EconTalk

Stephen Kotkin on Solzhenitsyn

Jan 14, 2019
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INSIGHT

Solzhenitsyn's Singular Moral Impact

  • Solzhenitsyn single-handedly exposed the moral rot of the Soviet system to a global audience.
  • His writings shifted debates by proving repression was systemic, not mere Stalinist excess.
INSIGHT

Gulag Archipelago Changed The Debate

  • The Gulag Archipelago reached mass readers and reframed the Soviet story beyond elite debates.
  • It showed camps predated Stalin, undermining the idea of a redeemable Soviet revolution.
ANECDOTE

From Soldier To Exile

  • Solzhenitsyn served in WWII, was arrested for criticizing Stalin, and survived the Gulag.
  • Khrushchev briefly allowed his work, but the regime ultimately deported him in the early 1970s.
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