Ideas of the 20th Century

In our eighth and final lecture, we explore the intellectual and political movements that contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union through figures such as Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and Václav Havel, who exposed the lies sustaining communist societies and emphasized the importance of “living in truth.” We examine Solzhenitsyn’s critique of ideology and his experiences in the Gulag system, Havel’s analysis of conformity and “living within the lie,” and the role leaders like Reagan and Thatcher played in challenging Soviet power. Dr. Bonevac concludes by considering Solzhenitsyn's warning that Western civilization's focus on human happiness rather than higher spiritual duties may lead to its own form of moral decay.