A book to read. Warsaw 1920: Lenin’s Failed Conquest of Europe
Wow. What a good read. Especially if you like obscure but interesting history. I had no clue that in 1920 that Lenin decided to invade Poland (which had only recently become a country again after being split between Russia, Germany and Austria for over a hundred years). The history of Poland is interesting in itself (pick up James Michener’s Poland if you want a relatively easy historical lesson told in a good storytelling way).
This is a short book. It shows how close the new Soviet Union came to including Poland (and more geography if they had been successful and kept on going) as early as 1920. It also shows Poland’s resourcefulness (they didn’t really have a qualified experienced general) and fortitude in the face of some fairly overwhelming numbers. If you are interested in obscure historical moments that had an impact (because some things happened in this war that affected Soviet attitudes in WW2) then pick up this book.
No comments yet.
No trackbacks yet.
comment of the day: elections and governing
May 10, 2012 - 10:11 am
Tags: actions today make who i am tomorrow, america repairing it’s faults, America’s character, behavior in new economic world, better than every other country, buy as soon as possible, cannot function because always fighting for job, capitalism and morals, capitalism communism, change begins in the head, change forces prioritizing, change takes remarkable effort, changed behavior, changing objectives to make change, character, clarity of ideological thinking, communism, communism embracing capitalism, consumers are complicated, country geography, country mortality, decision making, democracy in america, democratic uprisings, depression versus recession, do elections ever end, economic inequality, economy, effect of recession, elections, enlightened conflict, enlightened reading, enlightening reading, excellence in brevity, generations changing behavior, geopolitical wars, give consumers a choice, global economic superiority, global unrest, government, government imbalance, great manifestos, have and have nots, haves, haves versus have-nots, history, ideological thinking, ignorance, impact of recession, it is tough but how tough, job insecurity, job responsibility, keenly aware of america’s flaws, learning, letting go is difficult, letting go is not simple, life, life lessons, Lost Ground, making shit is good, marketing, marx and engel and founding fathers, middle east, middle east is complex, moral fiber, no easy steps in middle east, nothing lasts forever, optomism versus pessimism, optomistically cynical, perspective, Pew Research, pluralism, poverty, proud patriots, quotes, recession, recession affecting shopping behavior, redistribution of power, redrawing boundaries, relationships, resiliency, respect, responsibility, rethinking elections, seeking new experiences, self determination, social imbalance, social revolutions, social unrest, social upheavals, socialism, spending money as soon as we have it, story of two americas, strength of character to make change, Stuff I Like, switching but not satisfied, that i will be tomorrow, the constitution, the decline of europe, the economist, the have nots, the haves, the story of a fragmented america, the story of fragmented middle east, this i am today, time magazine, tocqueville, today’s economy, truth, uncertainty of nations, understanding the middle east, unreasonable solutions, well written documents, words
Posted in Rants and Observations | No comments
I saw this comment in The Guardian: The French elections lasted for what? A month and a half, now they have a new President. Our elections begin 2 years in advance and don’t end until super tuesday which sounds like a sporting event. Our leaders cannot function because they are always fighting for their jobs [...]
manifesto book end thinking (a series of two)
April 4, 2012 - 6:43 am
Tags: actions today make who i am tomorrow, america repairing it’s faults, America’s character, behavior in new economic world, better than every other country, buy as soon as possible, can iran manage it’s own issues, capitalism and morals, capitalism communism, change begins in the head, change forces prioritizing, change takes remarkable effort, changed behavior, changing objectives to make change, character, china economy, clarity of ideological thinking, communism, communism embracing capitalism, communism in the 1900s, communist manifesto, consumers are complicated, country geography, country mortality, decision making, democracy in america, democratic uprisings, depression versus recession, economic center of gravity, economic inequality, economy, effect of recession, enlightened conflict, enlightened reading, enlightening reading, excellence in brevity, generations changing behavior, geopolitical wars, give consumers a choice, global economic superiority, global unrest, government, government imbalance, great manifestos, have and have nots, haves, haves versus have-nots, history, ideological thinking, ignorance, impact of recession, it is tough but how tough, keenly aware of america’s flaws, learning, letting go is difficult, letting go is not simple, life, life lessons, Lost Ground, making shit is good, marketing, Marx and capitalism, marx and engel and founding fathers, middle east, middle east is complex, moral fiber, no easy steps in middle east, nothing lasts forever, optomism versus pessimism, optomistically cynical, Paris 1919, persepctive on economy, perspective, Pew Research, pluralism, poverty, proud patriots, quotes, recession, recession affecting shopping behavior, redistribution of power, redrawing boundaries, relationships, resiliency, respect, responsibility, saving versus buying, seeking new experiences, self determination, shopping around, shopping behavior, sinclair lewis, social imbalance, social revolutions, social unrest, social upheavals, socialism, spending money as soon as we have it, story of two americas, strength of character to make change, struggling with Iran, Stuff I Like, switching, switching but not satisfied, that i will be tomorrow, the constitution, the decline of europe, the economist, the have nots, the haves, the story of a fragmented america, the story of fragmented middle east, this i am today, thoughtful middle east solution, time magazine, tocqueville, today’s economy, truth, uncertainty of nations, understanding the middle east, unreasonable solutions, well written documents, words
Posted in Rants and Observations, Stuff I Like | No comments
Ok. This is going to be a 2 part series discussing 2 incredibly well written and often misunderstood documents. These two documents are a reflection of two of the most important and influential political theories ever created. Both documents continue to influence and provoke discussion on ideology, capitalism and government. And mostly I wanted to [...]
bookend 1: american constitution
April 4, 2012 - 6:42 am
Tags: actions today make who i am tomorrow, america repairing it’s faults, America’s character, behavior in new economic world, better than every other country, buy as soon as possible, can iran manage it’s own issues, capitalism and morals, capitalism communism, change begins in the head, change forces prioritizing, change takes remarkable effort, changed behavior, changing objectives to make change, character, china economy, clarity of ideological thinking, communism, communism embracing capitalism, communism in the 1900s, communist manifesto, consumers are complicated, country geography, country mortality, decision making, democracy in america, democratic uprisings, depression versus recession, economic center of gravity, economic inequality, economy, effect of recession, enlightened conflict, enlightened reading, enlightening reading, excellence in brevity, generations changing behavior, geopolitical wars, give consumers a choice, global economic superiority, global unrest, government, government imbalance, great manifestos, have and have nots, haves, haves versus have-nots, history, ideological thinking, ignorance, impact of recession, it is tough but how tough, keenly aware of america’s flaws, learning, letting go is difficult, letting go is not simple, life, life lessons, Lost Ground, making shit is good, marketing, Marx and capitalism, marx and engel and founding fathers, middle east, middle east is complex, moral fiber, no easy steps in middle east, nothing lasts forever, optomism versus pessimism, optomistically cynical, Paris 1919, persepctive on economy, perspective, Pew Research, pluralism, poverty, proud patriots, quotes, recession, recession affecting shopping behavior, redistribution of power, redrawing boundaries, relationships, resiliency, respect, responsibility, saving versus buying, seeking new experiences, self determination, shopping around, shopping behavior, sinclair lewis, social imbalance, social revolutions, social unrest, social upheavals, socialism, spending money as soon as we have it, story of two americas, strength of character to make change, struggling with Iran, Stuff I Like, switching, switching but not satisfied, that i will be tomorrow, the constitution, the decline of europe, the economist, the have nots, the haves, the story of a fragmented america, the story of fragmented middle east, this i am today, thoughtful middle east solution, time magazine, tocqueville, today’s economy, truth, uncertainty of nations, understanding the middle east, unreasonable solutions, well written documents, words
Posted in Rants and Observations, Stuff I Like | No comments
“We may be tossed upon an ocean where we can see no land – nor, perhaps, the sun and stars. But there is a chart and a compass for us to study, to consult, and to obey. The chart is the Constitution.” – Daniel Webster Ok. I begin the two part series with the American [...]
bookend 2: manifesto of the communist party
April 4, 2012 - 6:42 am
Tags: actions today make who i am tomorrow, america repairing it’s faults, America’s character, behavior in new economic world, better than every other country, buy as soon as possible, can iran manage it’s own issues, capitalism and morals, capitalism communism, change begins in the head, change forces prioritizing, change takes remarkable effort, changed behavior, changing objectives to make change, character, china economy, clarity of ideological thinking, communism, communism embracing capitalism, communism in the 1900s, communist manifesto, consumers are complicated, country geography, country mortality, decision making, democracy in america, democratic uprisings, depression versus recession, economic center of gravity, economic inequality, economy, effect of recession, enlightened conflict, enlightened reading, enlightened thinking, enlightening reading, excellence in brevity, generations changing behavior, geopolitical wars, give consumers a choice, global economic superiority, global unrest, government, government imbalance, great manifestos, have and have nots, haves, haves versus have-nots, history, ideological thinking, ignorance, impact of recession, it is tough but how tough, keenly aware of america’s flaws, learning, letting go is difficult, letting go is not simple, life, life lessons, Lost Ground, making shit is good, marketing, Marx and capitalism, marx and engel and founding fathers, middle east, middle east is complex, moral fiber, no easy steps in middle east, nothing lasts forever, optomism versus pessimism, optomistically cynical, Paris 1919, persepctive on economy, perspective, Pew Research, pluralism, poverty, proud patriots, quotes, recession, recession affecting shopping behavior, redistribution of power, redrawing boundaries, relationships, resiliency, respect, responsibility, saving versus buying, seeking new experiences, self determination, shopping around, shopping behavior, sinclair lewis, social imbalance, social revolutions, social unrest, social upheavals, socialism, spending money as soon as we have it, story of two americas, strength of character to make change, struggling with Iran, Stuff I Like, switching, switching but not satisfied, that i will be tomorrow, the constitution, the decline of europe, the economist, the have nots, the haves, the story of a fragmented america, the story of fragmented middle east, this i am today, thoughtful middle east solution, time magazine, tocqueville, today’s economy, truth, uncertainty of nations, understanding the middle east, unreasonable solutions, well written documents, words
Posted in Rants and Observations, Stuff I Like | No comments
This is the last of my “manifesto” series. But it was maybe the first that I thought about. Because as I watch the news and see the pictures in Egypt and Sudan and the middle east <and everything else associated with a populace driven revolution> I thought about the manifesto of the communist party (more [...]
water water everywhere … but nary a drop
April 3, 2012 - 7:15 am
Tags: 10% of world has no sanitary water, 2 billion more people have water, 783 million without drinking water, access to adequate sanitation, accessing water, africa economy, America’s character, behavior in new economic world, capitalism and morals, capitalism communism, change begins in the head, change forces prioritizing, change takes remarkable effort, changed behavior, coleridge water poem, conflict created by water, country geography, country mortality, decision making, democratic uprisings, depression versus recession, dozen nations receive water from hostile nations, economic center of gravity, economic inequality, economy, effect of recession, enlightened conflict, enlightened reading, fragmented water sources, geopolitical wars, global economic superiority, global issues, global unrest, government, government imbalance, have and have nots, haves versus have-nots, history, ignorance, impact of recession, it is tough but how tough, learning, life, life lessons, making shit is good, meeting the water needs of population, middle east, middle east is complex, millennium goals, moral fiber, no easy steps in middle east, nothing lasts forever, optomism versus pessimism, optomistically cynical, Paris 1919, persepctive on economy, perspective, poverty, poverty matters, quotes, recession, recession affecting shopping behavior, redistribution of power, redrawing boundaries, relationships, resiliency, respect, responsibility, river and rival have same latin root, saving versus buying, seeking new experiences, self determination, social imbalance, social revolutions, social unrest, social upheavals, strength of character to make change, Stuff I Like, that i will be tomorrow, the economist, the have nots, the haves, the location of usable water is changing, this i am today, thoughtful middle east solution, time magazine, today’s economy, truth, uncertainty of nations, understanding the middle east, unreasonable solutions, urbanization of population, water, water conflicts, water everywhere and nowhere, water is a global issue, water water everywhere, words
Posted in Rants and Observations | No comments
Day after day, day after day, We stuck, nor breath nor motion; As idle as a painted ship Upon a painted ocean. Water, water, every where, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink. – Coleridge (the Rime of the Ancient Mariner) Nope. This isn’t going to be [...]
message to those who will repair
March 30, 2012 - 7:26 am
Tags: a semi utopian belief, actions today make who i am tomorrow, america dreams shattered, america repairing it’s faults, America’s character, behavior in new economic world, better than every other country, capitalism and morals, capitalism communism, change begins in the head, change forces prioritizing, change takes remarkable effort, changed behavior, changing objectives to make change, character, china economy, communism embracing capitalism, communism in the 1900s, consumers are complicated, country geography, country mortality, decision making, democracy in america, democratic uprisings, depression versus recession, distinctive in the developed world, economic center of gravity, economic inequality, economy, effect of recession, enlightened conflict, enlightened reading, enlightening reading, flawed is challenging, flawed is interesting, flaws in our utopian dream, generations changing behavior, geopolitical wars, give consumers a choice, global economic superiority, global unrest, government, government imbalance, have and have nots, haves, haves versus have-nots, history, ignorance, impact of recession, it is tough but how tough, keenly aware of america’s flaws, learning, letting go is difficult, letting go is not simple, level of civility constant, level of civility in developed world, life, life lessons, Lost Ground, making shit is good, marketing, middle east, middle east is complex, moral fiber, no easy steps in middle east, nothing lasts forever, optomism versus pessimism, optomistically cynical, Paris 1919, perfect balance of control and freedom, persepctive on economy, perspective, Pew Research, poverty, proud patriots, quotes, recession, recession affecting shopping behavior, redistribution of power, redrawing boundaries, relationships, repairing america’s flaws, resiliency, respect, responsibility, saving versus buying, seeking new experiences, self determination, shopping around, shopping behavior, sinclair lewis, social imbalance, social revolutions, social unrest, social upheavals, spending money as soon as we have it, stopping the decline of america, story of two americas, strength of character to make change, Stuff I Like, switching but not satisfied, that i will be tomorrow, the decline of america, the economist, the have nots, the haves, the story of a fragmented america, the story of fragmented middle east, this i am today, thoughtful middle east solution, tocqueville, today’s economy, truth, uncertainty of nations, unreasonable solutions, words
Posted in Favorite Quotes, Rants and Observations | No comments
“We are many, many people and yet we are one. What we do today with our thinking, what we do tomorrow with our thoughts, what we do with our actions and our interactions with people determines the course of the universe itself. You are not powerless. You are not without power.” – Little Crow This [...]
repairing your faults
March 29, 2012 - 8:36 am
Tags: a semi utopian belief, actions today make who i am tomorrow, africa economy, america dreams shattered, america repairing it's faults, America’s character, behavior in new economic world, better than every other country, buy as soon as possible, can iran manage it’s own issues, capitalism and morals, capitalism communism, change begins in the head, change forces prioritizing, change takes remarkable effort, changed behavior, changing objectives to make change, character, china economy, communism embracing capitalism, communism in the 1900s, consumers are complicated, country geography, country mortality, decision making, democracy in america, democratic uprisings, depression versus recession, distinctive in the developed world, economic center of gravity, economic inequality, economy, effect of recession, enlightened conflict, enlightened reading, enlightening reading, flawed is challenging, flawed is interesting, flaws in our utopian dream, generations changing behavior, geopolitical wars, give consumers a choice, global economic superiority, global unrest, government, government imbalance, have and have nots, haves, haves versus have-nots, history, ignorance, impact of recession, iran, iran sanctions, it is tough but how tough, keenly aware of america's flaws, learning, letting go is difficult, letting go is not simple, level of civility constant, level of civility in developed world, life, life lessons, Lost Ground, making shit is good, marketing, middle east, middle east is complex, moral fiber, no easy steps in middle east, nothing lasts forever, optomism versus pessimism, optomistically cynical, Paris 1919, perfect balance of control and freedom, persepctive on economy, perspective, Pew Research, poverty, proud patriots, quotes, recession, recession affecting shopping behavior, redistribution of power, redrawing boundaries, relationships, repairing america's flaws, resiliency, respect, responsibility, saving versus buying, seeking new experiences, self determination, shopping around, shopping behavior, sinclair lewis, social imbalance, social revolutions, social unrest, social upheavals, spending money as soon as we have it, stopping the decline of america, story of two americas, strength of character to make change, struggling with Iran, Stuff I Like, switching, switching but not satisfied, that i will be tomorrow, the decline of america, the economist, the have nots, the haves, the story of a fragmented america, the story of fragmented middle east, this i am today, thoughtful middle east solution, time magazine, tocqueville, today’s economy, truth, uncertainty of nations, understanding the middle east, unreasonable solutions, words
Posted in Rants and Observations | No comments
“The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.” – Alexis de Tocqueville Similar to Alexis lately I am keenly aware of America’s faults … but just as much of its virtues. I also find that many of my friends are [...]
how an arms race begins
March 4, 2012 - 7:34 pm
Tags: actions today make who i am tomorrow, africa economy, africa is key to the global economic conflict, algeria gets russian tanks, America’s character, an economic conflict, behavior in new economic world, business, can iran manage it’s own issues, capitalism and morals, capitalism communism, change begins in the head, change forces prioritizing, change takes remarkable effort, changed behavior, china economy, china in africa, colonialism is a capitalistic concept, country geography, country mortality, decision making, democratic uprisings, depression versus recession, east africa arms race, east africa gets bulgarian ship, economic center of gravity, economic inequality, economy, effect of recession, enlightened conflict, enlightened reading, equatorial guinea arms race, expanding military, geopolitical wars, global economic superiority, global unrest, government, government imbalance, have and have nots, haves versus have-nots, history, how an arms race begins, ignorance, impact of recession, iran, it is tough but how tough, jockeying for position globally, learning, lessons, life, life lessons, making shit is good, maoism communism, middle east, middle east is complex, moral fiber, no easy steps in middle east, nothing lasts forever, optomism versus pessimism, optomistically cynical, Paris 1919, persepctive on economy, perspective, poverty, quotes, recession, recession affecting shopping behavior, redistribution of power, redrawing boundaries, relationships, resiliency, respect, responsibility, saving versus buying, seeking new experiences, self determination, social imbalance, social revolutions, social unrest, social upheavals, strength of character to make change, Stuff I Like, that i will be tomorrow, the economist, the have nots, the haves, the story of fragmented middle east, this i am today, thoughtful middle east solution, time magazine, today’s economy, truth, uncertainty of nations, understanding the middle east, unreasonable solutions, when one has another wants, words
Posted in Rants and Observations | No comments
Ok. I am not a pacifist. And while I do believe having a viable military, and using it properly, has a role I am constantly reminded of what Hemingway said .. “Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.” Regardless. I do wonder how arms races (which inevitably [...]
imbalance creating global unrest
February 17, 2012 - 7:15 am
Tags: actions today make who i am tomorrow, africa economy, America’s character, behavior in new economic world, can iran manage it’s own issues, capitalism and morals, capitalism communism, change begins in the head, change forces prioritizing, change takes remarkable effort, changed behavior, china economy, communism embracing capitalism, communism in the 1900s, country geography, country mortality, decision making, democratic uprisings, depression versus recession, economic center of gravity, economic inequality, economy, effect of recession, enlightened conflict, enlightened reading, geopolitical wars, global economic superiority, global unrest, government, government imbalance, have and have nots, haves versus have-nots, history, ignorance, impact of recession, iran, iran sanctions, it is tough but how tough, learning, life, life lessons, making shit is good, middle east, middle east is complex, moral fiber, no easy steps in middle east, nothing lasts forever, optomism versus pessimism, optomistically cynical, Paris 1919, persepctive on economy, perspective, poverty, quotes, recession, recession affecting shopping behavior, redistribution of power, redrawing boundaries, relationships, resiliency, respect, responsibility, saving versus buying, seeking new experiences, self determination, social imbalance, social revolutions, social unrest, social upheavals, spending money as soon as we have it, story of two americas, strength of character to make change, struggling with Iran, Stuff I Like, that i will be tomorrow, the decline of europe, the economist, the have nots, the haves, the story of fragmented middle east, this i am today, thoughtful middle east solution, time magazine, today’s economy, truth, uncertainty of nations, understanding the middle east, unreasonable solutions, words
Posted in Rants and Observations | No comments
Ok. This was a complicated one to write. Partially my own issue in that I study cyclical history (the study of the fact we are doomed to make the same errors because of generational experience … or lack of experience depending on where we are in the cycle). As well as I see how attitudes [...]
Iran
February 14, 2012 - 5:12 pm
Tags: actions today make who i am tomorrow, africa economy, America’s character, behavior in new economic world, can iran manage it's own issues, capitalism and morals, capitalism communism, change begins in the head, change forces prioritizing, change takes remarkable effort, changed behavior, china economy, communism embracing capitalism, country geography, decision making, depression versus recession, economic center of gravity, economy, effect of recession, enlightened conflict, enlightened reading, government, haves versus have-nots, history, ignorance, impact of recession, iran, iran sanctions, it is tough but how tough, learning, life, life lessons, making shit is good, middle east, middle east is complex, moral fiber, no easy steps in middle east, optomism versus pessimism, optomistically cynical, Paris 1919, persepctive on economy, perspective, poverty, quotes, recession, recession affecting shopping behavior, redrawing boundaries, relationships, resiliency, respect, responsibility, saving versus buying, seeking new experiences, self determination, spending money as soon as we have it, story of two americas, strength of character to make change, struggling with Iran, Stuff I Like, that i will be tomorrow, the decline of europe, the economist, the have nots, the haves, the story of fragmented middle east, this i am today, thoughtful middle east solution, time magazine, today’s economy, truth, understanding the middle east, unreasonable solutions, words
Posted in Rants and Observations, Stuff I Like | No comments
So. I am not a middle east expert by any stretch of the imagination. But a lot of stuff is happening which includes the word “Iran” a lot. And, frankly, not a lot of good stuff. Foreign Affairs magazine had an interesting article or two (they always do a nice job of sharing opposing points [...]
