Book Review: Russia and the Russians, Soviet Land: The Country, its People and Their Work

Date01 March 1949
DOI10.1177/002070204900400114
Published date01 March 1949
Subject MatterBook Review
International
Journal
thing the
Chinese
peasant
wants
most
and
which the
Communists
pro-
mise him,
is
exactly
the
antithesis
of
what
Communism
is
supposed
to
stand
for, namely
to
be
the
private,
free
owner
of
a
little
plot
of
land.
If
the average
American
were asked
to
live
under
the
feudal
conditions
of
pre-war
Europe
or Asia,
he
would
soon
out-bolshevik
the
Bolsheviks.
The
terms
Democracy, Socialism,
and
even
Capitalism
have
different meanings
in
peasant
Europe
and
Asia
from
those
com-
monly
held
in
America. And
visible
land
property
appeals
more
to
the
common
peasant
than
a
theoretical,
ideological
shareholdership
does
to
the
employed
labourer
in
a
state-owned
industry.
This
book
is
not
a
profound
philosophical
dissertation
on
doctrines.
It
is
simple,
frank,
and
crystal
clear
like
a
speech
by
the
late President
Roosevelt;
and
through
its simplicity
it
strikes
at
the
root
of
the
matter.
To
"contain"
Russia,
we
must
be
more progressive
than
the
Russians
are
in
regard
to
land reform
and
social
transformation throughout
Europe
and
Asia.
That
is
the
only
effective
weapon
we
can
trust.
The
truth
of
this
statement
is
so
self-evident
to
any informed
European
emigrant
today
that
it
hardly
needs
discussion
for
him.
But
events
have
shown
that,
on
this
side
of
the
ocean,
it
still
does
need
discussion.
It
is
to
be
hoped
that
books
of
this
realistic,
forthright
nature
may
be
read
and
understood
in
quarters
responsible
for
directing
American
and
Canadian foreign
policies.
Toronto,
June
1948.
Ernest
Walter
Oppenheim
RUSSIA
AND
THE
RUSSIANS. By
Edward
Crankshaw.
1947.
(Lon-
don,
Toronto: Macmillan
Co.
256pp.
$2.50,
members
$2.00.)
SOVIET LAND:
THE COUNTRY,
ITS PEOPLE
AND
THEIR
WORK.
By
G.
D. B.
Gray.
1947.
(London:
Adam and
Charles
Black.
Toronto: Macmillan
Co.
of
Canada.
viii,
324pp.
$3.50,
members
$2.80.)
In
his
Russia and
the
Russians
Mr.
Crankshaiw
views
British
relations
with
the
Russian
people
as
an
insensate
cycle
of
friendship
followed
by
enmity,
and
he
substantiates
this
by
references
to
well-known
historic
moments
which
certainly
do
lend
credence
to
his
statement.
He
sees
the
present
impasse
with
the
U.S.S.R. as
one
of
the
phases
of
enmity
and
no
doubt
rightly
considers
that
at
this
time the
fate
of
our
civilization
and
perhaps
the
very
continuance
of
civilized
man's
existence
depend
upon
a
sane
solution
of
our
differences. The
author then
poses
the
fearful
dilemma
confronting
the
Western
world.
He
states
that
America
and
her
associates
must
either
conquer
the
U.S.S.R.
or
love
her,
suggesting
that
if
we
are
to
abandon
the
idea
of
loving,
then
we
should
without
delay
set
about
the
task
of
conquering
her.
Two
thou-
sand
years
of
Western
civilization
have
taught
us
to
seek
the Christian
philosophy
of
love
and
accordingly
we
should
pay
attention
to
the
problem
of
loving
the
Russians.
Mr.
Crankshaw
does
not
offer
any
very helpful
guidance
for
such
an
undoubtedly
desirable
course.
He
78

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