Hell On Earth: Brutality And Violence Under The Stalinist Regime

by Ludwik Kowalski

The author's father, a civil engineer, left Poland for the Soviet Union in 1931. An idealistic communist, he believed it was his duty to emigrate, and to contribute to the building of a new society. His wife and his infant son followed soon after. In 1938 he was arrested and sent to a Gulag camp in Kolyma, where he became a slave in Stalin's state of proletarian dictatorship, and died two years later at the age of 36.The author, a retired physics professor, shares what he knows and thinks about Stalinism. Educated in the Soviet Union (elementary school), in Poland (high school and master's degree) and in France (Ph.D. in nuclear physics), he came to the United States in 1964. He deliberately avoided talking about Stalinism and concentrated on teaching and research.Approaching retirement, however, he wrote an essay on Stalinism, entitled "Alaska Notes." It describes the gruesome Soviet reality, focusing on Kolyma, where his father died. That essay was posted at the internet discussion list at Montclair State University. The lively discussion that followed, mostly among professors, convinced the author to transform the essay into this book. It also convinced him to write “Diary of a Former Thoughts, Feelings, Reality.” The second book--his autobiography--is based on a diary kept between 1946 and 2004 in the USSR, Poland, France and the USA. It traces his ideological evolution from one extreme to another--from a devoted Stalinist as a student in Poland, to an active anticommunist after retiring. Writing these two books was a moral obligation to his parents, to millions of other victims of Stalinism, and to Poland. The diaries on which the second book is based, written mostly in Polish, are preserved in Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace, at Stanford University.

129 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2008

Reviews

[Otis Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe not so well written, but still very interesting and enlightening. The author does a good job of shinning a light on the dangers of communism, and how it may look good on paper, but leads to absolute destruction. There is a lot of emphasis on Stalin. Interestingly, some party members were so brainwashed that even after they were put in a gulag on false charges they still believed in the system; It was just a minor glitch had them sentenced to slave labor.

The author warns about the dangers that can occur "when victims ('inferior races' or 'class enemies') are excluded from the norms of morality." Very interesting considering today's climate.

IF more people where aware of the contents of this book, we would all be better off.

[David James · Rating 4 out of 5]

As others have noted, this is not a particularly well written book. The author is a physicist who is delving into a history he was personally impacted by (his father died in Stalin's Gulags). It's less a narrative than a collection of observations drawn from his readings. But what observations they are. The horrors of the Soviet system and Stalin as its natural culmination lie at its heart. I was reminded at times of Swedish author Sven Lindqvist's meditations on European colonialism, although Kowalski is not as lyrical of a writer. Worth the time if only to know that the trauma of Stalinism is still carried among the living, and that the crimes must never be forgotten.

[Michael Flanagan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the second book this year I have not been able to finish. The book started off well enough giving a great overview of the Gulag system in Siberia. It gave very good insight into the reason behind setting these camps up in some of the most inhospitable places in the world.

So where did it all go wrong? For me it was the referencing system used in this book. It made no sense and made the read so frustrating that in the end I gave up. For example quite often he would write as “described in the book (9)”. This drove me so crazy I felt like pulling my hair out. It would have been bearable if (9) actually linked to the reference section so I could see what the book was. Sorry if I sound fussy, but really how hard would it have been to write the actual book title.

Apart from this the book started to wonder around the subject with no real clear direction. I hate not finishing a book but time reading time is at a premium for me at the moment.

[Deepak Fernandes · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is not well-written, let's start with that. It's not a polished book, but what it is, is hard-hitting. It details the horrors of life under communism. Don't expect an easy read, but expect something that will make you think, think a lot about the fallacies of Marx

[Daniel Calderón · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interest document about Stalin ism. Recommended