U.S.S.R. from the eyes of a Writer
H.G. Wells who traveled to Soviet Union in September- October 1920, wrote his thoughts on his book “Russia in the Shadows”.
H.G Wells is a prolific science fiction writer who is known for works “Invisible Man”, “Time Machine” etc. He has also an unknown book which is named “Russia in the Shadows”. He has talked about Soviet Russia and thoughts about socialism’s effects.
He clearly states that in 1920, he cannot find any medical and textile supplies. People was clearly underfed. Laces and other textile resources cannot be found in Soviet Russia. The only supplies that can be found are cigarettes, matches, and tea.
Surprising thing is that H.G. Wells does not blame communism for the problems. He does not blame capitalism also. He blames European Imperialism for this bad situation.
It was not communism which built up these great, impossible cities, but capitalism. It was not communism that plunged this huge, creaking, bankrupt empire into six years of exhausting war. It was European imperialism.
He states Russia’s love of theatre. They did not raid or loot the theatres, or operas. The operas kept going in the darkest time. This shows the Russian people’s enthusiasm for the theatre. Also, it seems that the scientists of Soviet Russia breathe science rather than Oxygen. All they want from Wells is the publication or scientific breakthrough. Wells also contacted Glazounov, a musician that consumed all of the music papers. He wanted to write music and present them in livid, breathable rooms but Soviet Russia do not have that in the 1920s. This shows the passion people had in bad times. They want to create; they want to publish something even in the darkest times. Passion matters. Maybe passion will be the tool that save us.
In the first sentence of their book “Communist Manifesto,” [2] Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels state that the “History of all society is the history of class war.” Wells, by referencing this line, states that they (Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels) induce all history into class war. Marx had no knowledge of the collective mind and mental life. Marx states that everything sacred, everything that is material will be trodden. In the paragraph above, I talked about the passion of scientists and musicians, etc. People’s passion and hope stay no matter if it can sound cliché. We forgot that we are not rational. Humans do not act with their thoughts all the time. We are driven by our emotions most of the time. Marx forgets that. Wells trying to remind Russian people about hope and passion.
References
[1] H. Wells, Russia in the Shadows, Istanbul: Karbon Kitaplar, 2020.
[2] K. Marx and F. Engels, Communist Manifesto, Istanbul: Can Yayınları, 2020.
