My friends at Regnery Publishing have just published what appears to be a very interesting book entitled, "The President, the Pope, and the Prime Minister: Three Who Changed the World" by John O'Sullivan. This book is focused on how the Soviet Union was essentially put out of business in the marketplace of ideas via the leadership of President Reagan, Lady Thatcher, and Il Papa John Paul II -- heroes that I plan to discuss with my godchildren/children as they grow up.
In the book review by Michael Knox Beran that I read he quotes two VERY mis-guided academics who had this to say about the Evil Empire/Soviet Union:
"That the Soviet system has made great material progress in recent years is evident both from the statistics and from the general urban scene" -- economist John Kenneth Galbraith said in 1984.
and
"....those in the USA who think the Soviet Union is on the verge of economic and social collapse are kidding themselves" -- historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. said in 1982
I can barely type a response to these fuzzy-headed quotes from these academics who were either COMPLETELY IGNORANT or perhaps ever hopeful the workers' utopia was actually working.
Did these men ever travel to the Soviet Union?
I traveled to the Evil Empire in 1986 where I discovered that "boxer shorts" (underwear) were valued on the black market because the citizens could not buy such products in the stores. Amazing -- you would think the Soviets' five year plans would have included underwear at some point!!
On a lighter note let me close with a joke - "two Soviets are standing in line when the the one Soviet asked the other one, 'comrade, what are you standing in line for?' to which the other Soviet replies, ' I don't know but I am going to buy it when I get to the front of the line........." :)
Be happy the USSR is now a subject for historians not politicians,
Todd
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