The Freeman 1972 - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

470 THE FREEMAN Au.gustdeclared that Talantov "never existed"but had been invented byanti-Soviet propaganda.)The testimony of Talantov is allthe more valuable because religiousgroups in the Old World (undermonastic influence) have traditionallyshown very little interestin the burning question ofprivate property and free enterprise.But Talantov, in whom wehave to see primarily a religiousmartyr of the Eastern Church, asthe author of a widely circulatedpamphlet entitled, "The CommunistParty of the Soviet Union asRuling Class in Soviet Society,"knew the real nature of the evil.Here he gave us a precise analysiswhy there can be no freedom, norespect for the dignity of the personin a socialist system. He evenstrongly emphasized the economicsuperiority of free enterprise overstate capitalism. The latter insuresthe total enslavement of the workingclass and, incidentally, also theeconomic enforcement of atheismby a methodic discriminationagainst religious workers. Privateenterprise, Talantov insisted, notonly guarantees a minimum offreedom, but also produces goodsof greater quality with fewereconomic inputs.Has the Russian undergroundembraced Adam Smith? It wouldbe premature to answer this questionin the affirmative. It is certain,however, that a chance forsound economic thinking exists,not, of course, within the Sovietgovernment, but among its internalenemies who are all verymuch aware of the West's materialsuperiority. As a matter offact, religious, political and economictruth in the Soviet Unionis engaged in a heroic uphill fight;whe:weas in the West, truth, dueto mental sloth, envy, jealousy,and the masochistic denigrationof one's own traditions, is slippingand sliding, is obscured and forgotton.Under these circumstancesit would be a real shame for us,who had all the breaks, if theLight again would be coming fromthe East. t)IDEAS ONLIBERTYServiceWHOEVER could make two ears of corn, or two blades of grass, togrow upon a spot of ground where only one· grew before, woulddeserve better of mankind, and do more essential service to hiscountry than the whole race of politicians put together.JONATHAN SWIFT