Rob Edwards
Arthur Koestler: “I Was Ripe to be Converted”
The economic misery of the Depression led many people to find a new hope in communism
Seduced by soviet propaganda, many intellectuals saw the Soviet Union as a champion of peace and social justice
A faith is not acquired by reasoning, or acquired at all for that matter. Rather, it is an idea the grows like a tree
He became converted to the communist party because he was “ripe for it” and lived in a disintegrating society thirsting for faith.
He didn't just become a communist over night though
It all started in 1914 when he witnessed his father's financial and emotional demise through those crushing times
He torturously acquired a social conscience through penny-pinching his whole life, and learning to detest the obviously rich people
Horrified when he learns of the extreme measures that fat capitalists go to to increase their own profit, including burning crops to keep prices up, even though people are starving
Déclassé people didn't want to admit their own ruin, many found comfort with the Nazi party and blaming their problems on the Jews
Many intellectuals like Koestler were ripe for conversion to communism because of the rapid moral disintegration in the society around themselves
After studying Marx and Engels, many of these intelligentsia were captivated by the promises of communism
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