lifeisnotmathing

this is just a basic briefing on the cuban blockade + some ways to help!!

At the time of Stalin's death, yes there were many who hated him or had trauma associated with his leadership, but he was also widely understood as a national hero throughout the Soviet Union. That's why there were mass protests against de-Stalinisation, such as in Georgia where the protests caused massive unrest and anti-Soviet sentiment

In attributing all crimes to Stalin as an individual, in denouncing Stalin in his entirety, Khrushchev and his government were essentially forcing the Soviet people to abandon pride in all that they had achieved throughout Stalin's leadership. Writings about the experiences of the Soviet people in the 20s and 30s, with the exception of the Great Purge years, have demonstrated such an astronomical degree of hope and passion for socialist development

They defeated the Nazis under Stalin's leadership. They modernised their country, turning it from a feudal empire to a world superpower with powerful industry and welfare services hitherto inconceivable

To then suddenly denounce that entire period of leadership is to destabilise the people's connection to those achievements and create widespread disillusionment in communism. It's also just reductive, feeding great man theory which is anti-Marxist anyway

Soviet leadership should have done what China did, and assessed Stalin's leadership more fairly. They should have admitted to the mistakes and abuses of power yes, but not abandon Stalin's legacy completely, and they should have analysed it within context in order to understand how better to improve

Further, the work is critical of attributing these critiques to Stalin alone. That is Great Man theory, not materialism.

🎀 Che Guevara had developed asthma, as it ran on his mother’s side, and developed it while catching a cold after swimming. Due to his asthma him and his family lived in Alta Gracia-a northern part of Argentina, as it had a dry climate, and many individuals with asthma lived there for that particular reason.

🎀 Che was a very active track and field and rugby athlete. His rugby team, Estudiantes, which Alberto Granado coached. Grando would become an important friend of his as he joined Che during his motorcycle diaries and shared interests in books and medicine!

🎀 Che was in love with his cousin… Carmen Cordova Iturburu de la Serna as they shared an interest in poetry!

Quote: “She often stayed in the Guevaras’ home, where she recalled romantic interludes with Ernesto on the stairwell, talking ‘of literature… and of love because, as often happens between cousins, we too had our idyll. Ernesto was so handsome!’ “ 

🎀 When Che was about 13-14, he and his friends accidentally saw N@z!'s doing secret operations at a hotel.

Quote: “Through an open window, said Bidlinosd, they caught a glimpse of a couple men busy at ‘a long table with lots of metal boxes and things’ But before they could see more, their presence was detected. ‘They heard us, someone came out with lanterns, and fired two shots at us. We left and never returned.’

Source: Che by Jon Lee Anderson