Gaddis Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Command Versus Spontaneity:

Section 1: Marxism

-B. Disraeli writes Sybil about the classes, industrial revolution. Warns that countries exploiting people for economy will be in trouble. Marx agrees.

-Marxism makes poor happy, rich scared, and governments in between.

-Wilson sees problems with military fighting Germany and other fighting with Bolsheviks in 1917/1918.

Section 2: Marxism-Leninism

-Marx is vague, Lenin gets it done.

-End of WWII, Wilson would look like a failed idealist, compromises too much.

-End of WWII, Lenin would look like a successful realist.

-Marxism-Leninism is very popular in Europe. Americans self-doubt.

Section 3: Reviewing Obvious Things

-Cold War changed everything.

-Pearl Harbor affects security, Wilson becomes relevant.

-Everyone was initially allies, stuff changed, duh.

Section 4: More Obvious Things

-Ideologies are different. Stalin and Lenin both were horrible to their country.

-Germans occupying USSR were really bad too.

-Marx is a lot like Stalin.

Section 5: Goals of the US

-No one ever planned how to use capitalism to stop communism.

-US wants military stuff to be kept away from some other countries.

-Function of government – facilitate freedom. (Marshall Plan)

-US was the only economically capable country to attack SU.

Section 6: Stalin/Beria/Plotting

-Maybe Stalin was the problem.

-Beria stops purges, tries to close Korean War, wants to fix up Germany.

-West Germany made Stalin angry: communism can’t go there naturally, so he forms East Germany.

-That all goes badly. Beria tries to crush East German uprising, thrown in jail.

Section 7: Khrushchev

-Khrushchev tracks and mocks Stalin’s crimes (communists not used to admitting mistakes, Bierut dies, freaks out all other communists, really dumb idea).

-Gets rid of Rakosi. Re-enters Hungary, kills a lot of people.

Section 8: China & Khrushchev

-China helps Khrushchev suppress Hungarian uprising.

-Mao not consulted about Khrushchev’s insane speech against Stalin.

-Mao differs in action, doesn’t want to reform peasants as much.

-Mao has a Great Leap Forward, kills people.

Section 9: The Wall

-Rest of world is not aware of what is going on.

-Everyone is vulnerable, scared, etc.

-East Germans riot, leave. They built a giant wall, August 1961, with other precautions. NO ONE CAN LEAVE!

Section 10:

-Capitalism succeeding, outside of wall.

-No one knows what to do about problems.

-Marxism & successors didn’t do too well with actual humans.

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