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The House of Government
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House of Government - Book Two, Part III (12-13), Part IV (14-16)
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Hugh wrote: "Dianne wrote: "Why was the House built on swampland anyways?" Location, location, location!"Of course! Applies to any place, any era!
Chapter 13 - The Ideological Substance This first sentence of the second paragraph sums it up pretty nicely, "The goal of the cultural revolution was to fill every nook and cranny with the Bolshevik ideological substance." Indeed! It was fascinating to read the lengths that were gone to to herd even the intellectual leaders into formation. The arts, the sciences, everything had to fit into a pre-approved category, which meant that many previous categories ceased to exist. Censorship was abundant, for literature as well as theatrical productions. The objective was to try to train every thought into one that aligned with the Bolshevik ideology - and to permit no other permutations.
I'm glad we're reading this one quickly actually. If I read this slowly, I'd be rendered into the fetal position, hiding under the bed! I knew about the gulags, I've watched some documentaries about the attempts at Cossack genocide, I knew Bulgakov wrote plays regardless of the censors. But still, because this book began from the point of view of smart folks hoping to create a 'utopia' it just makes these tragedies even more soul crushing to read about. They wanted to change their society for the better. Life under the Czar wasn't working & they had a chance to make life better for everyone. What went wrong? Why couldn't they include the non-elite members of their society to be cared for in their vision? The Cossacks devoted generations to them. Sure the Cossack hats are probably different, but the elites are the same group being protected by them.
Eliminate softness? No sofa, just prison chairs at home? Their heritage would be eliminated also? The Czars did that when they removed the traditional clothing of the 'police' in exchange for Western duds. How are they different than the Czars? It's just a pack of mini-Czars rather than just one puffed up dude ruling by divine intervention based on a bloodline.
Gah!!! And they were smart!! *bursts into tears*
today is my House catch up day! Who is still with us?
Chapter 14 - the New Life sounds like it wasn’t a bad life at all! I love that barrister bookcases, pianos, and orange silk lampshades were required in every apartment. I can’t imagine moving that many pianos! The sleeping arrangements sounded odd, father sometimes in his study, mother in her own room, maid bunking with kids or behind a curtain in the kitchen? Also the convenience of meals prepared and delivered would have been pretty handy! It was interesting that the residents didn’t eat in the cafeteria, but I suppose they had other places to congregate.
Chapter 15 - The Days Off - wow 360 working days a year with only 5 days off! No wonder our House residents needed so many services - they didn't have time to cook meals or spend time together much less read all of the great books in their libraries! I loved all of the details in this chapter describing the day to day lives of the residents, what they would eat, what they would read and listen to on the radio, all of their entertainments, the glories of the theater and ballet, the central role of literature. It all sounds lovely!Russian meat and cabbage pie:
Chapter 16- The Houses of Rest - Well I can see why even those who might not have nervous disorders might feign them in order to be granted a stay at one of the 'rest homes' outside of Moscow. has anyone heard of the game Preferans that they liked to play at the rest houses?
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This chapter was fascinating - I knew that the elite were looked after, but had no idea how opulent they remained.
*throws all the bookmarks at the wall* It's almost enraging these rich folks had 2nd houses to retreat to. And why? To take a break from their relaxing lifestyle? No wonder the lists of folks to live in the HoG kept growing, everyone wanted to move in!!
Hugh wrote: "Dianne wrote: "Chapter 14 - the New Life sounds like it wasn’t a bad life at all! I love that barrister bookcases, pianos, and orange silk lampshades were required in every apartment. I can’t imagi..."it's so shocking to read about now, and I think the lifestyle was taken as a 'given'. As a result, the ensuing arrests and turmoil must have been all the more jarring!
Biblio wrote: "*throws all the bookmarks at the wall* It's almost enraging these rich folks had 2nd houses to retreat to. And why? To take a break from their relaxing lifestyle? No wonder the lists of folks to ..."
The evolution of the house was interesting, first it was the place TO BE, then people wanted to house their extra wives there, and then, well, you will see..
Why was the House built on swampland anyways? Bizarre. This section introduced the brutality of the collectivization scheme - was this considered a success because quotas were met? I suppose if people were divided into those sent to concentration camps, exiled, or resettled then it wasn't surprising that so many people died. Still, the plan seems to have been very poorly executed as so many were starving and forced to escape or resort to other means in order to survive. The policy of not tolerating any 'softness' seems absurd when people are pushed to the limitations of survival. Wouldn't it have achieved the official goals more effectively if people had the ability to work hard through proper nourishment?