The Coming Defeat of Red China

When the revolution in Hungary was running its short but spectacular course Milovan Djilas made the much quoted pronouncement: “This is the beginning of the end of Communism.” For that and other published utterances he was sentenced to three years’ hard labor in one of Tito’s jails. Only recently he was sentenced to another seven-year term for the publication of a book, The New Class, in this country.

In many passages in that book he makes it abundantly clear that he considers the whole Communist scheme of things, theoretical or implemented, moribund. He is as certain that the great Red edifice is now tottering as he is that Rome was tottering early in the fifth century of our era; and as certain that it will collapse for keeps as he is that the great Roman Empire collapsed for keeps. But at no point does he say just how he thinks the huge Red Empire will be toppled; and at no point does he fix a date for that. But, according to one news report of his recent trial at which seven years were added to the two years left of his first term, he passed his wife as he was being led from the courtroom, smiled and said: “I’ll be seeing you.” Admittedly that could mean little or much. It could have been an assurance that he would outlive his sentence. To those who have read his book it will seem much more likely that he meant: “It won’t be long now.”

RG

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Rodney Gilbert

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When the revolution in Hungary was running its short but spectacular course Milovan Djilas made the much quoted pronouncement: “This is the beginning of the end of Communism.” For that and other published utterances he was sentenced to three years’ hard labor in one of Tito’s jails. Only recently he was sentenced to another seven-year term for the publication of a book, The New Class, in this country.

In many passages in that book he makes it abundantly clear that he considers the whole Communist scheme of things, theoretical or implemented, moribund. He is as certain that the great Red edifice is now tottering as he is that Rome was tottering early in the fifth century of our era; and as certain that it will collapse for keeps as he is that the great Roman Empire collapsed for keeps. But at no point does he say just how he thinks the huge Red Empire will be toppled; and at no point does he fix a date for that. But, according to one news report of his recent trial at which seven years were added to the two years left of his first term, he passed his wife as he was being led from the courtroom, smiled and said: “I’ll be seeing you.” Admittedly that could mean little or much. It could have been an assurance that he would outlive his sentence. To those who have read his book it will seem much more likely that he meant: “It won’t be long now.”