RC
Robert Conquest
16quotes
Robert Conquest: A Prolific Historian and Poet of the 20th Century
Full Name and Common Aliases
Robert Edward Conquest was born on October 15, 1917, in Southampton, England. He is also known as Bob Conquest.
Birth and Death Dates
Conquest passed away on August 4, 2015, at the age of 97.
Nationality and Profession(s)
Conquest held British nationality and was a renowned historian, poet, translator, and academic. His work spanned multiple disciplines, including literature, history, politics, and poetry.
Early Life and Background
Growing up in England during World War II, Conquest's early life was marked by the tumultuous climate of war-torn Europe. He developed an interest in languages and culture at a young age and went on to study English Language and Literature at Christ Church, Oxford University. After completing his studies, Conquest worked as a foreign correspondent for The Observer newspaper.
Major Accomplishments
Conquest's academic career was marked by significant accomplishments. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of London in 1946 and went on to teach English Literature at various institutions, including Cambridge University. His work as an editor and translator also played a crucial role in popularizing Russian literature in the West.
Notable Works or Actions
Conquest's most notable works include:
The Great Terror: Stalin's Purges of the Thirties (1956), which exposed the atrocities committed during Stalin's reign.
The History of Modern Russia (1993-2001), a three-volume work covering Russian history from 1800 to 1999.
Impact and Legacy
Conquest's impact on our understanding of modern history cannot be overstated. His meticulous research and analysis shed light on the dark corners of Soviet rule, making him one of the leading experts on the subject in the West. As a poet and translator, he introduced readers to Russian literature and poetry, enriching the cultural landscape.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Conquest's work continues to be widely quoted and remembered due to its significance in historical scholarship and literary circles. His writing style, characterized by clarity and wit, made complex topics accessible to a broad audience. As a result, his quotes are often cited for their insight into the human experience and the importance of standing up against tyranny.
As we reflect on Conquest's life and work, it becomes clear that his contributions transcend disciplines and borders. He remains an influential figure in our collective understanding of history, literature, and politics.
Quotes by Robert Conquest
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To congratulate oneself on one’s warm commitment to the environment, or to peace, or to the oppressed, and think no more is a profound moral fault.
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The psychosphere, the logosphere, is permeated by concepts, ideas, verbalizations, a whole apparatus devised, or rather evolved, to form some sort of mental contact with reality – or to block it off. That is, a large circle of the “thinking,” “educated” class take ideas as more veridical than facts.
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We still find, especially in parts of academe, the damaging notion that everything is a struggle for power, or being empowered, or hegemony, or oppression: and that all competition is a zero-sum game. This is not more than repetition of Lenin's destructive doctrine. Intellectually, it is reductionism; politically, it is fanaticism.
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You made a point about proof. In this sort of history we do nt have proof... Yet... the incontrovertibility of the evidence can be plain even when it is not documentary or complete.
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The Soviet assumption that all other political life-forms and beliefs were inherently and immutably hostile was the simple and central cause of that Cold War.
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The Idea of Anti-imperialism is... to be considered on several grounds. First, it is traditionally pervasive in the United States, though given its most extreme form in anti-Western academe. Second, it is used as a negative label for any effort by the United States, or the West, to encourage liberties, to block fanaticisms, and to make aid dependent on positive economic policies. Those concerned with the future development of their countries, and of the world, cannot afford to let obsolete resentments distort their aims.
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I think once you accept that you have the answer to everything, you can do anything to bring it about because your enemies are trying to stop you, are enemies of reason, of truth of everything - enemies of the future. You represent the people, you represent the nation, you represent everything that is good and that entitles you to destroy the bad people.
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Such work as is overtly political has usually been the result of neither experience nor insight, those essentials to any true creation, but rather of the frigid projection on to unsuitable material of opinions learnt in the abstract, ideologies accepted on trust.
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