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A True Russian Patriot

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s beliefs are such that a true Russian patriot could never be linked to anything resembling the essence of communism. Solzhenitsyn implies that no Russian patriot can, nor ever will be, associated with a communist party due to the inherent maliciousness in all communist governments. In his book, The Mortal Danger,” Solzhenitsyn argues against a correlation between communism and a Russian national identity on two major counts: first, that communism and nationalism are, antitheses of each other; and second, that communism is a stagnant ideology, with no historical evolution. Other scholars, such as Robert C. Tucker, strongly disagree with Mr. Solzhenitsyn’s views, arguing that not all communism is identical, and that Russian nationalists can relate themselves to certain forms of the ideology. As one conducts a closer analysis of historical background, he will certainly side with the latter, agreeing that Russian nationalism can be found in communism.
In his book, Solzhenitsyn refutes the idea of international communist variations, arguing that the communist ideology is comparable to a universal epidemic, supporting evilness and antihuman qualities wherever it may spread its infection. He makes a point to state that, “Russia is categorically condemned for every feature which distinguishes her from the west” (25, Solzhenitsyn), unlike in the case of her fellow communist countries–China and Vietnam, for example. Solzhenitsyn condemns those scholars who hold this opinion, categorizing this belief as a “nothing less than a racist view” (24, Solzhenitsyn) on the count that by deeming Russia as the cultivator of this evil, all western civilizations free themselves of any threat to the principles which they stand by.
However, it is strikingly evident that not all forms of communism are in fact identical. Though communism derived from a Marxist theory as a guideline and originated in Russia during...