Black Lebeda: The Russian Famine Diary of Ara Kazan District Supervisor J. Rives Childs, 1921-1923
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.60 (956 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 088146015X |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 199 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2017-11-09 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
The diary also gives a firsthand view of the early days of Lenin's famous New Economic Policy (NEP), which was really partial return to old capitalism. There is first an account of the inner working of the American Relief Administration (ARA) at all levels from Moscow to the workers in the kitchens that fed the starving children and later adults. This move on the part of the Soviet government was designed to jump-start the prostrate economy, and Childs a self-proclaimed socialist, curiously found this turnabout fascinating and became an ardent proponent of it.. It also gives a vivid picture of the grisly famine conditions, not only in Kazan, but in the countryside as well, since Childs was early involved in field work establishing orphanages, and kitchens to feed the starving. Frequently these citizens, who were educated and had often learned English, came to work for the ARA, and Childs witnessed their sad lives and the suspicion they experienced from the Soviet government. In this capacity, he had to deal with local governments, now in the control of the Communist Party, and his narration o
The straightforward transcript of the author's experience in Soviet Russia from 1921 to 1923 Midwest Book Review Black Lebeda: The Russian Famine Diary of ARA Kazan District Supervisor J. River Childs 1921-1923 is the straightforward transcript of the author's experience in Soviet Russia from 1921 to 1923, detailing the inner workings of the American Relief Administration and the brutal famine conditions in both the city and the countryside. Of especial interest are Childs' insights into the Communist Party's workings in local government, and its ruthlessness toward the bourgeois and aristocrats, many of whom came to work for ARA, as well as the personal testimony of Lenin's famous New E