I CHOSE FREEDOM The Personal and Political Life of a Soviet Official by VICTOR KRAVCHENKO Jfevr Yorfc CHARLES SCRIBNERS SONS 1048 , 1946, mr VICTOR jPrfaxted IA tfe United States of tJkr fMi jinPn CJUrlc CONTENTS PACK I. Flight in the Night I II. A Russian Childhood 6 III. Glory and Hunger 19 IV. Youth in the Red 34 V. Break with the Past 50 VI. A Student in Kharkov 59 VII. Triumph of the Machine 74 VIII. Horror in the Village 91 IX. Harvest in Hell IIO X. My First Purge 132 XI. Elienas Secret 148 XII. Engineer at Nikopol 167 XIII. Faster, Faster 187 XIV. Super-Purge 206 XV. My Ordeal Begins 221 xvi. AScan f OT jftllPER YJUN 1949 33 8 XVII. Torture After Midnight 256 XVIII. Labor Free and Slave 278 ft XIX. While History Is Edited 298 MOB XX SStertotfaftoaV. 316 XXI W Europe Fights 332 . XXII. The Unexpected War 352 XXIIL Panic in Moscow 372 XXIV. The Kremlin in Wartime 393 XXV. The Two Truths 412 XXVL Prelude to America 436 XXV1L Stalins Subjects Abroad 455 XXVIIL Fugitive from Injustice 473 Postscript 480 Index 483 I CHOSE FREEDOM CHAPTER t PL1GBT IN THE NIGHT EVKBY MINUTE of the taxi ride between my rented roam and Union Station that Saturday night seemed loaded with danger and witbf destiny. The very streets and darkened buildings seemed frowning and hostile. In my seven months in the capital I had traveled that route dozens of times, light-heartedly, scarcely noticing my surroundings. But this time everything was different tkh time I was running away. The American family with whom I lived in Washington had been friendly and generous to the stranger under their roof. When I fell ill they had watched over me with an easy unaffected solicitude. What had begun as a mere financial arrangement had grown into a warm human relationship to which the barrier of language added a fillip of excitement. 1 sensed that in being kind to one homesick Russian these good Americans were ex pressing their gratitude to all Russians to the brave allies who were then rolling back the tide of German conquest on a thousand-mile front. They gave me full personal credit for every Soviet victory. My rent was mid for a week ahead. Yet I left the house that night without a word of final farewell. I merely said that if my trip should keep me out of town beyond Tuesday, they had my permission to let the room. I wanted my hosts to be honestly ignorant of my whereabouts and of my intention not to return, should there be any inquiries from the Soviet Pur chasing Commission. For several days, at the Commission offices, I had simulated headaches and general indisposition. Casually 1 had remarked that morning to a few colleagues that I had better remain home for a rest that I might iiot come in on Monday. I was playing hard for an extra day of grace before my absence would be discovered. After collecting my March salary-I insisted on straightening out my expense vouchers for the last trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and the trip to Chicago before that. It appeared that about thirty dollars were still due to me. The idea was to erase the slightest excuse for any charges of financial irregularity to explain my flight. I also made sure that all my papers were in perfect order, so that others could take up the work where I had left off. Later, when the news of my getaway was on the front pages of the Washington and New York papers, some of the men and women at the Commission must have recalled a peculiar warmth in my talks with them thai Saturday, a special pressure in my handclasp when I said So long. They must have realtied that I was bidding them a final and wordless fare-, well. Never again, not even here in free America, would any of them dare to meet me. In the months of working together some of these people had 2 CHOSE FREEDOM come close to me without saying much we had understood one another Had I been able to part with them openly, emotionally, Russianly, some of the weight that pressed on my spirits would assuredly have been lifted...
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
FREE Two-Day Shipping for students on millions of items. Learn more |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Language Notes
Text: English, Russian (translation)
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is the most important description of the soviet terror that stroke the whole society in communist countries much before Soljenistin. When published, all communist parties in Europe, continued to refuse to see the horrible reality for decades, showing that communism equal nazism. This book should be reprinted and advertised as a piece of XX century History
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I had been looking forward to reading this book for sometime since it has been out of print. This was a seminal book in the process of deglamorizing Joe Stalin and the Soviet Union. The brutality of the Soviets as manifested by the genocidal famines, purges, persecution of religion, and overt aggression and occupation of neighboring countries was known to the West. However, due to the outright denials and other obfuscations by leftists of all sorts, and FDR's administration, presumably to get Stalin to side with them against Hitler, this knowledge was suppressed and did not influence public opinion.
Well, the book is an expose of communism written by a communist. The author makes it clear that he realizes that he dedicated his life to a system that was essentially terroristic, and no effort on his part to instill or elicit decency from the rulers and their underlings was going to work inside the system. That is why he comes to the conviction that the only way to save his people is to write this expose, hoping that outside world could influence the Kremlin, so that they would finally feel some fear for what they were doing. The author was correct, and subsequantly other exposes influenced forces, both externally and internally, and brought about the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, the author did pay a terrible price for his actions, as I am sure he knew he would, his family and freinds in the Soviet Union were severely persecuted.
I dissagree with a earlier reviewer's point that the author was not a confirmed advocate of Western style democracy. Considering the time that the author had after he entered the country, defected and wrote the book, it is unlikely that he could do a reasonable comparative analysis of political systems. The author was convinced that the Soviet system was evil, and that it was much worse than Czarist Russia. Also consider how devastating it must have been to him to abandon this ideology to which he had devoted his life to. I am curious about what his further convictions were.
Overall, this is a very well written book, a credit to the author's ability and his translators. I just wish that the publisher had included a little on the author's biography post the release of the book.
Well, the book is an expose of communism written by a communist. The author makes it clear that he realizes that he dedicated his life to a system that was essentially terroristic, and no effort on his part to instill or elicit decency from the rulers and their underlings was going to work inside the system. That is why he comes to the conviction that the only way to save his people is to write this expose, hoping that outside world could influence the Kremlin, so that they would finally feel some fear for what they were doing. The author was correct, and subsequantly other exposes influenced forces, both externally and internally, and brought about the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, the author did pay a terrible price for his actions, as I am sure he knew he would, his family and freinds in the Soviet Union were severely persecuted.
I dissagree with a earlier reviewer's point that the author was not a confirmed advocate of Western style democracy. Considering the time that the author had after he entered the country, defected and wrote the book, it is unlikely that he could do a reasonable comparative analysis of political systems. The author was convinced that the Soviet system was evil, and that it was much worse than Czarist Russia. Also consider how devastating it must have been to him to abandon this ideology to which he had devoted his life to. I am curious about what his further convictions were.
Overall, this is a very well written book, a credit to the author's ability and his translators. I just wish that the publisher had included a little on the author's biography post the release of the book.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Despite the banal title, this somewhat forgotten book is a harrowing journey through Stalinist Russia. Possibly my all-time favorite autobiography.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A Personal Look at the Beginnings of the Soviet Union
While I read this book many years ago, the story told has stayed with me. Written by a man who's father fought the Russian Revolution, and was himself a worked for the state,... Read more
Published on March 2, 2009 by xformed
This book should be a must read in every high school.
Victor Kravchenko is a very good writer and a very amazing & exceptional person to live through what he experienced in the USSR. Read more
Published on September 19, 2008 by Grace L. Davin
Reality History
For anyone who still thinks that Communism is an attractive alternative to Capitalism, to those who wear Che Guevara tshirts, take a bit and read this book. Read more
Published on September 18, 2008 by B. J. Klazura
Of course
Of course he chose freedom. This was an excellent book. I highly recommend. It is a thorough indictment of Soviet Communism and a man's quest for value. Read more
Published on September 15, 2008 by Rudolf
Russian Hero
Victor Kravchenko made a stunning defection to the USA in 1944, while working as a Soviet purchasing agent on the lend-lease program. He was 38 years old. Read more
Published on December 1, 2007 by Stephen Torpie
To ever know Lenin and Stalin's USSR, this is must read.
"I Chose Freedom" by Victor A. Kravchenko is a must read for anyone who hopes to come close/er to knowing Stalin's Capitalist Company. Read more
Published on May 6, 2006 by Marie Souleyret
Phenomenal
This is one of the best books I've read in a very long time, a fact which caught me completely by surprise as I purchased it on a whim after seeing it referenced in a 20th century... Read more
Published on May 24, 2005 by James B.
An Absolute for Politican Science Students!
A great historical book on the Russian Communist Revolution and how it was viewed from the point of view of an ardent Communist. Read more
Published on October 13, 2003 by "iranican"
Review of I Chose Freedom
This book is probably the best book written about the extremes to which a government can systematically abuse it citizens, and how one individual can live through the horror and... Read more
Published on January 31, 1998 by tokenring
You won't get this in any History class.
I was given this book to read by someone who escaped the "workers' paradise" in Europe. For those who underestimate the evil of the Communist Party, you will quickly be... Read more
Published on November 29, 1997 by Craig Frisina (cfrisina@sprynet.com)
Inside This Book
(learn more)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
(learn more)
metallurgical combinat, rotten liberalism, subjects abroad Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Victor Andreyevich, Comrade Kravchenko, Red Army, City Committee, United States, Central Committee, Comrade Stalin, Regional Committee, Soviet Union, Party Committee, Comrade Misha, Special Department, Ivan Petrovich, Political Department, The Boss, Eliena Petrovna, Donetz Basin, Comrade Serov, State Defense Committee, Fyodor Panteleyevich, Beloved Leader, Comrade Lazarev, Comrade Ordzhonikidze, Comrade Brachko, Comrade Commissar Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
metallurgical combinat, rotten liberalism, subjects abroad Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Victor Andreyevich, Comrade Kravchenko, Red Army, City Committee, United States, Central Committee, Comrade Stalin, Regional Committee, Soviet Union, Party Committee, Comrade Misha, Special Department, Ivan Petrovich, Political Department, The Boss, Eliena Petrovna, Donetz Basin, Comrade Serov, State Defense Committee, Fyodor Panteleyevich, Beloved Leader, Comrade Lazarev, Comrade Ordzhonikidze, Comrade Brachko, Comrade Commissar Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
So You'd Like to...
Look for Similar Items by Category
- Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Ethnic & National > Irish
- Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical
- Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Political
- Books > History > Europe > Eastern
- Books > History > Europe > Germany
- Books > New & Used Textbooks > Humanities > History > Europe
