Germany attacks the Soviet Union and German columns penetrate deep into the country. Stalin almost has a nervous breakdown. Then he recovers. By November the Germans are at the gates of Moscow. There is talk of abandoning the city. A train is ready to carry Stalin away. And he says, no, they are going to stay. On November 7 is the anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution. Should they hold the traditional military parade in Red Square or not? After all, the Germans are only 16-18 miles away, the farther-most point of their Moscow advance. And Stalin decides that the parade will be held. Addressing the assembled troops he recalls Russia’s glorious past, invokes Lenin’s name four times and expresses his resolve that the Soviet Union is bound to triumph. He speaks for seven minutes, that is all, but says everything. And from Red Square the troops march straight to the front. The question for Pakistani minds: why at that critical juncture did Stalin not call an APC? Granted, thanks to the KGB, no other parties existed. But Stalin could have called a conference of writers and intellectuals, workers and peasants, so as to pass a resolution, duly printed prominently in Pravda, calling upon Germany to withdraw and settle matters peacefully with the Soviet Union.
Posted on: Tue, 10 Sep 2013 16:12:33 +0000
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