(3 of 4)
"He means a Leninist-Stalinist," said the Tsarina. "By official definition Leninism-Stalinism is the Marxism of this historical period."
"Stalinists!" cried the Muse of History.
"I don't see any reason why you should be so surprised, Madam," said the Tsarina. "After the way you have favored Communism for the last 27 years, you are little better than a fellow traveler yourself!"
"Of course, we could not formally enter the Party," the Tsar explained. "There was the question of our former status as exploiters in Russia. Even worse was our present status as ghosts. It violates a basic tenet of Marxism which, of course, does not recognize the supernatural."
"One might suppose, though," said the Tsarina, "that since the Party was, so to speak, responsible for making us what we are, the Central Control Commission would stretch a point in our case."
"And now," said the Tsar, peering through the chink in the roof, "The greatest statesmen in the world have come to Stalin. Who but he would have had the sense of historical fitness to entertain them in my expropriated palace! There he sits, so small, so sure. He is magnificent. Greater than Rurik, greater than Peter! For Peter conquered only in the name of a limited class. But Stalin embodies the international social revolution. That is the mighty, new device of power politics which he has developed for blowing up other countries from within."
"With it he is conquering Rumania and Bulgaria!" cried the Tsarina.
"Yugoslavia and Hungary!" cried the Tsar.'
"Poland and Finland," cried the Tsarina.'
"His party comrades are high in the Governments of Italy and France."
"A fortnight ago they re-entered the Government of Belgium." "Soon they will control most of Germany."
"They already control a vast region of China."
"When Russia enters the war against Japan, we shall take Manchuria, Inner Mongolia, Korea, and settle the old score with Chiang Kai-shek."
"Through the meddling of the imperialist, Churchill, we have suffered a temporary setback in Greece. But when the proper time comes, we shall sweep through Iran and reach the soft underbelly of Turkey from the south. Turkey and Greece are Britain's bastions to defend the Middle East. . . ."
"'You have a world to win,'" cried the Tsarina, "'You have nothing to lose but your chains.'"
"I must ask you, Madam," said the Muse of History, "to stop dancing up & down on this roof. These old palaces are scarcely more substantial than you ghosts. I am glad to see that Marxism has had the same psychotherapeutic effect on you as on so many neurotics who join the Communist Party. But your notions about Russia and Stalin are highly abnormal. All right-thinking people now agree that Russia is a mighty friend of democracy. Stalin has become a conservative. In a few hours the whole civilized world will hail the historic decisions just reached beneath your feet as proof that the Soviet Union is prepared to collaborate with her allies in making the world safe for democracy and capitalism. The revolution is over."