“Is the pain of revolution worth the gain? Cost-benefit accounting is a complicated business when applied to social transitions. But have we ever bothered to compare the violence of revolution against the violence that preceded it? "I do not know how one measures the price of historical victories;' said Robert Heilbroner, "I only know that the way in which we ordinarily keep the books of history is wrong." We make no tally of the generations claimed by that combination of economic exploitation and political suppression so characteristic of the ancient regimes: the hapless victims of flood and famine in the Yangtze valley of yesterday, the child prostitutes found dead in the back alleys of old Shanghai, the muzhiks stricken by cold and starvation across the frozen steppes of Russia.”
Quote by Michael Parenti
Work
Blackshirts and Reds: Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism
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Author
Michael Parenti
Michael Parenti is an American political scientist known for his critical analysis of global political and economic issues. His research covers a wide range of topics, including capitalism, imperialism, racism, and class struggle, and has had a profound impact on understanding contemporary political economic systems. more
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