Chapter 17 – Karl Radek
Karl Radek was one of the famous movers and shakers who were taken to the dock at the Second Moscow Trial. However, he did not enjoy much prestige in the Bolshevik “Old Guard” circles. This is probably due, first of all, to his lack of success in the October Revolution and the civil war, and secondly, perhaps, to the fact that he was not a very serious man in the eyes of the old Bolsheviks. Although he was also regarded as one of the most famous activists of our time, it was very clear in anyone’s mind that he was by nature particularly fond of bluster, grandstanding, self-aggrandizement, posturing, and was very annoying.
He had a habit; whether speaking or giving a report, he always boasted about the sky and the sea, trying desperately to show that he was an important person. At the same time, in order to please the public, especially love to intersperse some low, not always so elegant jokes. These vulgar tactics, however, lowered his reputation, not, of course, in the impression of the party hierarchy, but in the minds of ordinary party members and Komsomol members.
Nevertheless, it must not be said that Radek was without talent. In fact, he was so knowledgeable and well-informed that he was able to shake out of his own memory a great deal about any country, party, event or politician when needed. He was recognized as an authoritative expert in the field of international relations, and his opinions on foreign policy were often taken up by the Politburo. It was also widely circulated in the Party that in 1919 Radek warned Lenin against attacking Poland, predicting that the Red Army would suffer a crushing defeat if it attacked, because the whole of Poland, even the working class, would rise to defend its homeland. This prediction of Radek was proved, and even Lenin himself later admitted that the Politburo had made a big mistake in not listening carefully to Radek’s incisive analysis of the situation.
In fact, Radek’s real genius should be in the area of writing articles for publications. Although he still spoke with a strong foreign accent, he learned to write in Russian, and he wrote very well.
However, Lenin always insisted that Radek could not be entrusted with really important party political positions. Therefore, Radek was neither a People’s Commissar of any ministry, nor a party secretary of any large oblast or city. One of the main reasons for this is that Radek lacked a down-to-earth style and the ability to work methodically, and was not calm and tight-lipped, making it difficult to keep party and state secrets. In those days, almost whenever the Politburo had to discuss any top-secret issues, Lenin had to order to keep Radek secret for a day or a few hours. All this led the Politburo to use him mainly as a talented journalist, giving him a number of posts related to the business of the Foreign Ministry.
When the so-called left-wing opposition emerged in the party, Radek, after some hesitation, finally defected to Trotsky. At the end of 1927, i.e. after the defeat of the opposition, he was exiled to Siberia. There he also sent out many angry and sharply worded letters and statements, firmly opposing Stalin’s line and calling on the members of the opposition to “stand firm”. In 1928, when he heard that Zinoviev and Kamenev had surrendered to Stalin, he immediately denounced them verbally, saying.
“They have surrendered and raped their faith. Those who believe in lies can no longer serve the working class. Those of us who are left should always tell the truth.”
However, he himself failed to “always tell the truth”. After only a year and a half in Siberia, he decided to surrender to Stalin for fear of being exiled indefinitely. He wanted to exchange this for his freedom.
For those members of the opposition who had surrendered earlier, Stalin offered a little more lenient terms. All they had to do was to sign a letter of repentance admitting that they had departed from the true Bolshevik line and declaring that Stalin’s political line was correct. Radek, on the other hand, since he surrendered much later than Zinoviev and Kamenev, had to accept much harsher conditions: in addition to signing a letter of repentance, he had to undertake the obligation to write articles attacking the opposition. Thus, from then on, Radek began to use his pencil to the best of his ability in order to win Stalin’s trust and restore his former position in the party.
While in Siberia, Radek wrote a letter to Trotsky, who was still in the exile village of Almaty, expressing his willingness to serve, saying.
“We must not silently and inactively watch the fighters who have dedicated themselves to the cause of the working class and the leader of the October Revolution being sadistically burned to death!”
But not even a year after this letter was written, the same Radek, in order to curry favor with Stalin, began to pour sewage on Trotsky, calling him a traitor to the revolutionary cause and a betrayer of Communism. Until the Moscow trials in 1937, Radek was Stalin’s faithful assistant, helping him to plan one propaganda campaign after another to slander Trotsky.
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