----- Original Message -----
From: Sherrill WATKINS <SEWATKINS@dgs.state.va.us>
To: <tentec@contesting.com>; <stan@studio-maint.com>
Sent: Monday, August 14, 2000 8:58 AM
Subject: Re: [TenTec] 3CX800A7 Tubes
> Stan: Thank's for the really great russian information. I may stand
corrected on this but a book that I read some time ago about russia in the
30's mentioned that the Communist Partry had "approved" names for children
of members of the Soviet Communist Party, i.e. the Central Committee of the
Communist Party (CCCP). These were names that members of the communist
party in russia were expected to give to their children. Sevetlana, Olga
and Ludmilla must have been some of the approved names? - Sherrill k4own
Hi Sherrill
That is an unusual name, Sherrill, and it brings back fond memories of a
forester I know as a little boy. Sherrill taught me more about the woods and
the Sierra Nevada Mountains than any course or book could have. He had the
patience of a saint to put up with my questions.
Back to topic. The Communist party was pretty small and it had little to do
with the common people who had been naming their kids traditional Slavic and
Scandinavian names since before both of those peoples had controlled much of
present day Russia, Olga , particularly, is an ancient name that is highly
respected, as in the famed Queen Olga.
Yes there were approved names but they were all the normal names used before
that period. Names that were not approved ( but had no authority to change)
were names that were tsarist, racist or sexist in nature. Kind of like a
list of non approved personalized license plates here. It was considered a
joke by most Russians, more a subject of urban legend than a decree that
people obeyed.
In 1930, the peak membership period until the war, only 8 percent of the
population was a member of the party and most people pretty much ignored
politics in general. Just as today. During the Great Patriotic War (WWII)
the percentages went way up because of two factors, the members were less
likely to be on the front lines because they had very difficult tasks of
reengineering the entire heavy industry behind the Ural mountains in 1942
and because solders with no political training were allowed to join on the
battle field. These front line admissions were later purged or withdrawn.
A party member had attended special training and passed exhaustive tests but
it was a career move for many because top administrative jobs were reserved
for members. Many historians rank the reconstruction of heavy industry in
the east during the incredible hardship of the invasion, as one of the most
difficult management and construction projects ever. What most in the west
didn't realize was that the people of the US and Russia of the 20's 30.s
50.s and part of the 60's were much more similar in life aspirations, family
life, education and spirit than, say, the US and Europe or Asia. The 40's
were left out because what the Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Moldavian
people endured during the war has never been endured and survived by any
peoples on earth. It would be difficult compare. As a small glimpse into
losses incurred, the losses of civilians and solders averaged for the entire
war from 1941 invasion to the capture of Berlin in 45, the USSR lost a Viet
Nam war's worth of people every single day, 55,000! That is for a country
that had
half the population of the US at the beginning of the war. The war touched
every single Russian's life, direct family members were killed in almost
every family, 1/3 of the total population of Western Russia and Ukraine.
When visiting Ukraine you will notice that there are very few people between
the ages of 72 and 80. The reason was simple. Every young person between 14
and 22 who hadn't
escaped into the army ( in the early part of the war, for almost certain
death) was rounded up by the Germans and sent to Germany as slaves. Only 18%
of them survived, most of these young people were girls. Of the 3 million
Red army solders captured in the first 18 months after the invasion almost
all were simply starved to death. Twenty five million citizens died.
History of the 20th century looks quite
different from that side of the world.
As you can see I'm very interested in Russian history and culture. That came
about because of ham radio. The FBI investigated me as a ten year old in
1950-60 thinking that it was my father by the same name that was talking to
Soviets and establishing correspondence (QSL cards) with known
communists( the radio institute radio club in Moscow). Later under the FoIA
I got some of those files. We really were afraid of each other at that time.
It was taken very seriously by both side. But we really knew very little of
each other and in 1979, my first trip to Russia convinced me that everything
I knew was wrong. Even at the height of the Cold War, the Russian people
were the friendliest and warmest people I'd had met. Even now after visiting
86 countries that honor still belongs to them. I just retuned from a month
in
Saint Petersburg, my 14th visit and my next will be in October. Also,
getting a operating permit for you station is easy, go, visit the beautiful
city of Saint Petersburg and take your rig. You will be amazed at the
beauty and culture.
73
Stan
KM6XZ
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