Anderson Jhang
December Revolution
The Soviet Union was the largest communist country, and dominated by Russia during the twentieth century. However, this enormous union was peacefully dissolved in 1991. A Russian postman, who was also a very passionate communist, was trying to take big action to make his motherland glorious again. Could such a little man fulfill his great dream? 2
December Revolution
December Revolution By Anderson Jhang
Written by Anderson of E4B Composition 1 Instructor: Mr. Kenneth M. Smith Wenzao Ursuline College of Languages Kaohsiung, Taiwan June 2010
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About the Author I, Anderson Jia-Chi Jhang, born in 1991, Tainan City, am currently a fourth year student in the five year junior college at Wenzao Ursuline College of Languages in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. When we open up the newspaper, we sometimes hear about tragedies that somebody was killed due to the debt. Why does this happen so often? People usually lack the appropriate knowledge when they are encountering financial decisions. As a result, bankers use this weakness to make money by exploiting those without this financial knowledge. These stories also occur to my family members (luckily, nobody died for it). They didn’t know much about the banking system, so they owed a huge amount of money to banks, and still are unable to pay back their debt. On the other hand, it also has allowed me to see the evil side of banks when they are asking for money from poor people. Time passed by, I have learned more things about banks and financial markets through textbooks and real life for not falling into the same mistake as my family. Moreover, Due to the prejudice of capitalism, I tend to be a socialist. Therefore, it also gave me the inspiration to write this historical fiction. Hopefully, you will like it! 4
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CONTENTS About the author.............................................................4 Prologue: The Fall of Red Empire.................................6 Ch1. Hero from Old Pages of History............................7 Ch2. Gone with the Flame.............................................10 Ch3. Undercover............................................................14 Ch4. Hide and Seek.......................................................17 Ch5. December Revolution...........................................21 Ch6. Bloody Sunset.......................................................26
Words Checked: 3876 Words in Oxford 3000: 94% 5
December Revolution
Prologue: The Fall of Red Empire
The Soviet Union, the largest communist country during the twenty century, was built by its greatest hero – Vladimir Lenin. On November 7, 1917, Lenin led a group of soldiers and people crowding into St. Petersburg’s Winter Palace, and overthrowing the provisional government of Czar Nicolas II. This action was also known as “October Revolution”. During the age under the red flag in Russia, the Soviet Union extended its territory through the Asia and Europe; there were fifteen countries unified under the name USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics). But now, the glory is disappearing Mikhail Gorbachev resigned the Prime Minister of the Soviet Union on the Christmas Day of 1991. That is, the so-called Union of Soviet Socialist Republic officially dissolved. Red flags on buildings were replaced by the white, blue, and red Russian tricolored flag, while changing the name of the Soviet Union to the Russian Federation. And the glory of the Red Empire disappeared just like Santa Claus. 6
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Chapter 1: Hero from Old Pages of History
Vasily was a postman in Moscow. Every morning he sent newspapers to each family in the city. He sometimes felts tired about the boring news such as someone winning another stupid prize, but at least someone made the motherland proud. However, on the day after Christmas, Vasily was surprised by the headline he read. “The Soviet Union leaves with President Gorbachev” He could not believe his eyes. There was some information in the paper which said that the political situation was very unstable and the president was going to be changed. Vasily might not have loved his country so much, but he was a loyal communist and never thought about losing his home. Now he felt dizzy and uncomfortable. Usually, when Vasily felt bad, he would find three of his best friends, Dmitri, Ivan, and Yuri to drink in a bar. Of course, tonight he was really in a bad mood. ‘This is just impossible!’ Vasily said ‘The words don’t lie. They are true,’ Yuri replied ‘We know that you love our country and party. But it has already disappeared,’ Ivan spoke trying to comfort him. 7
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‘What about the future? Who is going to lead us?’ Vasily asked. ‘The newspaper said that the new President is Boris Yeltsin,’ Dmitri answered. ‘Great! That must be the Americans’ plan. They are trying to control us and steal our territory. How sneaky!’ Vasily said. ‘But we can’t change anything at all. Our enemy is the whole of America! How can we fight them?’ ‘You are not right, Yuri. Four of us may be not able to do anything. However, if there is a group of people united together, the power would be great,’ Vasily replied. ‘Then where can we get that group of people?’ Dmitri asked ‘As I know, the post office labor union s the best place. They are all loyal communists, and ready to fight for the motherland,’ Vasily said proudly. ‘So that means we are going to have a coup?’ Yur i asked. ‘Exactly. Revolution is the only way to get back the glory of our motherland! But before that, Boris Yeltsin, and Mikhail Gorbachev, the two traitors must die.’ 8
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‘That sounds like a great idea, but how can we do that?’ Dmitri asked ‘Let’s begin with Yeltsin since he is the new president now. Bah! New president. Just like an American! And Dmitri, I know that you work in the Kremlin – the presidential office of Russia, right?’ Vasily asked ‘Yes, and I am sure that I can get into Yeltsin’s office. What’s more, I may be able to provide some weapons for our army from the arsenal.’ ‘Mother Russia will be proud of you! Dmitri. And people will remember your name forever! Good luck, our Alosha!’ Vasily praised. ‘Thanks a lot, my dear brother! I won’t let you down.’ ‘Great. From now on, everyone should keep tonight’s conversation as a top secret. Hopefully we will hear Dmitri’s good news soon. Good bye, comrades!’ ‘Take care’ they answered to Vasily. When the conversation ended, each of them returned to their own house. Even though they lived in different place, now they were all thinking about the same thing.
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Chapter 2: Gone with the Flame
At home, Dmitri was sitting on the sofa, beginning to feel anxious. ‘How can I do this? I am just a little cleaning worker in the Kremlin, and also have to look after my wife and children...’ he thought. During dinner, Dmitri could not eat anything. His wife Lena asked him if anything was wrong, but he didn’t know how to explain Vasily’s crazy plan. After the meal, Dmitri finally decided to tell her their secret plan. ‘What are you talking about? You are going to kill our new president? This is just crazy!’ ‘I knew you would say that, my dear. I don’t want to leave you, either. But the president is selling us out to the Americans! We have to do something.’ ‘You don’t love this family anymore so that you want to take so much risk?’ ‘My love has never changed since the first time we met each other. But now I have something greater to do!’ ‘I am afraid this is a decision that you will live to regret, Dmitri.’ 10
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‘I won’t, and I promise I will be safe.’ ‘You know that I will always support you, my dear.’ ‘God is standing by us, Lena!’ In the first week of February, Dmitri went to work just like before, but with a little bit of anxiety; because today he was going to steal weapons and assassinate the president. When he sneaked into the arsenal, he took out rifles guns, bombs, and other hand-held weapons. Luckily, nobody saw him handover these secret “packages” to Vasily. ‘It seems to be a good beginning. Hopefully the luck will continue with us until we achieve our objective,’ Dmitri thought Dmitri already knew that today there would be a meeting between Yeltsin and the President of the United States. What a coincidence! Another great opportunity came on him. An hour before the meeting, Dmitri went into the president’s office, and placed the bomb under the sofa. He timed it at one hour from now, exactly the same time they the two Presidents are scheduled to walk into this very room. 11
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‘I have done what I could do. Let God do the rest.’ Thirty minutes passed, the Kremlin received a message from the airport: the Air Force One, the airplane that carried the American president would arrive twenty minutes later than the original time. Therefore, the meeting had to be postponed one hour later. Indeed, this is unfortunate for Dmitri. The bomb Dmitri planted in the Kremlin put has exploded. It was so powerful that the whole Kremlin shook like an earthquake. Unfortunately, even though the bomb completely destroyed one side of the building, the meeting room was empty. The police came to investigate the place right away. Soon they found Dmitri’s fingerprints on a piece of wreckage. The police took him to the police station for inquest immediately. Three days later, the trail began. The judge didn’t ask Dmitri too many questions because both the evidence revealed and Dmitri confessed the crime. Surprisingly, the judge only sentenced him the life imprisonment, instead of death penalty. Eventually, Dmitri realized that the judge was Lena’s friend. She had sent him a letter before the trial, asking for having mercy on Dmitri. On the night in prison, Dmitri thanked his wife in his heart. At least he didn’t break his promise - to be safe. 12
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At the same time, Vasily also received a letter from Lena: Dear Vasily I am glad to hear that you are making an honorable plan of revolting the government, and my husband is also a part of it. He unfortunately failed his mission, yet he luckily escaped from the death. I don’t think that your plan is meaningless or crazy, but you really shouldn’t risk the lives of other people. I really hope that Dmitri and I are the first, and also the last family which suffered from your passion. Sincerely Lena After Vasily finished reading the letter, he closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. ‘Great revolutions are often required many martyrs’ blood, but I wish that mine would not need too much. May almighty god bless us all,’ he sadly said.
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Chapter 3: Undercover
As usual, Vasily and his old friends were sitting in the same pub. The only difference now was the absence of Dmitri. ‘I thought God was awake during that time,’ Vasily asked angrily. ‘It is fine now, brother. At least Dmitri is still alive,’ Ivan tried to comfort him. ‘What more can he do in prison? And we lost an arm and a leg here!’ ‘Ivan is right,’ Yur i said. ‘Even though Dmitri’s action failed and was now stuck in jail, he can keep his life and we still can take actions.’ ‘How can we deal with Gorbachev if we cannot finish Yeltsin?’ Vasily asked. ‘Maybe you will like this news,’ Ivan interrupted. ‘March second is Gorbachev’s birthday, and there will be a cocktail party at Cosmos Hotel. Besides the politicians, he also invited some professors from Moscow State University. Luckily, I am on the guest list!’ ‘What a exciting news!’ Vasily shouted. ’This is another chance for our revolution. Ivan, I want you to 14
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sneak beside Gorbachev, and then knock him down. The weapon you’ll need is a pistol, and I can provide it from the weapons Dmitri gave us last time. ‘I’m sure this time will be successful, brother!’ Ivan was a professor of geography in the Lomonosov Moscow State University. Even though he was already forty years old, Ivan was still single, and his parents have also passed away. In other words, Ivan had no family concerns. Therefore, he was the perfect assassin. Ivan planed to kill himself right after Gorbachev’s death. He knew that there was no second chance. The second day of March had arrived. Ivan stood in front of the mirror in his bedroom adjusting his tie. ‘This is going to be my last image’ he said looking into the mirror. At the party, Ivan passed the security checking easily because he was on the guest list. Now it’s time to look for the target. After a while, the host showed up, and the assassin was ready to go. Ivan crossed the crowd quietly, just like a hunter doesn’t want to scare his prey. He was now standing behind Gorbachev. What an irony! This was his first time, and also the last time he saw Mr. Gorbachev. Ivan put his hand into his pocket. He felt not only the shape of the 15
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handgun, but also the end of his life. Eventually, he took out the gun and shot Gorbachev four rounds in the back. The party suddenly filled with screams of fear. Ivan closed his eyes, shot himself, and fell down like a piece of leaf. Several minutes later, the ambulance arrived and took them to hospital. Ivan was already dead when the ambulance arrived. However, Gorbachev was still weakly breathing. This assassinating attempt didn’t make him seriously injured. Doctors took him to the emergency room right away. After a series of struggles, doctors and surgeons finally saved his life. For Mikhail Gorbachev, it was a joyful miracle, but it was also a tragedy for the brave hero.
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Chapter 4: Hide and Seek
Once again, Vasily sat in the same bar, alone. This could be the worst mood he had ever got into; lost two friends, and the other one didn’t show up. It was already September. Six months had passed, but Vasily didn’t take any further action. This made Yuri anxious. Yur i was a thirty-year-old lawyer and owned an office in Moscow. He was the youngest one of the four. He had already seen the horrible fates of Dmitri and Ivan. For this reason, Yuri began to worry when he would be the next one. He had an idea in mind, but it was so dirty and inglorious: secretly inform the government to arrest Vasily, so that there would not be any meaningless sacrifice. This idea followed him just like shadow. Before it drove Yuri crazy, he decided to do it at any cost, even if he would not be able to forgive himself after doing it. This is not the first time for Yuri to walk into city hall, but now he had a strange feeling of anxiety. Yur i told the officer of National Security Bureau that Vasily would sit in the bar where they usually meet each 17
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other. He could arrange a fake meeting for them to catch the mad postman on Friday. Therefore, the government agreed to keep Yuri safe and gave him a large reward. At that moment, he understood why he would have that kind of feeling: as guilty as Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus Christ. The appointed Friday arrived. Yur i was sitting at the same place where they used to sit together. Beside him were several governmental agents disguised as ordinary customers. They were all waiting for Vasily. Several hours later, Vasily had never shown up. The agents became frustrated and impatient. Finally, they decided to give up this stupid waiting. Yur i returned home tiredly, and wondered whether what he had done was right or not. When he was trying to open the door, he noticed that it wasn’t locked. Yuri suddenly felt as if there was a big stone in his stomach. He turned on the lights, and saw a horrible scene; Vasily was sitting in the dinning room, angrily looking at him. ‘How...how did you come in?’ Yur i tremulously said. ‘It doesn’t matter.’ The voice replied sounding as if it was from a distance. ‘So...how long have you been waiting here?’ 18
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‘Not too long, just after you left the house.’ ‘Then....do you want anything to drink?’ ‘Do I look thirsty?’ ‘I suppose the answer is no.’ ‘You should already know why I am here.’ ‘Seriously, I don’t know why you are here.’ ‘You really make me sick, Yuri.’ ‘Why?’ ‘Do you think I don’t know that you are dealing with the government? Selling me to those pigs?’ ‘There must be some misunderstanding, my brother.’ ‘Still calling me “brother,” how dare you! Then who are those people you spoke to? Clowns from a circus?’ ‘It is not as what you’ve said. I just......’ ‘Enough! These are the worthless excuses of a traitor.’ ‘Vasily, you must understand. Fighting against government is useless. We have already lost two friends!’ ‘So you think I don’t care about Dmitri and Ivan? You really disappoint me, Yuri.’ Vasily took out a handgun from his pocket, and pointed it at Yuri. 19
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‘What do you want?’ ‘Not much, your life.’ ‘Killing me cannot make anything better.’ ‘Yes, at least it won’t be worse as well.’ ‘Please, I still have a long way to go......’ ‘If you want mercy, ask it from God yourself. Say hello to Ivan for me.’ After Yuri was shot, he fell on the floor like a ripe apple. ‘I really don’t want this, Yuri. But you leave me no choice,’ Vasily said with a little bit of sadness.
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Chapter 5: December Revolution
During the last month of the year 1992, stores on the streets were decorated with Christmas decorations. Everywhere was full of joy. But Vasily was not happy at all. A year ago was the disaster of mother Russia: the dissolution of the Soviet Union. For this reason, Vasily was making an ambitious plan: overthrowing the current government, and establishing another red empire. Then, he was going to make it come true. Vasily made a lot of bread, and gave them as a Christmas gift to every members of the post office labor’s union. There was a tiny piece of paper inside the bread: CHRISTMAS EVE 10PM, OLD WAREHOUSE In the old obscure warehouse, not too far from Kremlin, a base of operation was working on the great project. There were three hundred people from the labor’s union who had formed an army. By the great achievement of Dmitri, they are now armed with AK47 rifles. At least the soldiers had 21
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something with whichever to fight. Now, everyone was ready for battle. On Christmas Eve, one hour before the attack, Vasily, made a secret speech to every single soldiers. ‘My dear comrades,’ he said ‘Tonight is not just Christmas Eve; it’s going to be a history told by people in the future. What’s more, we are part of it. ‘Seventy five years ago, our great leader Vladimir Lenin established the unbreakable union. And several years later, Mother Russia’s frontier was extended across Europe and Asia. Just a few more steps, and we would have the whole world. ‘However, just before we achieved that goal, the sneaky traitor Mikhail Gorbachev betrayed us; he sold us out to the Americans as if we would not know. Now Mother Russia has become a slave-girl of the United States. Even the lands were divided into several nameless small countries. ‘By this night, history will be totally changed. The new government will be overthrown, the red sun will rise up again tomorrow morning, and that’s what we have waited silently for such a long time!’ 22
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‘Hooray!’ everyone screamed. ‘Now, let’s run to the Kremlin, and make history with our hands!’ After these words, all the soldiers packed up their weapons and ammunition, and were ready to assault the Kremlin. As the gate of warehouse opened, Vasily led the army to the Kremlin. They were so fast that nothing could stop them The guards at the Kremlin were surprised by this scene; a group of people running toward themselves, waving something that looked like guns, and their looks were really unfriendly. The guards informed the military right away, closed the gate, and escaped to avoid any threat of life. Vasily’s army shot at those guards who had no time to escape. When they arrived at the gate, they set a bomb off to open the door. With not too much effort, they broke into the Kremlin behind the long red wall. Just before they reached the congressional building, Vasily and his soldiers engaged with the Russian Army. What they were facing was not only the enemy, but also hundreds of large machine-gun muzzles. ‘Comrades, this won’t take us backward. Let’s strike at 23
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them!’ Vasily yelled. Even though they were as brave as hunting lions, their rifles were just like toothpicks in front of the Russian army’s machine guns. There was no chance for them to shoot back. Just a couple of minutes after the first shot was fired, almost half of Vasily’s army faded away like snowflakes on a winter day. When there were less than a hundred soldiers still alive, Vasily was forced to make a decision, whether he liked it or not. He needed to fall back at once. He led the rest of the soldiers toward the gate they came in. The shape of the gate soon came into focus looking as if heaven’s gate was opening. As they approached the gate, heaven’s gate changed to hell’s. There were a whole company of Russian Army and tanks waiting for them. ‘Surrender now or we will clean out all of you.’ The voice from the loud speaker was their mother language, but it sounded like some kind of noise in the rebel soldiers’ ears. Even though he still wanted to fight until the last minute, the reality was that his soldiers were tired and no more willing to fight. Vasily had no other choice. 24
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Despite the shame, he and his army dropped their weapons, and became the prisoners of the Russian Army. The sun rose again from the east, but it did not look red at all.
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Chapter 6: Bloody Sunset
On the morning of Christmas Day, each family’s children opened their gifts under the Christmas tree, and were exciting about what they got. In prison, Vasily and his followers also had a gift: the trial. At court, the judge sit on the chair at the stage, and looked down at Vasily. ‘Vasily Diyarov’ the judge slowly began speaking. Then a police took him to his seat in the courtroom. ‘Do you know what you have done?’ the judge asked him. ‘I did what I should have done, but I failed.’ ‘You think killing innocent people and destroying the Kremlin is what you should do?’ ‘What I have done is just trying to make my country proud again.’ ‘Your friends describe you as a contemporary hero, but all I see is just a crazy fool from the old history. ‘Do you have any words to say before I announce your verdict?’ the judge asked. 26
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‘I guess it’s not necessary,’ Vasily answered. ‘Well,’ the judge responded, ‘Vasily Diyarov, due to the instigation of assassinating, rebellion, cruel murder of Kremlin guards, and the unforgivable attitude toward your crime, you are sentenced to death.’ ‘The other eighty-six accessories in this rebellion are also sentenced to death. The convicts will be executed six days from now. Court is now adjourned’
The day of execution was also the last day of 1992. In the evening, Vasily and the eighty-six survivors were taken to the square in prison, waiting for the judge to begin their journey to death. When the judge arrived, he asked Vasily and the others whether they had any last words or not. ‘Someone will surely replace us to achieve my dream in the years to come. Wait and see!’ After eighty-seven shots, everything became silent again, as if nothing happened at all. The sunset makes the sky red, as red as the blood on the square. And the story of a hero ended with this sunset.
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Reference Cover picture: http://mikeely.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/obama-s ocialist.jpg
Back cover picture: http://himynameis.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/sovi et_propagandashorter.jpg
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