September 19, 2016 Monday
Bedtime Story
Gamow Flees Stalin's Great Purge
Soviet Union in spite of its lofty ideals of socialism and communism can be an extremely toxic place for an innovative, hardworking and free thinking personality.
America, no matter how evil and imperialistic it is portrayed as, is a most livable country.
Particularly for a downtrodden, oppressed and a coloured immigrant who would be an alien minority in a new country.
I say this from my very own personal experience having lived a substantial time in both these two nations.
Soviet Union in 1928 under Stalin imposed forced collectivization of farms resulting in pestiferous famines that led to death of millions.
Those who survived were despatched away to Gulags for forced labour as punishment.
1930s was a witness to Stalin's Great Purge or the Great Terror that involved political and ideological repression with the aid of Soviet Secret Police NKVD.
A person like me would certainly have been crushed and broken in that kind of environment (and perhaps I was).
Gamow would have agreed with me.
Hence from 1930 onwards when he just 26, he made several attempts to flee the country where he simply happened to be born without any choice or permission.
(In this respect most parents are guilty of such a crime.)
Finally in 1933, at the age of 29 he got his chance.
The pretext was participation in the 7th Solvay Conference which is held in Brussels near about every 3 years.
He insisted on taking his wife along and the Soviet authorities with great reluctance granted them their passports.
Once in Brussels, Gamow took help of Marie Curie and other colleagues to extend his stay.
From there, his next halt was at the Curie Institute, Paris followed by a temporary position at the University of London, England.
Finally in 1934, at the perfect age of 30, Gamow made it to America where anyone from any background and any social class was free to pursue the American Dream.
Which Gamow did and how!
America welcomed him openheartedly by immediately giving him the position of professor at the George Washington University located at Foggy Botton, District of Columbia.
Once here, his interests shifted to cosmology and astrophysics, particularly the early history of both the solar system and the universe.
Stay tuned to the voice of an average storytelling chimpanzee or login at http://panarrans.blogspot.in/
Good night mon ami and my fellow cousin ape.
Bedtime Story
Gamow Flees Stalin's Great Purge
Soviet Union in spite of its lofty ideals of socialism and communism can be an extremely toxic place for an innovative, hardworking and free thinking personality.
America, no matter how evil and imperialistic it is portrayed as, is a most livable country.
Particularly for a downtrodden, oppressed and a coloured immigrant who would be an alien minority in a new country.
I say this from my very own personal experience having lived a substantial time in both these two nations.
Soviet Union in 1928 under Stalin imposed forced collectivization of farms resulting in pestiferous famines that led to death of millions.
Those who survived were despatched away to Gulags for forced labour as punishment.
1930s was a witness to Stalin's Great Purge or the Great Terror that involved political and ideological repression with the aid of Soviet Secret Police NKVD.
A person like me would certainly have been crushed and broken in that kind of environment (and perhaps I was).
Gamow would have agreed with me.
Hence from 1930 onwards when he just 26, he made several attempts to flee the country where he simply happened to be born without any choice or permission.
(In this respect most parents are guilty of such a crime.)
Finally in 1933, at the age of 29 he got his chance.
The pretext was participation in the 7th Solvay Conference which is held in Brussels near about every 3 years.
He insisted on taking his wife along and the Soviet authorities with great reluctance granted them their passports.
Once in Brussels, Gamow took help of Marie Curie and other colleagues to extend his stay.
From there, his next halt was at the Curie Institute, Paris followed by a temporary position at the University of London, England.
Finally in 1934, at the perfect age of 30, Gamow made it to America where anyone from any background and any social class was free to pursue the American Dream.
Which Gamow did and how!
America welcomed him openheartedly by immediately giving him the position of professor at the George Washington University located at Foggy Botton, District of Columbia.
Once here, his interests shifted to cosmology and astrophysics, particularly the early history of both the solar system and the universe.
Stay tuned to the voice of an average storytelling chimpanzee or login at http://panarrans.blogspot.in/
Good night mon ami and my fellow cousin ape.
A sample of executions occurring during The Great Purge in 1930s
Matvei Bronstein one of the Three Musketeers and a pioneer of Quantum Gravity was executed in February of 1938 during the Great Purge
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