Meanwhile, in the Soviet Union

LENIN, in his time, gave a great deal of thought to the physical sciences. In seeking to fulfill the Communist dream of social justice and human unity, he saw miraculous possibilities in the electron. One of his slogans (prominently displayed on the red outdoor banners that bedeck Moscow) is: “Communism means Soviet power plus the electrification of the whole country.” And he meant this very literally: to him, the electron was an “inexhaustible” bit of matter that would unify the Soviet masses from the Pacific Ocean to the Polish border, across eight time zones.

A breathtaking vision. And the surprising thing is how far the Soviets have come toward making it reality. One-third of the USSR is now on a single electrical grid (although, as of yet, a very small percentage of its electricity is generated by nuclear reactors), and Soviet technology for long-distance transmission far exceeds anything we have in the West. Now they are about to streak toward the completion of that electrification process through nuclear energy. It may still be folly to think anyone could unify the 150 Soviet cultures, divided among 15 separate, historically jealous, Republics. But vaulting technological ambition in the USSR is something to see.

WL

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Wil Lepkowski

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LENIN, in his time, gave a great deal of thought to the physical sciences. In seeking to fulfill the Communist dream of social justice and human unity, he saw miraculous possibilities in the electron. One of his slogans (prominently displayed on the red outdoor banners that bedeck Moscow) is: “Communism means Soviet power plus the electrification of the whole country.” And he meant this very literally: to him, the electron was an “inexhaustible” bit of matter that would unify the Soviet masses from the Pacific Ocean to the Polish border, across eight time zones.

A breathtaking vision. And the surprising thing is how far the Soviets have come toward making it reality. One-third of the USSR is now on a single electrical grid (although, as of yet, a very small percentage of its electricity is generated by nuclear reactors), and Soviet technology for long-distance transmission far exceeds anything we have in the West. Now they are about to streak toward the completion of that electrification process through nuclear energy. It may still be folly to think anyone could unify the 150 Soviet cultures, divided among 15 separate, historically jealous, Republics. But vaulting technological ambition in the USSR is something to see.