LENIN'S HEIR
67
differentiated One, in its progression, descends through the stages of
Mind, Soul and Matter, and then through its fatal Return back to
Itself; so does the Soviet power, emanating from the integrally total–
itarian center, proceed outward by Absorption (the Baltics, Bessarabia,
Bukovina, East Poland), Domination (Finland, the Balkans, Mon–
golia, North China, and tomorrow Germany), Orienting Influence
(Italy, France, Turkey, Iran, central and south Qhina ... ), until
it is dissipated in MH ON, the outer material sphere, beyond the
Eurasian boundaries, of momentary Appeasement and Infiltration
(England, the United States) .
Second, most striking of all, an act of creative political imagina–
tion of the first order, is the development of the idea of what we may
call, following Molotov, "multi-national Bolshevism." Multi-national
Bolshevism is the term most appropriate to define communism in its
present historical stage, and here the individual style of Stalin, who
from hill earliest days in the party made himself a specialist on "the
national question," is most amply seen. Stalin, remarked Molotov in
his speech of February 1, 1944 explaining the multi-nationalist changes
in the Soviet Constitution, is "the best authority on the national ques–
tion, not only in our party and not only in our country."
Before Stalin's solution, the abstract internationalism which
seems to be demanded by Marxist principle had always foundered on
the ever rising tides of the nationalism of our age. Social democracy
was swamped by nationalism, succumbed to it, and became, what it
remains, an appendage of parliamentary national states where it
is
not swung into the Stalinist wake. Doctrinaire communist interna–
tionalism of earlier days was always driven back by the sweeping na–
tionalist currents. Stalin, as with all his political solutions, proposes to
conquer nationalism by running with, not against, the tide, but on top
of, not under,
th~
water.
Stalin aims neither to destroy nor to succumb to nationalism,
but to absorb it, to fuse nationalism with the internationalist metal of
the communist tradition, to guide into one engine these two greatest
social forces of our day. To sectarians, Stalin's solution is theoretical–
ally monstrous- and that is just wherein his creative genius is
manifest. :Quring the past three years, this monstrosity has already
shown on the world theater its abundant vitality. Gone are the
outworn Comintern and its "sections." Free Germany, Free Jugo–
slavia, Free Poland, Free China, ELAS, Maquis, Partisans, Chou En–
lai, Browder, Tito, Thorez, Toledano, Togliatti: everywhere com–
munism is 20th century patriotism, no less truly communio;t than
