Nestor wrote: >Had the war been waged as a war for >the extension of socialism, >officers on the field, and every soldier >to the last, would have had strict >political orders to repress rapists >on the spot. Shootings included, if >necessary. It is politics that leads >war, not the other way round. > Nestor is absolutely right that the Red Army and the Soviet government bear the responsibility for the criminal acts committed by their soldiers in the field. We must also bear in mind though that while politics always aspires to lead war, it is not always the case. The Red soldiers, sailors and workers that stormed the Winter Palace were definitely fighting for socialism. It is also true that when the comrades discovered the vast wine cellars a good many of them were drunk off their butt for about two days before order and discipline were restored.
It is evident to me that the order and discipline of the Soviet Army regarding looting and rape dissolved when they hit German territory. I believe the top leadership on the spot, political and military lost control and the atrocities ensued. It was an unbelievably savage zone of conflict at the end of an unbelievably savage campaign. In 1945 Soviet soldiers captured by the Germans were beaten to death on the spot with the small shovels (entrenching tool) carried by infantrymen. Once again, the tenet of the totalitarian school believes that the evil dictatorship has such overwhelming social control that everything done must be according to an official directive. The top Soviet priority in the spring of 1945 was to finish off the Nazis as quickly as possible and everythng else became secondary. This was tragic for German civilians and a political disaster when the Soviets had to then construct an regime in East Germany founded on the premise of eternal friensdship between the German and Soviet peoples. The security services on the ground knew this which is why they were sending those anguished reports. Does this imply that mass rape was an organized goal of Stavka and the Politburo? Mark has so contended and the evidence does not support him. Could it just be that there were many other instances in Soviet history when the party and the government were responding to events as they imperfectly understood them and, in essence, lost control of situations they were essentially reacting to? Was everything in the Stalin era a cynical ploy by people without commitment to anything other than their own murderous hold on power? This is an open historical question and one which is at the heart of Mark's vehemence toward other comrades on this list. ________________________________________________ YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
