containment of George F Kennan.docx

containment of George F Kennan.docx

《containment of George F Kennan.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《containment of George F Kennan.docx（29页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

containmentofGeorgeFKennan

乔治•凯南（GeorgeF.Kennan）遏制政策（containment）始创人。

他的八千字电报及其在《外交》季刊上以X署名发表的《苏联行为的根源》使其获得了“冷战之父”的称号。

下面是其“X论文”的英文全文。

ThepoliticalpersonalityofSovietpowerasweknowittodayistheproductofideologyandcircumstances:

ideologyinheritedbythepresentSovietleadersfromthemovementinwhichtheyhadtheirpoliticalorigin,andcircumstancesofthepowerwhichtheynowhaveexercisedfornearlythreedecadesinRussia.TherecanbefewtasksofpsychologicalanalysismoredifficultthantotrytotracetheinteractionofthesetwoforcesandtherelativeroleofeachinthedeterminationofofficialSovietconduct.Yettheattemptmustbemadeifthatconductistobeunderstoodandeffectivelycountered.

ItisdifficulttosummarizethesetofideologicalconceptswithwhichtheSovietleaderscameintopower.Marxianideology,initsRussian-Communistprojection,hasalwaysbeeninprocessofsubtleevolution.Thematerialsonwhichitbasesitselfareextensiveandcomplex.ButtheoutstandingfeaturesofCommunistthoughtasitexistedin1916mayperhapsbesummarizedasfollows:

（a）thatthecentralfactorinthelifeofman,thefactorwhichdeterminesthecharacterofpubliclifeandthe"physiognomyofsociety,"isthesystembywhichmaterialgoodsareproducedandexchanged;（b）thatthecapitalistsystemofproductionisanefariousonewhichinevitablyleadstotheexploitationoftheworkingclassbythecapital-owningclassandisincapableofdevelopingadequatelytheeconomicresourcesofsocietyorofdistributingfairlythematerialgoodsproducedbyhumanlabor;（c）thatcapitalismcontainstheseedsofitsowndestructionandmust,inviewoftheinabilityofthecapital-owningclasstoadjustitselftoeconomicchange,resulteventuallyandinescapablyinarevolutionarytransferofpowertotheworkingclass;and（d）thatimperialism,thefinalphaseofcapitalism,leadsdirectlytowarandrevolution.

（《国际关系经典选读》这本书里省略了以下黄色的两段）

TherestmaybeoutlinedinLenin'sownwords:

"Unevennessofeconomicandpoliticaldevelopmentistheinflexiblelawofcapitalism.ItfollowsfromthisthatthevictoryofSocialismmaycomeoriginallyinafewcapitalistcountriesoreveninasinglecapitalistcountry.Thevictoriousproletariatofthatcountry,havingexpropriatedthecapitalistsandhavingorganizedSocialistproductionathome,wouldriseagainsttheremainingcapitalistworld,drawingtoitselfintheprocesstheoppressedclassesofothercountries."[seeendnote1]Itmustbenotedthattherewasnoassumptionthatcapitalismwouldperishwithoutproletarianrevolution.Afinalpushwasneededfromarevolutionaryproletariatmovementinordertotipoverthetotteringstructure.Butitwasregardedasinevitablethatsoonerorlaterthatpushbegiven.

For50yearspriortotheoutbreakoftheRevolution,thispatternofthoughthadexercisedgreatfascinationforthemembersoftheRussianrevolutionarymovement.Frustrated,discontented,hopelessoffindingself-expression--ortooimpatienttoseekit--intheconfininglimitsoftheTsaristpoliticalsystem,yetlackingwidepopularsupportfortheirchoiceofbloodyrevolutionasameansofsocialbetterment,theserevolutionistsfoundinMarxisttheoryahighlyconvenientrationalizationfortheirowninstinctivedesires.Itaffordedpseudo-scientificjustificationfortheirimpatience,fortheircategoricaldenialofallvalueintheTsaristsystem,fortheiryearningforpowerandrevengeandfortheirinclinationtocutcornersinthepursuitofit.ItisthereforenowonderthattheyhadcometobelieveimplicitlyinthetruthandsoundnessoftheMarxian-Leninistteachings,socongenialtotheirownimpulsesandemotions.Theirsincerityneednotbeimpugned.Thisisaphenomenonasoldashumannatureitself.IthasneverbeenmoreaptlydescribedthanbyEdwardGibbon,whowroteinTheDeclineandFalloftheRomanEmpire:

"Fromenthusiasmtoimposturethestepisperilousandslippery;thedemonofSocratesaffordsamemorableinstancehowawisemanmaydeceivehimself,howagoodmanmaydeceiveothers,howtheconsciencemayslumberinamixedandmiddlestatebetweenself-illusionandvoluntaryfraud."AnditwaswiththissetofconceptionsthatthemembersoftheBolshevikPartyenteredintopower.

Nowitmustbenotedthatthroughalltheyearsofpreparationforrevolution,theattentionofthesemen,asindeedofMarxhimself,hadbeencenteredlessonthefutureformwhichSocialism[seeendnote2]wouldtakethanonthenecessaryoverthrowofrivalpowerwhich,intheirview,hadtoprecedetheintroductionofSocialism.Theirviews,therefore,onthepositiveprogramtobeputintoeffect,oncepowerwasattained,wereforthemostpartnebulous,visionaryandimpractical.Beyondthenationalizationofindustryandtheexpropriationoflargeprivatecapitalholdingstherewasnoagreedprogram.Thetreatmentofthepeasantry,whichaccordingtotheMarxistformulationwasnotoftheproletariat,hadalwaysbeenavaguespotinthepatternofCommunistthought;anditremainedanobjectofcontroversyandvacillationforthefirsttenyearsofCommunistpower.

Thecircumstancesoftheimmediatepost-revolutionperiod--theexistenceinRussiaofcivilwarandforeignintervention,togetherwiththeobviousfactthattheCommunistsrepresentedonlyatinyminorityoftheRussianpeople--madetheestablishmentofdictatorialpoweranecessity.Theexperimentwith"warCommunism"andtheabruptattempttoeliminateprivateproductionandtradehadunfortunateeconomicconsequencesandcausedfurtherbitternessagainstthenewrevolutionaryregime.WhilethetemporaryrelaxationoftheefforttocommunizeRussia,representedbytheNewEconomicPolicy,alleviatedsomeofthiseconomicdistressandtherebyserveditspurpose,italsomadeitevidentthatthe"capitalisticsectorofsociety"wasstillpreparedtoprofitatoncefromanyrelaxationofgovernmentalpressure,andwould,ifpermittedtocontinuetoexist,alwaysconstituteapowerfulopposingelementtotheSovietregimeandaseriousrivalforinfluenceinthecountry.Somewhatthesamesituationprevailedwithrespecttotheindividualpeasantwho,inhisownsmallway,wasalsoaprivateproducer.

Lenin,hadhelived,mighthaveprovedagreatenoughmantoreconciletheseconflictingforcestotheultimatebenefitofRussiansociety,thoughthisisquestionable.Butbethatasitmay,Stalin,andthosewhomheledinthestruggleforsuccessiontoLenin'spositionofleadership,werenotthementotoleraterivalpoliticalforcesinthesphereofpowerwhichtheycoveted.Theirsenseofinsecuritywastoogreat.Theirparticularbrandoffanaticism,unmodifiedbyanyoftheAnglo-Saxontraditionsofcompromise,wastoofierceandtoojealoustoenvisageanypermanentsharingofpower.FromtheRussian-Asiaticworldoutofwhichtheyhademergedtheycarriedwiththemaskepticismastothepossibilitiesofpermanentandpeacefulcoexistenceofrivalforces.Easilypersuadedoftheirowndoctrinaire"rightness,"theyinsistedonthesubmissionordestructionofallcompetingpower.OutsideoftheCommunistParty,Russiansocietywastohavenorigidity.ThereweretobenoformsofcollectivehumanactivityorassociationwhichwouldnotbedominatedbytheParty.NootherforceinRussiansocietywastobepermittedtoachievevitalityorintegrity.OnlythePartywastohavestructure.Allelsewastobeanamorphousmass.

AndwithinthePartythesameprinciplewastoapply.ThemassofPartymembersmightgothroughthemotionsofelection,deliberation,decisionandaction;butinthesemotionstheyweretobeanimatednotbytheirownindividualwillsbutbytheawesomebreathofthePartyleadershipandtheover-broodingpresenceof"theword."

Letitbestressedagainthatsubjectivelythesemenprobablydidnotseekabsolutismforitsownsake.Theydoubtlessbelieved--andfounditeasytobelieve--thattheyaloneknewwhatwasgoodforsocietyandthattheywouldaccomplishthatgoodoncetheirpowerwassecureandunchallengeable.Butinseekingthatsecurityoftheirownruletheywerepreparedtorecognizenorestrictions,eitherofGodorman,onthecharacteroftheirmethods.Anduntilsuchtimeasthatsecuritymightbeachieved,theyplacedfardownontheirscaleofoperationalprioritiesthecomfortsandhappinessofthepeoplesentrustedtotheircare.

NowtheoutstandingcircumstanceconcerningtheSovietregimeisthatdowntothepresentdaythisprocessofpoliticalconsolidationhasneverbeencompletedandthemenintheKremlinhavecontinuedtobepredominantlyabsorbedwiththestruggletosecureandmakeabsolutethepowerwhichtheyseizedinNovember1917.Theyhaveendeavoredtosecureitprimarilyagainstforcesathome,withinSovietsocietyitself.Buttheyhavealsoendeavoredtosecureitagainsttheoutsideworld.Forideology,aswehaveseen,taughtthemthattheoutsideworldwashostileandthatitwastheirdutyeventuallytooverthrowthepoliticalforcesbeyondtheirborders.ThepowerfulhandsofRussianhistoryandtraditionreacheduptosustaintheminthisfeeling.Finally,theirownaggressiveintransigencewithrespecttotheoutsideworldbegantofinditsownreaction;andtheyweresoonforced,touseanotherGibbonesquephrase,"tochastisethecontumacy"whichtheythemselveshadprovoked.Itisanundeniableprivilegeofeverymantoprovehimselfrightinthethesisthattheworldishisenemy;forifhereiteratesitfrequentlyenoughandmakesitthebackgroundofhisconductheisboundeventuallytoberight.

NowitliesinthenatureofthementalworldoftheSovietleaders,aswellasinthecharacteroftheirideology,thatnoopp