Scientist of the ideological front

Among the huge number of anniversaries celebrated in 2009, there are many joyful and happy dates: the fall of the Berlin wall, the beginning of the “velvet revolutions”, in other words “Spring of the Eastern European peoples”. There are tragic dates - the suppression of the uprising on Tiananmyn Square, the onset of "Winter" for China. Among the others, the date that makes us be sad when he heard about which I just want to be silent. This date is the death of one of the prominent sons of Russia Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov. He passed away on December 14, 1989.

Of course, the figure of Sakharov, like the figure of any large -scale historical figure, is ambivalent. Today, 20 years after his death, there will be those who consider him a traitor to their country, a man who made maximum efforts to destroy the Soviet Union. Others, on the contrary, see in him the embodiment of all the best that can be in Russian - mind, universalism of thinking, conscience, awareness of responsibility for his country and the whole world. But both of them are just exaggerating one or another aspect of Andrei Dmitrievich, as if forgetting about another aspect of his life. But any person can only be understood in the integrity of his being.

Father "Kuzkina Mother"

When on October 12, 1960 the head of the Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev said “ we will show you Kuzkin’s mother! ", The world shuddered. The fear of the international community before the Eastern Colossus intensified even more when the expression about Kuzkin Mother was replaced by the more understandable “we will bury you”. And although Khrushchev himself in his memoirs admitted that, having heard about the tests of the thermonuclear bomb, the whole night he could not close the eye, imagining what the use of this “Kuzkina mother” would turn out for the world. And at that moment when Nikita Sergeyevich decided that the thermonuclear bomb would never be used, at least according to its highest sanction, he fell asleep in the baby's sleep.

Nevertheless, the words about Kuzkin Mother sounded. And after some time, a small note appeared in the newspaper Pravda about awarding a group of scientists for the development of new weapons. This group of scientists among the people was immediately dubbed the "fathers of Kuzkina Mother." One of those who entered this group of scientists was Andrei Sakharov.

The award, and this was one of the highest awards of the Soviet state, was the third star of the Hero of Socialist Labor. Few people have a similar honor. And Andrei Dmitrievich was awarded. In addition, he was a laureate of the two most prestigious awards - Stalin and Lenin. However, he lost all his awards at the moment when he openly declared his disagreement with the politician of the Soviet state, both internal and external.

Many in the late 1970-1980s were perplexed why the academician, who was “tabel about ranks”, occupied one of their first lines in the Soviet power, suddenly decided to go against the system, opposed the regime, the defense of which he dedicated more than 20 years of his life. The answer was simple. He was given by Andrei Dmitrievich in his last interview: “ I joined the work on nuclear weapons, or rather, I was included in a group engaged in nuclear weapons in July ... No, in June 1948. I was not asked whether I want it or not, I had refused several times, wanting to engage in pure science, but after I was included in this group, I worked with great tension, believing that the task facing us is very important for the country, for humanity, that the balance of two great powers and thereby two systems of the world, which will be a guarantee that such weapons will not be applied. We proceeded from the fact that this work is practically a war for peace . ”

That is exactly how Sakharov and other nuclear physicists were perceived by the work to create the most destructive weapons in human history. It was precisely the struggle for the world. Scientists created the country's missile and nuclear shield designed to protect it from the attack of American missiles.

And although from the height of the XXI century the possibility of nuclear bombing of the USSR with American strategic bombers in the post -war period seems almost unbelievable, those who lived in America and the Soviet Union then, the nuclear war seemed more than real. And as soon as possible, the creation of a weapon that guarantees mutual destruction was from the point of view of Soviet scientists and leaders of the Soviet state the only way to preserve the world. And it really turned out to be like that. Despite the ideological confrontation, the official peace between the superpower was supported strictly.

Nevertheless, if you ask a question at what point the value coup in Sakharov’s worldview occurred, there can be only one answer: when Khrushchev began to threaten the brainchild of Andrei Dmitrievich to the rest of the world. By the way, Khrushchev called Sakharov himself nothing more than “slobber”, following the advice of which he himself would turn into sling. And Sakharov advised in the early 1960s no less than stop testing nuclear weapons. However, in 1963, it was still possible to conclude a Moscow agreement on the prohibition of testing nuclear weapons in three media (on Earth, in space and water). Andrei Dmitrievich considered this treaty until the end of his days considered one of his main victories.

Convergence politician

Today, probably, with the exception of only a small group of social scholars, few people will recall the existence of such a popular social theory in the 1960-1970s as “the theory of convergence”. Nevertheless, recognized councils (Zbignnev Brzezinsky, Samuel Huntington), Western sociologists (Pitimim Sorokin, Talcott Parsons) wrote works on this theory. The meaning of the “theory of convergence” is as follows: as social relations develop (industrialization, urbanization, integration of production and culture), even a slow, but steady convergence of capitalism and socialism occurs. As a result, a certain hybrid society should appear, which will combine private ownership of the means of production, free entrepreneurship and the collective distribution of the surplus product.

Despite the fact that in the Soviet Union, the “convergence theory” was condemned as an apologetic theory, the purpose of which was to undermine the efforts of the USSR to establish peace in the international arena (at the same time, the Soviet higher officials were actively interested in this theory), there was a scientist who developed this theory. And this scientist was again Andrei Sakharov.

Back in 1968, he wrote the famous article “ Reflections on progress, peaceful coexistence and intellectual freedom ”. In this article, which gave rise to a splash in the West, two main theses. 1) The disunity of mankind threatens him with death, respectively, any preaching of disassembly (ideological, national or any other) is a crime and madness. 2) the disunity of the world's population can and should defeat only intellectual freedom (freedom of obtaining and disseminating information, freedom of unbiased and fearless discussion, freedom from the pressure of authority and prejudices). Accordingly, this freedom, or triple freedom of thought, as Andrei Sakharov himself called it, is in danger of “ from the calculated opium of“ mass culture ”, from the cowardly and selfish philistine ideology, from the ossified dogmatism of the bureaucratic oligarchy and its favorite weapons - ideological censorship .”

For the right of human rights

And the last of the dangers most of all annoyed Soviet officials, because, if they did not pose a danger to all thinking of humanity (by the way, Sakharov openly indicated this: “ The situation with censorship (Glavlit) in our country is hardly stable to fix it for a long time with the help of certain“ liberal ”instructions. Very serious organizational and legislative measures are needed, for example, the adoption of a special law on printing and information on printing and information on information ").

Later, Sakharov used the ideas of this article in his Nobel speech of 1975. The very name of the speech of the Nobel laureate, which was read by Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov, is probably containing a credo of his whole life. " World. Progress. Human rights ”, this is what was called speech. Only the world provides progress, and only progress provides the world. But both of them are nothing, if human rights are trampled, which is why it turns into an animal, losing the legacy of thousands of years of civilization. Man and only the happiness of a person should stand at the forefront. If the regime tramples a person, then the victims of this regime should be protected and helped. But, Andrei Dmitrievich pointed out, one cannot demand the “ crushing and total condemnation of these regimes. Reforms are needed, not a revolution. It is necessary to a flexible, pluralistic and tolerable society that embodies the spirit of the search, discussion and free, short -lived use of the achievements of all social systems . ”

And just a few years after the Nobel Prize of the World: a link to Gorky, the deprivation of all awards, constant surveillance. A few years later, the telephone was put in the Gorky apartment of Sakharov, and Mikhail Gorbachev, Secretary General of the CPSU Central Committee, called him. Finally, there was a congress of people's deputies, at which it was on Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov that the tactics of “slamming” were tried. This is when, due to “stormy and prolonged appliances,” a person could not say what he wanted. After one of these “slamming”, Sakharov felt poorly, and then he was gone.

Then there was a lot more. And now we live in a completely different country. And one of those whom we should say “thank you” for this (who will say with sarcasm, and who is with great gratitude) is a brilliant nuclear physicist who became a dissident and politician, Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov.