Existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre?
As Tim states, "there is no paradox". You cannot be responsible for self without being aware of the environment in which you exist, and that is inclusive of other people. That means that your-self responsibility encompasses all of that which you are aware. To be responsible for self means that you must do (or not do) that which improves your relationship to that environment always in your own self interest. No paradox at all.
What did Joseph Stalin's parents think of him?
Let’s start with his dad Besarian.His dad was a drunk, he was physically and emotionally abusive towards Stalin and his mom.There were times where Stalin tried his hardest to defend himself and his mom from Besarian. For instance, Stalin threw a knife at his dad in self-defense and he once ran into town to get help, when Besarian attempted to strangle Keke (Stalin’s Mom) to death.On top of that, Besarian was a terrible cobbler and made little to nothing in the profession. He even went so far as to come in and out of Stalin’s life after he left the family (technically he was chased out of town). He also said to Keke when Stalin went to jail that “I'll kill such a son with my own hands, he's disgraced me.”Now to Keke, Stalin’s Mom.Stalin for sure always sided with her against Besarian when he beat both of them up. Keke would go in and out of being an enabler to a disciplinarian to Stalin when he misbehaved. She worked a lot to support both of them.On the other hand, Keke was ambitious and clever, she knew Stalin was meant for greater things. Stalin also knew he was meant for greater things, but not by Keke’s definition.Keke sent Stalin to a seminary school to keep him out of trouble (he was an out of control kid and alas, she had little to no control over him). She wanted him to be a priest so he could have a better life.However, Stalin was one of those people who had to see things to believe them, religion did nothing for him, as it did not match his personality nor his beliefs. He became an atheist thanks to the Karl Marx theories, which seemed to make much more sense to him.After being expelled from the seminary, Stalin joined the Bolshevik party and broke the law, after all, sometimes Lenin gave him the green light to rob banks and take hostages so they could get the money to fund the party.In the end, both Besarian and Keke were disappointed in Stalin. Besarian for the fact that Stalin didn’t want to be a cobbler like him, and Keke for Stalin refusing to become a priest, and for becoming a dictator. I can honestly say that Stalin’s mom loved him way more than his dad. She believed in him and his dad did not, she believed that he could make something better of himself. Things did not go her way and she did not intend for Stalin to become an atheist and a dictator.
What is the best biography of Stalin?
The most careful and well-argued biography is a short one by Oleg Khlevniuk, though it misses some dimensions of Stalin by refusing to speculate in the absence of evidence. Of the older biographies, all factually obsolete in the absence of archives, the volumes by Robert C. Tucker remain particularly interesting. Montefiore is wonderfully interesting, fascinating to read, but fails to connect the politics adequately with his personality. I would agree with the advice to begin with Montefiore.
What do you think about the Marxist paradox that capitalism drives communism and vice versa?
Utter nonsense … capitalist economies destroy communist economies. Don’t look at it from theoretical perspectives, look at it from the base up. Capitalism means there are prices that inform people of what to produce and what not to produce derived from the exchange between buyers and sellers. Communism means that the government commands what is to be produced, irrespective of supply and demand. The outside world determines how much the communist government has to pay for the stuff it imports, at world prices, with a capitalist system thing get cheaper while cost stays the same the imbalance between is what cause their collapse.
Pygmalion by george bernard shaw...what is a symbol or paradox??
Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw Cabbage Leaf: Higgins repeatedly refers to Eliza as a bruised cabbage leaf. After he recreates her, he no longer uses the term. Milton: Higgins speaks of Milton as if he were God in various instances in the book. He tells Eliza on their first meeting that she has no right to live because she has massacred the language of Milton. Later in the play, he comments that he has wasted the treasures of his Miltonic mind on Eliza. http://www.bookrags.com/notes/pyg/OBJ.htm Study Guides These links will give you a summary of the book, character analysis, plot and much more, so that you will be able to answer literary questions. http://www.bookrags.com/notes/pyg/ http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/pygmalion/ http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/pygmalion/ http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/monkeynotes/pmPygmalion02.asp Good luck.
Did Stalin want to make the Soviet Union a communist utopia?
Yes. The secret archives of the Communist Party are open today, for historians and researchers. The “big secret” of the Part bosses was that they were … Communists. Totally. Utterly. 100%. They disagreed how will they destroy capitalism, but all of them wanted to build communism in the Soviet Union.Stalin was the pupil of Vladimir Lenin. In April 1922 he nominated Stalin as the General Secretary of the Party (a.k.a. Lenin’s heir). One month later, in May, he had his first stroke and he lost the ability to speak. The power belonged now to Stalin. And Stalin forged the Soviet Union as only a devout Communist would do. But for him it was not utopia. It was reality. He was deluded, but … many times in history the wheel turns because of deluded people.If you want to know more watch these videos and read these books:Stephen Kotkin, "Stalin: Volume I"Stalinism Triumphant: Famine, Terror, And Hitler's Shadow, 1929-1941Amazon.com: Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928 (9780143127864): Stephen Kotkin: BooksAmazon.com: Stalin: Waiting for Hitler, 1929-1941 (9781594203800): Stephen Kotkin: BooksStephen Kotkin is the foremost expert in the world regarding Stalin and his “work”. I promise you will not regret watching him speak about Stalin and Communism.
Why did Stalin rather than Trotsky Emerge as the leader of the USSR by 1929?
Stalin emerged as the leader of the URSS in April 1922. At the 11th Congress 11th Congress of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) - Wikipedia Trotsky lost a very important debate (about the Red Army, and he was the Comissar for the Red Army - ouch!) and even more important, Stalin was appointed (because Lenin wanted to) the General Secretary of the Communist Party. If you lived (like me) in a Communist country, you know that the neutral job of “General Secretary” is the de-facto ruler of the Party. And the Party de-facto rules the Country. But in 1922 the position that Stalin occupied was only the heir for Lenin. Vladimir Ulianov was in good health and people expected him to live for a long(ish) time. But only one month later Lenin had his first stroke and he became a vegetable. And unexpectedly the “Secretary” became full blown ruler.Trotsky was an obnoxious person. Nobody liked him. Power is exercised directly, person to person. Nobody had (direct) power ower somebody who lives 300 kilometres away. Trotsky was like a Libertarian today: highly intelligent, a bit of an asshole, very ideologically driven and totally uninterested in mundane, day to day stuff (that ordinary people are very interested in). As a result people did not liked him very much, with the exception of those who loved the “doctrine” of the party.Stalin was fun, in person. He worked a lot. If you wanted a career - Stalin was the man to go to - he was more than capable to raise your status in society. Until 1927, 1928, nobody really believed that Stalin was able to kill his own comrades.All you want to know about Stalin/Trotsky “love” affair you can find and read about in this book: Amazon.com: Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928 (9781594203794): Stephen Kotkin: BooksOnly 900 pages, but, as Stephen Kotkin says, you read them like there are no more than 500.
Similaries and differences between Pol Pot, Stalin, Mao Zedong and Castro?
The Similarities -- a) They all were leaders of their countries "Communist Parties". b) They all were the "leaders" of their countries "Socialist" governments as Prime Ministers although Castro was called a President. c) Pol Pot and Mao Zedong both had a French education and came from educated middle-strata society. Pol Pot spent some time as a Buddhist monk after being taught by them initially. Mao Zedong had a formal Mandarin education in China before going to France. Stalin's education was within the Georgian region of "Mother Russia" and he came from a poor family and was educated by Eastern Orthodox priests. Castro's education was in Cuba with Catholic priests as his teachers. d) Stalin and Mao Zedong were around at the foundation of the Communist Parties in their countries. Pol Pot was around in 1960 when the Cambodian Communist Party was re-formed after it had broken away from the Indochinese Communist Party (run by Vietnamese) in 1957-8. A Cambodian communist party had been formed in 1957-58 but was purged of its Vietnamese-influenced leaders in 1960. Castro was a late joiner to the Cuban Communist Party. e) Each rose through the party hierarchy through purges. f) Each led or was part of an underground movement against the government of the time in the early stages of their political careers. Atalin against the Zsarist dictator; Castro against the US-backed Batista Dictator; Mao Zedong against the various dictators and war lords in China bertween 1912 and 1949 (although Mao only did so between 1922 and 1949) including the US-backed Chiang Kai Shek dictator. Pol Pot never fought against a dictator, but against a "benevolent???" prince (Prince Norodom Sihanouk) and against the US-backed Lon Nol (1970-75). Differences; -- 1) Stalin was a criminal before joining the Bolsheviks (the forerunner of the Communist Party) and even left for a period while he continued his criminal activities. 2) Pol Pot was the only leader of a "COMMUNIST" country in the correct terminology of Communism being an ECONOMIC system. The Democratic Republic of Kampuchea lasted from April 15, 1975 until January 4, 1979. The others were leaders of "SOCIALIST" countries.
Who are the world's experts on Joseph Stalin?
A monumental biography of Stalin is recently published: Stalin: Volume I: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928 by Stephen Kotkin 976 pagesIt is the most scholarly work that I have read about Stalin.