For those of you, too young to remember this. On November 18, 1956, during a reception at the Polish Embassy in Moscow, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev addressed Western diplomats amidst the tense atmosphere of the Cold War. The world was still reeling from the aftermath of World War II, and the ideological struggle between capitalism and communism was at its peak.
Khrushchev, known for his fiery rhetoric and bold proclamations, declared:
> “Мы вас похороним!” > (Pronounced: “My vas pokhoronim!”)
Translated literally, this means “We will bury you!” The statement sent shockwaves through Western nations, intensifying fears of Soviet aggression and the potential for nuclear conflict. We started building bomb shelters and holding air-raid drills.
The phrase, however, was a subject of misinterpretation due to cultural and linguistic differences. In Russian, the expression is a common idiom akin to saying “We will outlast you” or “We will be present at your funeral.” It’s not necessarily a direct threat of violence but rather a prediction of the eventual triumph of one system over another.
Khrushchev later clarified his remarks, stating:
> “I once said, ‘We will bury you,’ and I got into trouble. Of course, we will not bury you with a shovel. Your own working class will bury you.”
This reflects the Marxist belief in the inevitable collapse of capitalism due to its internal contradictions, leading to a proletarian revolution.
Khrushchev was a complex figure. He criticized Stalin’s brutal regime and introduced reforms to reduce oppression. He launched the Virgin Lands Campaign to boost food production. Under his leadership, the USSR launched Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, marking a significant achievement and initiating the space race with the United States.
Yet, his approach to diplomacy was often unorthodox. In 1960, he banged his shoe on a desk at the United Nations to emphasize a point. His decision to place nuclear missiles in Cuba led to a critical standoff with the United States in 1962, known as the Cuban Missile Crisis.
In November of 1956, Krushchev predicted that Russia would outlast the United States, because our people would overthrow our government. In November of 2024, 75 million Americans did just that when they elected Donald Trump, a pro-Russian Putin puppet, as President. Today, in the same U.N. building where Krushchev once banged his shoe on a desk to protest a U.N. decision, the United States turned its back on Ukraine and voted with Russia on a U.N. proposal. It took almost 7 decades for Krushchev’s prediction to come true, but our own working class has finally buried us. I just hope we can dig ourselves out.
Peace & Love, and all of the above,
Earl
earlthepearl137 