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Pastimes : A CENTURY OF LIONS/THE 20TH CENTURY TOP 100 -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Michael M who wrote (2087)	12/3/1999 3:30:00 PM
From: Neocon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3246

Good post! I actually had hoped for a more thorough discussion of the term "influence", and have commented on aspects of the problem at various times. My premise is that there are several main stories this century: the defeat of fascism; the defeat of Communism; the rise of science and technology; the rise of an increasingly global popular culture; and the advance of elite culture, as opposed to "class culture", as an important component of education. If these are the foci of world history, the mega- events, then those who have determinative influence in each sphere have at least a claim to inclusion...... Lindbergh was a celebrity, but he also deserved it, by helping to forward the cause of aviation so startlingly. I am dissuadable on this, but my sense is that without Lindbergh, the development of aviation would have been retarded quite a bit, and it would not have been able to have played such a key role in winning the war or containing Communism...... Reagan always expressed a sense of gratitude for Lady Thatcher's support that I thought was sincere. It is my sense that she was crucial to helping him bridge the gap with NATO leaders, and firmly establish himself, and also in the development of his relationship with Gorbachev..... I think that there were too many liberals who needed Solzhenitsyn to force the issue. I was myself surprised by the impact of the Gulag Archipelago. Moving as it was, after I read it, I had a bit of a "what's new?" feeling myself. Yet, he seems to have a definite moral impact on Western elites, and to have inspired many dissidents in Russia, and therefore, I cannot escape the sense that he was important to the success of Reagan in politics, and the restiveness that encouraged the Politburo to back Gorbachev...... Let me know what you think of my counterpoints......