"Olaf Stapledon - Light and the Darkness" - читать интересную книгу автора (Stapledon Olaf)

file:///K|/eMule/Incoming/W%20Olaf%20Stapledon%20-%20Light%20and%20the%20Darkness.html (15 of 104)5-9-2007 13:26:18
Darkness and the Light




together.

To understand the Chinese social ideas of this period with their emphasis at once on freedom and self-discipline for the common
task, one must bear in mind the effects of the Japanese wars. At the outset the Chinese had been hopelessly divided against
themselves, and the Japanese had profited by their discord. But invasion united them, and to the surprise of the World they
showed great skill and devotion in reorganizing their whole economy to resist the ruthless enemy. Though their armies were
driven inland, they contrived to create a new China in the West. There, great factories sprang up, great universities were founded.
There, the young men and women of the new China learned to believe in their people's mission to free the world from tyranny
and to found a world-civilization which should combine the virtues of the ancient and the Modern.

During the first phase of the resistance against Japan, during the emergence of the new national consciousness which was also a
new consciousness of mankind, the whole resources of the state and the whole energy of the people were concentrated on
defence. Arms had to be bought or made, armies raised. And the new soldiers had to be politically trained so that each of them
should be not merely an efficient fighter but also a radiating centre of the new ideas. Education, military and civilian, was one of
the state's main cares. Under the influence of a number of brilliant minds there appeared the outline of the old new culture. Based
on the ethics of the ancient China, but influenced also by Christianity, by European democracy, by European science, by Russian
communism, it was at the same time novel through and through.

Unfortunately, though the ideas that inspired the new China included common service, common sacrifice, and common
ownership, the structure of Chinese society was still in part capitalist. Though under the stress of War the commercial and
financial oligarchy sacrificed much, freely or under compulsion, it managed to retain its position as the effective power behind
the throne of the people's representatives, and later behind the dictator. In the period of acute danger this power had been
exercised secretly, and had effected intrigues with the similar power in Japan. Later, when the tide had turned, when the Japanese
armies were either surrounded or in flight to the coast, the plea of national danger was no longer sufficiently urgent to subdue or
disguise the efforts of finance to re-establish itself. A period of violent internal strain was followed by a civil war. Once more the
rice plains were overrun by troops and tanks, railways were destroyed, cities bombed, savage massacres perpetrated in the name
of freedom or justice or security.

The result of the war was that Communism triumphed in the North, Capitalism in the South. For a while the two states
maintained their independence, constantly intriguing against one another. The North, of course, depended largely on Russian
support, and as Russia was at this time triumphantly expanding over Europe, it looked as though South China must soon
succumb. But Russia, though by now the greatest military power in the world, was no longer a revolutionary and inspiring
influence. The jargon of communism was still officially used, but its spirit had vanished; much as, in an earlier age, the jargon of
liberal democracy was used in support of capitalist exploitation. Consequently the leaders of the South were able to defeat




file:///K|/eMule/Incoming/W%20Olaf%20Stapledon%20-%20Light%20and%20the%20Darkness.html (16 of 104)5-9-2007 13:26:18
Darkness and the Light