Аннотация: The Review of William Taubman 's book "Khrushchev"
The Review of William Taubman 's book "Khrushchev"
Judging by the introduction, the author of the book, William Taubman, is an American researcher, historian, and writer.
The potential of a research, historical, and literary traditions in the USA is beyond doubt.
Of course, each particular book, each particular biography differs from another in level of detail, in a themes attracting a greatest interest on the part of the author of the biography and in the other features.
An approximate range of topics that will be covered in any complete biography of Khrushchev, is more or less obvious. For example, "Khrushchev and the death of Stalin (1953)", "Khrushchev and Beria (...1953...)", "an attempt to overthrow Khrushchev by the so-called anti-party group (1957)", "Khrushchev and the Novocherkassk events [Novocherkassk massacre] (of 1962)", "Khrushchev and the Berlin crisis (of 1961)", "Khrushchev and the Cuban Missile (Caribbean) crisis (of 1962)", "the Khrushchev's resignation (1964)" and other topics.
The book by William Taubman is distinguished by a good style, a huge research basis, the ability to present material clearly, and comparison of versions (there are minor flaws in the Russian translation that can be eliminated in the future).
The book by William Taubman contains a huge volume of information!
However, the main problem facing the biographers of Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev is a fundamental approach to the hero of a biographical description.
Who is he, Khrushchev?
Fool? Dodger? An inveterate but well-disguised criminal? A virtuous man who became a criminal by a coincidence of objective circumstances? Or is there no reason to call him a criminal? Primitive, illiterate, but charming, naughty? ('... Khrushchev recognized himself and his comrades as "dark uneducated men" ["intellectual zeros"] ['ignoramuses']'...' Wait, we will have everything, including ballet '- quote from the book of William Taubman' Khrushchev ' [translation of the Russian-language text into English]). The strangler of freedom, who for the sake of coming to power was masquerading as a democrat, a humanist? A democrat, a humanist forced to serve a totalitarian system, and unable to cope with the psychological impulses of unchecked power?
Khrushchev - is he a positive character, or is he a negative one?
If you evaluate Khrushchev, then from what position? From the perspective of an inhabitant of the Western World? From a European or American position? From the position of a 'simple' resident of the USSR?
On this occasion, I recall the words from the book by Eugene Matonin 'Josip Broz Tito' [Евгений Матонин 'Иосип Броз Тито']: '... Churchill, smoking a cigar, asked:' Are you not going to live in the Yugoslavia after the war? ' 'No, sir,' said [Fitzroy] Maclean. 'Also, I'm not going to,' said Churchill. (...) "
As the author of this review assumes, the general position of William Taubman in relation to Khrushchev resembles the attitude of an experienced teacher to one of the university's graduates.
Young - green! But the sins of youth are understandable. They can be treated with understanding. The main thing is that the former student shows efforts and completes his education! ("... I had four classes of a parish school, and then immediately, instead of a secondary school, an incomplete higher education" -a quote from William Taubman's book "Khrushchev" [translation of the Russian-language text into English]).
Stalin was a cruel dictator, but Tehran, Yalta, and Potsdam took place during his ruling. Plus, for several years, between the USSR and the British Empire, there was a many thousand-kilometer border (in Iran) with completely benevolent relations between Great Britain and the USSR. And Khrushchev was a relatively democratic person, humane, but under him the Berlin crisis and the Caribbean crisis took place ...
'The historian Anatoly Ponomarev writes: 'Khrushchev was an unsurpassed master of creating (literally out of the blue) [(literally in a flat place)] crisis situations. During a getting out of those crisis situations, he was demonstrating himself in a role (almost) of a savior of the human race.' (Shevelev V. N. "N. S. Khrushchev. Rostov-on-Don:" Phoenix ", 1999. P. 249) [Шевелев В.Н. "Н. С. Хрущев". Ростов-на-Дону: 'Феникс', 1999. С. 249].
(The problems of the effectiveness of the political system go beyond the tasks of biography).
It follows from the biography written by William Taubman that Khrushchev respected Charles de Gaulle.
But Khrushchev de facto disrupted the Paris Summit (1960). Such a situation caused de Gaulle's irritation. De Gaulle reminded Khrushchev that Khrushchev said before leaving [before the flight from Moscow] for Paris, 'that the conference should not be postponed and that, ... it [conference] will be useful ... For your sake, Mr. Macmillan flew here from London, and General Eisenhower from the United States, for your sake, I took over the work of organizing and holding this conference, which, as it now turns out, can be disrupted by your fault... " (quote from book by William Taubman 'Khrushchev' [translation of the Russian-language text into English]).
Paradoxically, a personal biography has its own logic, and a professional biography has its own.
A reader can reflect on this circumstance during getting acquainted with the book "Khrushchev," written by William Taubman.
April 17, 2020 13:59
Translation from Russian into English: April 18, 2020 12:38.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'Рецензия на книгу Уильяма Таубмана 'Хрущёв''.