My Favorite Solzhenitsyn Quote, With a Dash of Bezmenov

Over the years, it’s become increasingly difficult for me to find this complete quote online. I can find pieces of it, but not the whole thing. So I decided to immortalize it right here on Steemit, even if only so that its easy for me to find in future to copy. This is particularly relevant in my country at the moment, but also may help to explain why the left globally, seem to often be the biggest hypocrites in the universe.  

“Communism has never concealed the fact that it rejects all absolute concepts of morality. It scoffs at any consideration of “good” and “evil” as indisputable categories. Communism considers morality to be relative, to be a class matter. Depending upon circumstances and the political situation, any act, including murder, even the killing of hundreds of thousands, could be good or could be bad. It all depends upon class ideology. And who defines this ideology? The whole class can not get together to pass judgement. A handful of people determine what is good and what is bad.  

But I must say that in this very respect communism has been most successful. IT HAS INFECTED THE WHOLE WORLD WITH THE BELIEF IN THE RELATIVITY OF GOOD AND EVIL. Today, many people apart from the communists are carried away by this idea. Among progressive people, it is considered rather awkward to use seriously such words as “good” and “evil”. Communism has managed to persuade all of us that these concepts are old fashioned and laughable. But if we are deprived of the concepts of good and evil, what will be left? Nothing but the manipulation of one another. We will sink to the status of animals.  

Both the theory and the practice of Communism is completely inhuman for that reason. There is a word very commonly used these days: "anti-communism." It's a very stupid word, badly put together. It makes it appear as though Communism is something original, something basic, something fundamental. Therefore, it is taken as the point of departure, and anti-communism is defined in relation to Communism. Here is why I say that this word was poorly selected, that it was put together by people who do not understand etymology: the primary, the eternal concept is humanity. And communism is anti-humanity. Whoever says "anti-communism" is saying, in effect, anti-anti-humanity. A poor construction. So we should say: that which is against communism is for humanity. Not to accept, to reject this inhuman Communist ideology is simply to be a human being. Such a rejection is more than a political act. It is the protest of our souls against those who would have is forget the concepts of good and evil.”  
 

• Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, speech in Washington DC, 30 June 1975; Solzhenitsyn, The Voice of Freedom

For those taking an interest in this sort of thing, also have a look at this movie, by former KGB defector, Yuri Bezmenov, from 1983.

Hope you enjoy.