THE SOVIET DESIGN FOR A WORLD STATE

This is a valuable and important study of a vital aspect of communist policy. Beginning with Marx and Engels, the author demonstrates how the idea of world conquest has been an important motivating force in the world communist movement and has it has been translated into the prime moving force of Soviet foreign policy. Marx and Engels thought quite clearly in terms of a future world proletariat state in which national sovereignty would be a thing of the past. Lenin and Stalin also expressed themselves in terms of a World Socialist Soviet Republic. Today, Khrushchev and other Soviet leaders continue to voice as their objective a Soviet world state, with an ultimate reshaping of nations. World conquest is therefore still the official doctrine of communism, according to the author, in spite of the abundant lip-service now being paid to the idea of ""peaceful co-existence"". Of late, however, a new element has appeared in this communist drive for world conquest: Soviet-Russian nationalism, which sees a world state in terms of universal Russification. The author also makes the important point that the Russians can be either pro-nationalist or anti-nationalist, whenever, it will suit their purpose. When it comes to Western colonies, the Russians invariably back the local nationalists; but when it comes to Western Europe or the Eastern satellites, the Russians oppose them. As for non-Soviet schemes for world federation, the Russians are violently against them. ""All plans for a world state,"" writes the author, ""originating in the non-Soviet world, even the most moderate compromise proposals, are viewed by the Soviet leaders as a mortal threat to their own design for a world state.