I am Ludwik Kowalski, a retired nuclear physicist from New Jersey, USA. A am also the author of a book entitled “Diary of a Former Communist: Thoughts, Feelings, Reality." (see Wikipedia)
It is a testimony based on a diary kept between 1946 and 2004 (in the USSR, Poland, France and the USA). Why is this ON-LINE book free? Because writing it was a moral obligation to my parents, and to other victims of Stalinism. The more people know about proletarian dictatorship the less likely will we experience is. Please share the link with those who might be interested, especially with young people, and with potential reviewers. Thank you.
Introducing myself
Introducing myself
I'm by no means convinced that Stalinism was an overall negative force, though I'd agree it would have made a shocking environment to live in. I'd note that it wasn't just shocking at the time but also hugely inspiring, and the sole reason German Imperial ambitions toward the East failed.
You can't have people of the moral stature of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn without the Gulag. You'll remember he was scathing about Western decadence, the moral deadness engendered by a life spent consuming television adverts.
You can't have people of the moral stature of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn without the Gulag. You'll remember he was scathing about Western decadence, the moral deadness engendered by a life spent consuming television adverts.
Nullius in verba ... ☎||||||||||| ... To Fate I sue, of other means bereft, the only refuge for the wretched left.
When flower power came along I stood for Human Rights, marched around for peace and freedom, had some nooky every night - we took it serious.
Who has a spare two minutes to play in this month's FG Trivia game! ... My other OS is Slackware.
When flower power came along I stood for Human Rights, marched around for peace and freedom, had some nooky every night - we took it serious.
Who has a spare two minutes to play in this month's FG Trivia game! ... My other OS is Slackware.
Introducing myself
Welcome Ludwik-----
Introducing myself
Well, yes. That too.
Nullius in verba ... ☎||||||||||| ... To Fate I sue, of other means bereft, the only refuge for the wretched left.
When flower power came along I stood for Human Rights, marched around for peace and freedom, had some nooky every night - we took it serious.
Who has a spare two minutes to play in this month's FG Trivia game! ... My other OS is Slackware.
When flower power came along I stood for Human Rights, marched around for peace and freedom, had some nooky every night - we took it serious.
Who has a spare two minutes to play in this month's FG Trivia game! ... My other OS is Slackware.
Introducing myself
spot;1363585 wrote: I'm by no means convinced that Stalinism was an overall negative force, though I'd agree it would have made a shocking environment to live in. I'd note that it wasn't just shocking at the time but also hugely inspiring, and the sole reason German Imperial ambitions toward the East failed.
You can't have people of the moral stature of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn without the Gulag. You'll remember he was scathing about Western decadence, the moral deadness engendered by a life spent consuming television adverts.
Soviets won the war in spite of Stalin. The war would be less costly if most of the Red Army top commanders were not executed in 1937-1938, and if numerous warning of invasion were not ignored.
Your observation about Solzhenitsyn are interesting. And yes, I do remember what he wrote about Western decadence.
Ludwik Kowlski (see Wikipedia)
You can't have people of the moral stature of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn without the Gulag. You'll remember he was scathing about Western decadence, the moral deadness engendered by a life spent consuming television adverts.
Soviets won the war in spite of Stalin. The war would be less costly if most of the Red Army top commanders were not executed in 1937-1938, and if numerous warning of invasion were not ignored.
Your observation about Solzhenitsyn are interesting. And yes, I do remember what he wrote about Western decadence.
Ludwik Kowlski (see Wikipedia)
Introducing myself
kowalskil;1363589 wrote: Soviets won the war in spite of Stalin. I don't think the Soviets would have been equipped to win the war without Stalin. The industrialization of the early 1930s was an astonishing effort of sacrifice which, without Stalin or someone equivalently forceful, wouldn't have achieved so much so quickly. As a commander of armies Stalin may indeed have been inept and the loss of the pre-war military leadership may well have been damaging. As the single-handed electrifier of the Soviet Union by 1940 I don't think anyone else came close.
Who knows, in other circumstances without Stalin maybe someone equally ruthless (like Trotsky) could have provided the same urgency and impetus. What matters is that Fascism fell because the Soviet Union had finally become productive. From what I understand, there are still many Russians who revere his memory for just these reasons.
Who knows, in other circumstances without Stalin maybe someone equally ruthless (like Trotsky) could have provided the same urgency and impetus. What matters is that Fascism fell because the Soviet Union had finally become productive. From what I understand, there are still many Russians who revere his memory for just these reasons.
Nullius in verba ... ☎||||||||||| ... To Fate I sue, of other means bereft, the only refuge for the wretched left.
When flower power came along I stood for Human Rights, marched around for peace and freedom, had some nooky every night - we took it serious.
Who has a spare two minutes to play in this month's FG Trivia game! ... My other OS is Slackware.
When flower power came along I stood for Human Rights, marched around for peace and freedom, had some nooky every night - we took it serious.
Who has a spare two minutes to play in this month's FG Trivia game! ... My other OS is Slackware.
Introducing myself
1) Yes, it is tempting to speculate about consequences of not stopping NEP in 1928.
2) The attached file contains links to what I wrote about stalinism. You must click (or double-click) on the file name links.pdf, and wait a second before the content is displayed.
Ludwik Kowalski (see Wikipedia)
.
Attached files links.pdf (33.4 KB)
2) The attached file contains links to what I wrote about stalinism. You must click (or double-click) on the file name links.pdf, and wait a second before the content is displayed.
Ludwik Kowalski (see Wikipedia)
.
Attached files links.pdf (33.4 KB)
Introducing myself
We have a minimum post-count (of, if I remember right, 15 posts) before attachments are accepted due to the large number of unsolicited advertisements spammers attempt to place on the site. Your file, of course, does not fall into that category - we would be very pleased to both host and read it. If you would prefer to have it attached to your opening post please email the PDF files to me at beaconsfield@gmail.com and I'll add them from the administrator screen.
Nullius in verba ... ☎||||||||||| ... To Fate I sue, of other means bereft, the only refuge for the wretched left.
When flower power came along I stood for Human Rights, marched around for peace and freedom, had some nooky every night - we took it serious.
Who has a spare two minutes to play in this month's FG Trivia game! ... My other OS is Slackware.
When flower power came along I stood for Human Rights, marched around for peace and freedom, had some nooky every night - we took it serious.
Who has a spare two minutes to play in this month's FG Trivia game! ... My other OS is Slackware.
Introducing myself
Glad to see you here Ludwig. I'll take the time to look at your writings as I finally have a little time this week. Anyway I take great interest in things such as your book and others.
I've been to Russia many times, I've been to Poland many times, the Ukraine and Belarus and I have in many instances seen the results both good and bad of the Soviet Union. I have also noted in my travels the attitudes of the peoples of that part of the world. I do know that it is easier to hate than to try to understand or accept the views of others.
As for Stalin and what he did from my point of view he is really no different from any other leader when it comes to murdering people. I can point to Pres Andrew Jackson who in the 1830s gave us the Trail Of Tears. Let's take a look at what I think of as the worst atrocity in human history ever perpetrated by the western world. WW1. How are these examples really different from what Stalin did? What was WW1 fought for?
Really, if the west can point a finger at Stalin and accuse him of being a mass murderer, western intellectuals must be myopic and hopelessly biased to one side.
Gotta go.
I've been to Russia many times, I've been to Poland many times, the Ukraine and Belarus and I have in many instances seen the results both good and bad of the Soviet Union. I have also noted in my travels the attitudes of the peoples of that part of the world. I do know that it is easier to hate than to try to understand or accept the views of others.
As for Stalin and what he did from my point of view he is really no different from any other leader when it comes to murdering people. I can point to Pres Andrew Jackson who in the 1830s gave us the Trail Of Tears. Let's take a look at what I think of as the worst atrocity in human history ever perpetrated by the western world. WW1. How are these examples really different from what Stalin did? What was WW1 fought for?
Really, if the west can point a finger at Stalin and accuse him of being a mass murderer, western intellectuals must be myopic and hopelessly biased to one side.
Gotta go.
Introducing myself
Scrat;1363603 wrote: Glad to see you here Ludwig. I'll take the time to look at your writings as I finally have a little time this week. Anyway I take great interest in things such as your book and others.
I've been to Russia many times, I've been to Poland many times, the Ukraine and Belarus and I have in many instances seen the results both good and bad of the Soviet Union. I have also noted in my travels the attitudes of the peoples of that part of the world. I do know that it is easier to hate than to try to understand or accept the views of others.
As for Stalin and what he did from my point of view he is really no different from any other leader when it comes to murdering people. I can point to Pres Andrew Jackson who in the 1830s gave us the Trail Of Tears. Let's take a look at what I think of as the worst atrocity in human history ever perpetrated by the western world. WW1. How are these examples really different from what Stalin did? What was WW1 fought for?
Really, if the west can point a finger at Stalin and accuse him of being a mass murderer, western intellectuals must be myopic and hopelessly biased to one side.
Gotta go.
1) Yes, history is full of illustrations. But communists claimed to be much better; that is what the revolution was for.
2) I will be waiting for your input. The introduction forum is probably not appropriate for a debate on communism. Please start a new thread and I would be happy to contribute.
Ludwik Kowalski (see Wikipedia)
I've been to Russia many times, I've been to Poland many times, the Ukraine and Belarus and I have in many instances seen the results both good and bad of the Soviet Union. I have also noted in my travels the attitudes of the peoples of that part of the world. I do know that it is easier to hate than to try to understand or accept the views of others.
As for Stalin and what he did from my point of view he is really no different from any other leader when it comes to murdering people. I can point to Pres Andrew Jackson who in the 1830s gave us the Trail Of Tears. Let's take a look at what I think of as the worst atrocity in human history ever perpetrated by the western world. WW1. How are these examples really different from what Stalin did? What was WW1 fought for?
Really, if the west can point a finger at Stalin and accuse him of being a mass murderer, western intellectuals must be myopic and hopelessly biased to one side.
Gotta go.
1) Yes, history is full of illustrations. But communists claimed to be much better; that is what the revolution was for.
2) I will be waiting for your input. The introduction forum is probably not appropriate for a debate on communism. Please start a new thread and I would be happy to contribute.
Ludwik Kowalski (see Wikipedia)
Introducing myself
But communists claimed to be much better; that is what the revolution was for.
Capitalism claims to be much better than communism. How many lives has the laws of supply and demand cost us? How many apples have rotted in orchards as hungry people stared at the fruit through a fence designed to protect the owners crop? There was an instance of this happening in my state of Washington in the Great Depression. The farmer refused to harvest the apples because there was no profit in it. The apples rotted on the trees while people went hungry.
How many people died in Africa because it was more profitable to plant cotton instead of wheat or corn?
Moving this thread would be a good idea.
Capitalism claims to be much better than communism. How many lives has the laws of supply and demand cost us? How many apples have rotted in orchards as hungry people stared at the fruit through a fence designed to protect the owners crop? There was an instance of this happening in my state of Washington in the Great Depression. The farmer refused to harvest the apples because there was no profit in it. The apples rotted on the trees while people went hungry.
How many people died in Africa because it was more profitable to plant cotton instead of wheat or corn?
Moving this thread would be a good idea.
Introducing myself
Welcome. looks like you will really liven up the political debates.
Introducing myself
hey, how you doing 2months after your introduction? Hope you're having a fantastic time here. Cheers!
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fuzzywuzzy
- Posts: 6596
- Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2009 5:35 pm
Introducing myself
In a perfect world Communism would work, but even in a perfect world capitalism can't work because of the way it is set up.
In Australia during the seventies when everything came out about what Stalin did to his own people there was a huge backlash against the stalinist party and people generally moved toward marxism/lenninism or Maoism.
In Australia during the seventies when everything came out about what Stalin did to his own people there was a huge backlash against the stalinist party and people generally moved toward marxism/lenninism or Maoism.
Introducing myself
spot;1363588 wrote: Well, yes. That too.
Thank you.
Ludwik Kowalski (see Wikipedia)
Thank you.
Ludwik Kowalski (see Wikipedia)
Introducing myself
spot;1363588 wrote: Well, yes. That too.
Lon;1363587 wrote: Welcome Ludwik-----
spot;1363596 wrote: We have a minimum post-count (of, if I remember right, 15 posts) before attachments are accepted due to the large number of unsolicited advertisements spammers attempt to place on the site. Your file, of course, does not fall into that category - we would be very pleased to both host and read it. If you would prefer to have it attached to your opening post please email the PDF files to me at beaconsfield@gmail.com and I'll add them from the administrator screen.
That is OK. It should not take me too long to accumulate 15 posts. I have nothing very urgent to share.
Ludwik Kowalski (see Wikipedia)
.
Lon;1363587 wrote: Welcome Ludwik-----
spot;1363596 wrote: We have a minimum post-count (of, if I remember right, 15 posts) before attachments are accepted due to the large number of unsolicited advertisements spammers attempt to place on the site. Your file, of course, does not fall into that category - we would be very pleased to both host and read it. If you would prefer to have it attached to your opening post please email the PDF files to me at beaconsfield@gmail.com and I'll add them from the administrator screen.
That is OK. It should not take me too long to accumulate 15 posts. I have nothing very urgent to share.
Ludwik Kowalski (see Wikipedia)
.
Introducing myself
Ludwik, I have read your online autobiography and I was impressed - who could fail to be impressed - by many aspects of it. Your socialist ideals, your ability to work on both sides of the Iron Curtain, your transition to teaching and continued research in the USA. I'm not surprised a post-war Pole would be reluctant to trust Russian Soviet communism or that a Jew, practising or otherwise, would find relief in leaving Eastern Europe. I did wonder whether setting to one side those socialist ideals might have had something to do with fitting more comfortably into the tail-end of McCarthyism and the Nixon era.
I also read some of your open-minded discussion of cold fusion, a brave aspect of nuclear physics to even recognize for someone with a professional reputation to defend. I played with raw numbers on that and looked at the energy availability of light elements fusing toward Iron. Particularly Sodium Chloride, given the isotopic consistency both elements provide and the neat simplicity of the crystal structure. I wondered what resonance effect these catalyst metals might provide in overcoming the huge electrostatic forces; line things up and bang them back and forth with some precision and who knows how close they might end up. I did think, though, that any process which succeeded would destroy itself long before it powered an engine. There seems to be no exponential effect similar to that provided by neutrons from fission, merely a rapid poisoning of the catalyst structure whenever it's too effective.
Thank you again for registering here.
I also read some of your open-minded discussion of cold fusion, a brave aspect of nuclear physics to even recognize for someone with a professional reputation to defend. I played with raw numbers on that and looked at the energy availability of light elements fusing toward Iron. Particularly Sodium Chloride, given the isotopic consistency both elements provide and the neat simplicity of the crystal structure. I wondered what resonance effect these catalyst metals might provide in overcoming the huge electrostatic forces; line things up and bang them back and forth with some precision and who knows how close they might end up. I did think, though, that any process which succeeded would destroy itself long before it powered an engine. There seems to be no exponential effect similar to that provided by neutrons from fission, merely a rapid poisoning of the catalyst structure whenever it's too effective.
Thank you again for registering here.
Nullius in verba ... ☎||||||||||| ... To Fate I sue, of other means bereft, the only refuge for the wretched left.
When flower power came along I stood for Human Rights, marched around for peace and freedom, had some nooky every night - we took it serious.
Who has a spare two minutes to play in this month's FG Trivia game! ... My other OS is Slackware.
When flower power came along I stood for Human Rights, marched around for peace and freedom, had some nooky every night - we took it serious.
Who has a spare two minutes to play in this month's FG Trivia game! ... My other OS is Slackware.
Introducing myself
spot;1363588 wrote: Well, yes. That too.
Lon;1363587 wrote: Welcome Ludwik-----
spot;1369263 wrote: Ludwik, I have read your online autobiography and I was impressed by many aspects of it. Your socialist ideals, your ability to work on both sides of the Iron Curtain, your transition to teaching and continued research in the USA. I'm not surprised a post-war Pole would be reluctant to trust Russian Soviet communism or that a Jew, practising or otherwise, would find relief in leaving Eastern Europe. I did wonder whether setting to one side those socialist ideals might have had something to do with fitting more comfortably into the tail-end of McCarthyism and the Nixon era.
I also read some of your open-minded discussion of cold fusion, a brave aspect of nuclear physics to even recognize for someone with a professional reputation to defend. I played with raw numbers on that and looked at the energy availability of light elements fusing toward Iron. Particularly Sodium Chloride, given the isotopic consistency both elements provide and the neat simplicity of the crystal structure. I wondered what resonance effect these catalyst metals might provide in overcoming the huge electrostatic forces; line things up and bang them back and forth with some precision and who knows how close they might end up. I did think, though, that any process which succeeded would destroy itself long before it powered an engine. There seems to be no exponential effect similar to that provided by neutrons from fission, merely a rapid poisoning of the catalyst whenever it's too effective.
Thank you again for registering here.
1) I am glad that what I wrote is providing food for thoughts to others. That was the intention
2) The cold fusion episode is something unprecedented in science history. I refuse to speculate before at least one reproducible on demand demonstration (of nuclear process due to a chemical process) is offered. My attempts to confirm several claims were not successful. But I remain open-minded.
Ludwik Kowalski (see Wikipedia)
.
Lon;1363587 wrote: Welcome Ludwik-----
spot;1369263 wrote: Ludwik, I have read your online autobiography and I was impressed by many aspects of it. Your socialist ideals, your ability to work on both sides of the Iron Curtain, your transition to teaching and continued research in the USA. I'm not surprised a post-war Pole would be reluctant to trust Russian Soviet communism or that a Jew, practising or otherwise, would find relief in leaving Eastern Europe. I did wonder whether setting to one side those socialist ideals might have had something to do with fitting more comfortably into the tail-end of McCarthyism and the Nixon era.
I also read some of your open-minded discussion of cold fusion, a brave aspect of nuclear physics to even recognize for someone with a professional reputation to defend. I played with raw numbers on that and looked at the energy availability of light elements fusing toward Iron. Particularly Sodium Chloride, given the isotopic consistency both elements provide and the neat simplicity of the crystal structure. I wondered what resonance effect these catalyst metals might provide in overcoming the huge electrostatic forces; line things up and bang them back and forth with some precision and who knows how close they might end up. I did think, though, that any process which succeeded would destroy itself long before it powered an engine. There seems to be no exponential effect similar to that provided by neutrons from fission, merely a rapid poisoning of the catalyst whenever it's too effective.
Thank you again for registering here.
1) I am glad that what I wrote is providing food for thoughts to others. That was the intention
2) The cold fusion episode is something unprecedented in science history. I refuse to speculate before at least one reproducible on demand demonstration (of nuclear process due to a chemical process) is offered. My attempts to confirm several claims were not successful. But I remain open-minded.
Ludwik Kowalski (see Wikipedia)
.
Introducing myself
spot;1369263 wrote: Ludwik, I have read your online autobiography and I was impressed - who could fail to be impressed - by many aspects of it. ...
1) This is my post #16. Therefore I can now share the link to the FREE ONLINE autobiography that Spot read. Please share the link with all who might be interested. I hope that someone will review it, either here or somewhere else. Or send the review to me and I will post it at my university website. Thank you in advance.
Former Communist: Thoughts, Feelings, Reality Autobiography (diary)
2) You might also be interested in these two short memoirs:
http://csam.montclair.edu/~kowalski/ded ... _1941.html 1941 near Moscow (memoir)
siberia_lucile2 Victims of two totalitarianisms (fiction memoir)
Ludwik Kowalski (see Wikipedia)
.
1) This is my post #16. Therefore I can now share the link to the FREE ONLINE autobiography that Spot read. Please share the link with all who might be interested. I hope that someone will review it, either here or somewhere else. Or send the review to me and I will post it at my university website. Thank you in advance.
Former Communist: Thoughts, Feelings, Reality Autobiography (diary)
2) You might also be interested in these two short memoirs:
http://csam.montclair.edu/~kowalski/ded ... _1941.html 1941 near Moscow (memoir)
siberia_lucile2 Victims of two totalitarianisms (fiction memoir)
Ludwik Kowalski (see Wikipedia)
.
Introducing myself
Hello everyone. I am Matthew and new to this forum.
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Clodhopper
- Posts: 5115
- Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2008 5:11 pm
Introducing myself
Hello kowalskil. Will read your stuff with interest, but probably not until the Rugby World Cup is over. Welcome to the forum.
Hello too Matthew. Enjoy your stay.
Hello too Matthew. Enjoy your stay.
The crowd: "Yes! We are all individuals!"
Lone voice: "I'm not."
Lone voice: "I'm not."