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About this quote

What does it mean?
Even though communism ideologically ended, its physical structures remain and pose a danger that must be navigated carefully.
In plain terms
Communism is over but its buildings still hurt people.
What can you take from it?
Be aware of the lasting physical impact of old systems.

Where it applies

  • post communist transition
  • rebuilding
  • policy reform

Putting it to work

  • assess infrastructure
  • plan for gradual reform

Questions to consider

  • What structures outlive their ideas?
  • How do you clear rubble without getting hurt?

Another view

The metaphor of a dead dog may not fit all communist states.

More from Alexander Solzhenitsyn

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  2. Here, lads, we live by the law of the taiga. But even here people manage to live. D'you know who are the ones the camps finish off? Those who lick other men's …

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  3. For us in Russia, communism is a dead dog, while, for many people in the West, it is still a living lion.

    Permalink to quote #10

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