6 1920 October, the
The English writer and author of "The War of the Worlds," H.G. Wells, met with Lenin in the Kremlin. This is the subject of the chapter "The Kremlin Dreamer" in his book "Russia in the Shadows."
Two main themes ran through our entire conversation: "What has the social revolution given you? Is it successful?" This, in turn, led to the second theme: "For it to be successful, the Western world must join in."
This was Wells's second visit to Russia. After his first in 1914, the writer proposed introducing Russian as a foreign language in English schools. In 1920, he returned at the invitation of Kamenev.
Imperial eagles still spread their wings on the Kremlin towers. The Bolsheviks are either too busy with other matters or simply don't pay attention... On the wall of a building, the now-famous slogan "Religion is the opium of the people" is framed. The effectiveness of this inscription, written at the beginning of the revolution, is significantly diminished by the fact that the Russian people cannot read.
Petrograd seemed lifeless. Transportation was poor. Bureaucracy — even worse. Organizing a meeting with Lenin in Moscow took 80 hours. While in 1914 entry to the Kremlin was free, now they had to cross several checkpoints. Wells believed this hindered Lenin's connection with "living Russia."
If what reaches it is passed through some kind of filter, then everything that comes out of it is also filtered, and during this process, very significant distortions can occur.
During their conversation, Lenin insisted on the necessity of class war, while Wells insisted that the capitalist system itself could become "civilized." Wells dismissed the plan to electrify Russia as the utopia of a "Kremlin dreamer."
Can one imagine a more daring project in this vast… country, populated by illiterate peasants, deprived of water power sources, lacking technically literate people, in which trade and industry have almost died out?
Lenin suggested we see it in 10 years. Wells arrived in 1934. Industrialization was proceeding vigorously in the USSR. The cost was left out of the equation.