russian Tsarist generosity (receiving a pension while writing for the overthrow of the Russian Tsars, his brother had been executed for plotting an assassination attempt against the Russian Tsar yet allowed to go to university in Russia, and who did not have to work or cook because there were housekeepers that kept his dwelling place tidy). Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn would describe how socialism was all appearance and actually attempted to cause difficulties for society and individuals. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn would be able to publish his writings, the Gulag Archipelago, that helps us know the truth about the Soviet Union in the 1920s-1960s, the stories of righteous individuals that surprised and inspired Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn to renounce idolatry for King Jesus Christ, and the absurdities of socialism and communism.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Described the Projection and Slander That The Soviet Bolsheviks Used

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that the Soviet Bolsheviks would falsely accuse individuals based on lies and false denunciations. We learn that almost any accusation was essentially categorized as anti-soviet propaganda. The Soviet Bolsheviks also slandered and projected their deficits unto others. We learn that the Soviet Bolsheviks would call believers “facists” being that the fascists were the Soviet Bolshevik socialists. The Soviet Bolsheviks told lies and called righteous individuals “fascists” because they did not agree with their ethics and morality. Since there was no truth in socialism, the Soviet Bolsheviks resorted to lies and falsehoods. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn went into great detail about how the Soviet Bolsheviks were actually totalitarian, fascistic, and arbitrary. We learn to understand that we can not be discouraged by lies and deceit being that individuals who speak the truth and live in a righteous manner are just. Instead, we can discern the truth from the lies in the worship of GOD Almighty.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how he did not think that his writings would have an impact on gulag, yet after having published he learned that there were chages in gulag in the 1960s. Individuals who were in gulag were able to send letters to Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn concerning gulag. This was something different because in Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's time in gulag, individuals were not allowed to write letters nor have correspondence. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that gulag was changing because individuals had learned about the truth of the Soviet Union from the publications of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. When Stalin was removed and Kruschev was installed as leader, it appeared that nothing had changed in the Gulag Archipelago except for the fact that the Soviet Union was decreasing and diminishing because of the truth being published by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that individuals in gulag in the 1960s were able to use money instead of having to use coupons, could write letters and have correspondence, and did not have to use number patches that were assigned in the past. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how individuals in gulag in the 1960s would yell at the Soviet Bolshevik socialists in gulag, and the Bolsheviks were offended. The Soviet Bolsheviks described how they were offended (for being yelled at for a few months) while righteous believers described that were they not offended being called “fascists” for decades? This led the Soviet Bolsheviks in the 1960s to drop the term “fascist”. 

Correlation Between Socialism and Racism

“But, given that Stalinist logic which said that every Soviet person who had lived abroad had to be imprisoned in camp, how could the émigrés possibly escape the same lot? In the Balkans, Central Europe...they were arrested as soon as the Soviet armies arrived.”- (page 111)

The nazi socialists practiced racism hating individuals of other races. We learn from Viktor E. Frankl about how the socialist nazis did not care about individuals that were from a specific race, Jewish individuals, and even persecuted German Jewish individuals which raises a lot of questions. German nazi socialists also persecuted Germans which also is incongruent since nazi socialism supposedly “cared” about Germans. We know that with the Nuremberg Trials, racism and nazi socialism was condemned by Germans and individuals of all ethnicities. We learned from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn that Soviet Bolshevik socialism also described the need to hate other ethnicities. While socialism states that it is “inclusive” and “helpful” towards providing “equality”, we learn that this is far from the truth. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how the Soviet Bolsheviks exiled whole peoples due to their ethnicity and nothing else. Soviet Bolsheviks had exiled Finnish, Koreans, and Germans living in Russia. The Germans living in Russia were exiled because they were German and not because of another reason (for example, sedition). We learn that prior to the Koreans, Finnish, and Germans, Czechoslovakians, Ukrainians, Polish, and Byelorussian ethnicities were also exiled or sent to gulag. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how Soviet Bolsheviks did not want specific races and ethnicities living in Russia and sent them to other nations of the Soviet Union. There is the questioning of how does socialism provide equality when whole ethnicities and races were being exiled due to their race? This is an important point since socialism falsely advocates for “equality” between races, when it actually tries to divide based on races and ethnicity seen in nazi socialists and Soviet Bolshevik socialists. This is interesting noting how Soviet Bolsheviks stated one thing while actually being racist and unequal by exiling individuals based on race and ethnicity. We know that true equality and equity exists in Christianity while socialism advocates for the “appearance” of “equality” while actually hating individuals based on race and ethnicity also. Chinese Russians living in Shanghai were invited to live in Soviet Russia only to be placed in gulag.

“The Shangai Russians expressed their delight. They were told that they could take with them as many possessions as they wanted and whatever they wanted. They went home with automobiles- the country could put them to good use. They were told that they could settle wherever they wanted to in the Soviet Union, and, of course, work at any profession or trade. They were transported from Shanghai in steamships. The fate of the passengers varied. On some of the ships, for some reason, they were given no food at all. They also suffered various fates after reaching the port of Nakhodka. Almost all of them were loaded into freight trains, like prisoners, except that they had, as yet, no strict convoy, and there were no police dogs. Some of them were actually delivered to inhabited places, to cities, and allowed to live there for two or three years. Others were delivered in trainloads straight to their camps and were dumped out somewhere off a high enbankment into the forest beyond the Volga, together with their white pianos and their jardiniers. In 1948–1949, the former Far Eastern émigrés who had until then managed to stay out of camps were scrapped up to the last man.”- (page 112)

There is the false belief that the Bolshevik socialists were not racist because they fought against Hitler and the nazi socialists, yet this was because Hitler attacked Stalin first in the Russian winter. Stalin and the Soviet Union fought against Hitler and the nazi socialists since the nazi socialists attempted to take Moscow. I am not saying that all Russians are racist, and instead saying that Soviet Bolsheviks (socialists) of any ethnicity are actually racist. This is because of the false ideology of socialism and not based on race and ethnicity. We learn that Soviet Bolshevik socialists not only hated different races and ethnicities, but also hated their Russian brethren. Soviet socialists hated and persecuted their own Russian bretheren described in the stories of Solzhenitsyn, Chulpanyev, Kozyrev, and Vera. In the Gulag Archipelago, we read about Russian individuals who were righteous and practiced genuine empathy. There were righteous individuals who were Christian in Russia and did not become corrupted due to socialism, temptation, or persecution. There were also Soviet socialists who were hateful, resentful, and envious. This describes that it is not a question of ethnicity, but instead describes that it is a question of principles, integrity, and values. We need to renounce and remove false conflictive ideologies like socialism and communism that only foment envy, anger, bitterness, and coveting. We can fight against false ideologies by prioritizing Scripture, obedience to the commandments of Moses, and removing false ideologies from our lives described in socialism and communism. 

Other Writings By Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

“And among the surviving, the Communists now write me lofty protests: How base are the thoughts and feelings of the heroes of your story One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich! Where are their anguished cogitations about the course of history? Everything is about bread rations and gruel…”- (page 226)

A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is fiction yet describes the life of a gulag individual. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how the socialists criticized the publication of A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich because he wrote about the manner that in gulag the portions of food were minimal, non-nutritious, and inadequate for the amount of work that they did. The socialists were offended and non-constructively criticized the manner that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn would describe the truth about the lack of necessary food for gulag individuals. We learn that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn questioned how the socialists could have known about the lives of gulag individuals when they were not in gulag and attempted to prevent the truth from being known. The socialists did not want individuals knowing about the truth and of course were the first to criticize Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's writings. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how there was no literature in the Soviet Union during the 1920s-1950s because it was all propaganda and lies. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that for literature to be literature it would need to include truth.

The efforts and publications of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn allowed us to see the truth about socialism and communism. We are able to be grateful that there were and are individuals that speak truth concerning how socialism is not a viable form of governance anywhere. We learn that while Soviet Bolsheviks virtue signalled that individuals should not speak about the grievances of the past, there is the need to speak truth about the manner that socialism does not help anyone. Soviet Bolsheviks attempted to prevent the truth from being spoken saying that it was unpatriotic or negative to speak the incongruencies of socialism when in reality there is the need to be aware of why socialism is not good. This does not mean that Russia did not have literature, but that the socialists attempted to prevent literature from being produced seen in the example of the individual that was sent to gulag for favoring a Russian writer over a Bolshevik writer. We learn that Russia has had great writers from Dostoevsky to Solzhenitsyn, yet the Bolshevik writers only wrote propaganda and lies. Solzhenitsyn was able to detail this and help us know the reality of socialism compared to the temporary lies that state that socialism is utopia. We learn that utopias lead to utilitarianism and everyone is benefited. Socialism leads to barren dystopias where nothing improves, individuals are stagnated, and innovation and industriousness are envied instead of appreciated.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Described How Individuals That Persevered Through Adversity With Zealous Faith in GOD Almighty Persevered to Freedom

"Where were the exiled nations sent? Kazakhstan was much favored- and there, together with the ordinary exiles, they formed more than half the republic's population, so that it could aptly be called Ka-zek-stan. But Central Asia, Siberia (where very many Kalmyks perished along the Yenisei), the Northern Urals, and the Northern European areas of the U.S.S.R. all received their fair share.” -(page 438)

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that despite the adversities, obstacles, and persecution in gulag, there were individuals that never gave in to temptation to be an informant, brigadier, or trusty (individuals who obtained easy jobs by practicing sin, lies, deceit, and envy). There were individuals who chose to persevere with righteousness and zeal instead of practicing envy and wickedness. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that there were individuals that made it to freedom after having completed their sentence in gulag. After gulag, individuals were taken to exile in another country (Kazakhstan, for example) in order to prevent them from speaking truth in Soviet Russia. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that despite having endured difficult circumstances, individuals were able to persevere to freedom with zealous faith.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that their faith allowed them to persevere despite the adversities of decreased portions with non-nutritious food in gulag, hard labor in camps with arctic weather and no tools, and being envied by informants and Soviet socialists. Despite all of that, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that individuals were able to survive and prosper seen in the stories of Kozyrev, Grigory, Vera Korneyeva, and Dusya Chmill without giving in to sin and idolatry. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how righteous individuals who survived gulag were able to keep persevering acknowledging that their zealous confidence in GOD Almighty allowed them to persevere through everything. There were individuals that described that they preferred to be far apart from communists and informants because they learned that the worship of GOD Almighty and harmony was even better.

Christianity Helps Individuals Improve While Socialism Attempts to Cause Difficulties

We are able to understand how Christianity is able to help individuals persevere despite opposition. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described in great detail how righteous Christians did not falter and were not discouraged by socialism. We learned that Christians became steadfast in their zeal and were able to persist either to martyrdom, or release from gulag. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how he was released to another nation being exiled after spending years in gulag. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn lived in Kazakhstan after release from gulag for a few years and then lived in Vermont in the United States. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was surprised that he outlived Stalin while being in exile being that Stalin did not survive to the 1960s.

We learn that in the United States, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was able to publish his writings, gain renown for speaking and writing truth about socialism, and even live to better health due to having adequate food and nutrition. We learn that there are pictures of Solzhenitsyn in gulag where he is slim and gaunt from the inadequate nutrition and minimal portions of gulag servings. In the pictures taken in the United States, Solzhenitsyn looked healthier than the previous pictures in the Soviet Union gulag. We learn that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was able to go back to Russia in later decades. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was able to persevere with faith and wrote multiple books on truth and socialism.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Described the Stinginess and Avarice of Socialism in the Soviet Union

“And what happened when they laid their hands on ‘American gifts' (collected by people in the United States for the Soviet people)? According to T. Sgovio's description, in 1943 in Ust-Nera the chief of the Camp Colonel Nagorny, the head of the political section Goloulin, the chief of the Indigir administrative section Bykov, and the chief of the geological section Rakovsky, together with their wives, personally opened the boxes containing the gifts, picking what they wanted and fighting over the spoils. What they did not take for themselves they distributed as premiums to the camp employees. As late as 1948 the chiefs' orderlies were selling on the black market what remained of the gifts from the United States.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described in the Gulag Archipelago how the United States had sent parcel boxes with necessary basic necessities, clothing, and needed items to individuals living in the Soviet Union during the times of the Second World War. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how the Soviet Bolsheviks in the 1940s would keep the parcel boxes and take the most important valuables. The Bolshevik socialist bureaucrats would steal from the Soviet Union's citizens' possessions, send them to gulag, and still fight over free parcel boxes that the United States gave out of genuine empathy. The Bolshevik socialists would keep the parcel boxes and did not distribute them equally among the citizens of the Soviet Union. Instead, the Bolshevik bureaucrats would take out of the boxes the most precious items and keep them for themselves. This is after stealing from its own citizens after using false accusations and sending innocent individuals to gulag seen in other stories. Whatever remained from the parcel boxes that the Soviet bureaucrats did not want was given to the sycophant employees of the bureaucrats. Whatever was left over from the parcel was sold on the black market. This describes the stinginess and avarice of the Soviet Bolsheviks who neither helped others nor removed themselves from being hindrances. The Soviet Bolsheviks neither were helpful like their supposed theories of “working to help the proletariats” stated, nor did they remove themselves from being hindrances to individuals. This is the truth of socialism. There is a popular saying in Spanish about socialism concerning baseball about how “socialists neither catch, pitch, nor let others bat”. This is essentially a manner to remember the truth of socialism and communism.

In 1948, the United States offered parcel boxes to West Berlin when the Soviet Union was blockading West Berlin. The United States used cargo airplanes to send needed parcel boxes to West Berlin when the socialist East Berliners attempted to blockade West Berlin on the ground from receiving necessary help from other nations. West Berlin was able to receive help in the form of food, clothing, and necessities from the United States through continuous cargo airplane routes that allowed West Berliners to persist amidst envy and coveting from East Berlin Soviet Bolsheviks. The cargo airplanes dropped needed food and clothing every few minutes in parcel boxes. The United States was able to help West Berliners who were staunch capitalists and were fighting against socialism. This describes how since the end of the Second World War and start of the Cold War into the 1960s, the United States was fighting against socialism and communism and helping capitalist nations with needed necessities such as clothing and food. We learn that the United States in the 1940s fought for freedom and goodness against tyranny from the nazi socialists and then again against Soviet Bolshevism in the 1960s. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how in the Soviet Union speaking good about the United States was enough to lead individuals to gulag. This is quite interesting since the United States was Christian and capitalistic in that time period and seeing how there was genuine empathy and help. While the Soviet Bolsheviks were stingy and covetous fighting over free parcel boxes from the Unites States and sending people to gulag for speaking good of the United States, the United States was quite impressive in the times of Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagen being able to fight against evil and help the needy. 

 The Difficulties of Venezuela Due to Socialism

We learn from history about how socialism has not helped socialist nations. This is not a criticism of ethnicity and instead is a constructive criticism concerning how socialism does not help anyone. Idolatry does not help anyone described in Scripture. We learn that in Venezuela there have been severe difficulties because of socialism since the 2000s when socialism was instituted after a violent uprising by Hugo Chavez. Hugo Chavez was not elected by the people, and we learn that socialism also did not help Hugo Chavez being that he died of illness. We learn that socialism has caused difficulties in Venezuela over years seeing how individuals have fled from Venezuela to other nations. We learn that large numbers of individuals have fled to surrounding nations because of socialism and the instability of the bolivar currency. We learn that individuals needed to transport their money in wheelbarrows in order to buy minimum essentials. Meaning that the amount of bolivars did not amount to much since the currency was devaluating with time. A wheelbarrow was needed to transport the amount of bolivars needed to buy basic necessities describing how socialism does not help anyone. Even a small transaction of buying bread, butter, and food required a wheelbarrow.

We learn that private enterprises that were still industrious and producing necessities were confiscated by the state. With time since the 2000s, we have heard of stories of private businesses being confiscated by Venezuela. In Venezuela, private businesses were confiscated without motive other than envy and slothfulness. This is very similar to the description of Soviet Bolsheviks in the Soviet Union who confiscated businesses with the intention to avoid competition out of envy of industriousness and discipline and reward slothfulness in socialist adherents. This was not only seen in Soviet Russia since there are stories of this in Venezuela also. This is consistent with the truth that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn stated about how socialism attempts to instill vices and prevent innovation and industry. We do not have to go into further detail about how Venezuela had substantial reserves of petroleum and even with adequate resources, socialism in just two decades in Venezuela has led to stagflation, devaluated currency, and mass migration to other nations. This describes how communism does not help anyone. We heard about the crypto petrol backed currency in the 2010s that was looking to restart the economy of Venezuela, yet it was probably based on temporary lies. Most likely, the petrol crypto currency was not real, was based on lies, and may have been something that was done to “appear” to resolve the issues (stagflation, slothfulness, and stagnation) that socialism tends to cause. We know that the petroleum reserves of Venezuela have significantly decreased in the two decades that socialism has been instituted in Venezuela. This is quite interesting because Venezuela did have a vast amount of petroleum resources prior to socialism being one of the wealthiest South American nations. Within just two decades of the institution of socialism, the oil reserves have decreased substantially and led to Venezuela having significant economic difficulties.

Difficulties of Socialism Seen in North Korea

We have seen the difficulties that socialism has caused in different nations including Venezuela and Cuba. We can understand that socialism does not help individuals and instead causes difficulties due to the practice of sin and vices. There are specific difficulties that North Korea has had including the manner that there is no light at night. We have seen how there have been pictures taken of North Korea at night (satellite pictures) that show that there is light in the surrounding nations, but not so in North Korea. There are multiple stories of North Korean soldiers that had fled North Korea for South Korea. Even with barbed wire fencing and the risk of getting shot, there are North Korean soldiers that escaped to South Korea. The North Korean soldiers decided to renounce socialism and live in South Korea.

We learn that the difficulties seen in socialism in different nations is consistent with what socialism attempts to cause. We learn that instead of helping individuals improve and grow in virtues and goodness, socialism attempts to cause envy. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's, Gulag Archipelago, describes how socialism does not look to help individuals and instead attempts to cause difficulties. We have seen this in Venezuela in the past two decades in the manner that Venezuela went from being one of the wealthiest of the South American nations from having substantial oil reserves to being impoverished due to the misuse of natural resources. Cuba also had significant difficulties since the 1960s due to the removal of capitalism and economic freedom. We learn to persevere acknowledging that socialism does not look to help individuals, cities, and nations.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Described the Truth of Socialism

“True, Vladimir Ulyanov (Lenin) was expelled from university in the same year. But this was for organizing a student demonstration against the government. The younger brother of a would be regicide inciting students to insubordination. What would he have got for that in our day? He would certainly would have been shot! Whereas he was merely expelled. Such cruelty! Yes, but he was also banished…To Sakhalin? No, to the family estate of Kokushkino, where he intended to spend the summer anyway. He wanted to work so they gave him an opportunity...To fell trees in the frozen north? No, to practice law in Samara, where he was simultaneously active in political circles. After this he was allowed to take his examinations at St. Petersburg University as an external student. Then years later this same young revolutionary was arrested for founding in the capital a “League of Struggle for the Liberation of the Working Class”- no less! He had repeatedly made seditious speeches to workers, had written political leaflets. Was he tortured, starved? No, they created for him conditions conducive to intellectual work. In the Peterburg investigation prison, where he was held for a year, and where he was allowed to receive dozen of books he needed, he wrote the greater part of the Development of Capitalism in Russia, and, moreover, forwarded-legally, through the Prosecutors office his economic essays to the  marxist journal Novoye Slovo. While in prison, he followed a prescribed diet, could have dinners sent at his own expense, buy milk, buy mineral water from a chemist's shop, and receive parcels from home three times a week. (Trotsky, too, was able to put the first draft of his theory... [in prison without food difficulties and allowed to receive books.] But then, of course, he was condemned by a three-man tribunal and shot? No, he wasn't even jailed, only banished. To Yakutya, then, for life? No, to a land of plenty, Minusinsk, and for three years. He was taken there in handcuffs? In prison train? Not at all! He traveled like a free man, went around Petersburg for three days without interference, then did the same in Moscow- he had to leave instructions for clandestine correspondence, establish connections, hold a conference of revolutionaries still at large. He was then allowed to go into exile at his own expense- that is, to travel with free passengers. Lenin never sampled a single convict train or a single transit prison on his way out of Siberia or, of course, on the return journey. Then, in Krasnoyarsk, two more months' work in the library saw The Development of Capitalism finished, and this book, written by a political exile, appeared in print without obstruction from the censorship. (Measure that by our yardstick!) But what would he live on in that remote village, where he would obviously find no work? He asked for an allowance from the state, and they paid him more than he needed. It would have been impossible to create better conditions than Lenin enjoyed in his one and only period of banishment. A healthy diet, at extremely low prices, plenty of meat, milk, vegetables; he could hunt to his heart's content (when he was dissatisfied with his dog, friends seriously considered sending him one from Petersburg; when mosquitoes bit him while he was out hunting, he ordered kids gloves)… He had no obligations, no work to do, no duties, nor did his womenfolk exert themselves; for two and a half rubles a month, a fifteen year old peasant girl did all the rough work around the house. Lenin had no need to write for money, turned down offers of paid work from Petersburg, and wrote things that could only bring him literary fame.”- (page 350)-(page 349-350)

We can have gratitude to GOD Almighty for allowing us to understand the truth about socialism and communism from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was able to survive gulag and write extensively about the stories that he heard from others in the Soviet Union. The Gulag Archipelago describes the reality of socialism instead of the superficial temporary lies that attempted to lead to disobedience to the commandments of Moses. We can understand why socialists and communists want individuals to start off as atheists and nihilists so that they are led to socialism and communism. We learn that in the Soviet Union, individuals went through difficulties for speaking truth, being brave, practicing righteousness, and being industrious. Even amidst envy from socialists, righteous individuals persevered in their faith. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how the zealous fervor and steadfast devotion to GOD Almighty from righteous Christians caused him to repent of idolatry.

Solzhenitsyn would also further elaborate about Lenin and the incongruencies between Lenin's life. Lenin was being maintained on a pension without working by the Tsars in Russia while writing for the overthrow of the Russian Tsars. Lenin did not work and also had individuals that took care of cleaning and cooking. Lenin meanwhile was writing about how capitalism was evil (projecting deficits) and advocating for rebellion. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn exposed the truth about socialism and decided to convert to Christianity having lived the madness of socialism in gulag. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how socialists such as Thomas Moore, Marx, Engels, and Lenin advocated for a utopia where they did not have to work. Yet, while speaking lies about how socialism is “tolerant”, “helpful”, “just” and “good” for everyone, socialists were attempting to create concentration camps that would remove freedom from anyone who opposed socialism. We can be thankful for learning truth and being far apart from false ideologies that want to lead to disobedience of the commandments of Moses and the worship of GOD Almighty.