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This topic has moved here: Subject: The Assembly as a pre-USSR communist-Russia analogy
  • Subject: The Assembly as a pre-USSR communist-Russia analogy
Subject: The Assembly as a pre-USSR communist-Russia analogy

Was reading through the Reach data-pads before and thought of something pretty interesting.

I've been studying Russia's history at my sixth form recently, and of course we've learnt about how the communists seized power in 1917 from the Tsar and Dumas. At this time there were two main communist parties who'd come from one, both with the same end goal but each hoping to go about it in different ways;

One was called the Bolsheviks, the other the Mensheviks. For those who don't know, Bolshevik meant 'Majority' whilst Menshevik meant 'Minority.'

Both adhered to the works of Karl Marx, who as we know was the man who co-wrote The Communist Manifesto. Both the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks believed that there were several stages in human social development, I won't go into depth but basically; primitive communism, feudalism, capitalism, socialism and then finally the idyllic communism.

Both the Mensheviks and the Bolsheviks wanted to reach that paradise of communism. However, how they would go about reaching that was where they divided.

The Mensheviks believed that they should allow human society to take its natural course, and that eventually society would evolve into communism with little outside influence.

However, the Bolsheviks believed that they could force communism into being -- skip from feudalism/capitalism (a hybrid which Russia was effectively in at the time) straight to communism.

Although they were called the Bolsheviks (Majority) and the Mensheviks (Minority,) the numerical superiority soon shifted towards the Mensheviks and stayed that way for a while and likely would have still had it not been for Lenin.

How does this relate to Halo? Well...

The Assembly of AIs from the Reach data-pads both want the same goal; to ensure the continued survival and strength of humanity. This is similar to how both the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks wanted communism. Similarly too, they divide themselves into a Majority and a Minority.

The Majority believes that they should not interfere with the natural course and only subtly influence human development. The Minority believes they should take direct action.

Although Bolshevik did mean Majority and Menshevik Minority, their means soon flipped and stayed like that for many years; so in this analogy, the Mensheviks = the Majority AIs and the Bolsheviks the Minority AIs. Like the Mensheviks, the Majority AIs believe they should allow society to take its natural course with minimal influence and the end goal with work itself out. Like the Bolsheviks, the Minority AIs believe they should take a direct hand in shaping the path leading to their end goal.

So, they Assembly discovers the Covenant. Here we go.

The Majority (here, the Mensheviks) rule against first contact, citing that it even if they were not hostile giving humanity access to such technology as the Covenant possessed would be akin to giving an ape a hand grenade. This is similar to the Menshevik's idea that giving humanity communism when they aren't ready would be disastrous.

However, one of the Minority AIs chooses to seek out the Covenant and initiates first contact. This AI is the proverbial Lenin -- the one individual who changes the world and seeks to take a shortcut to their dream by taking a mighty risk.



Of course, this eventually blows up in their faces -- just as Lenin's attempt to try and force communism gives way to the totalitarian state of the USSR (ruled by Stalin and other Soviet leaders post-Lenin) which goes against many of Marx's fundamental ideals, the Minority AI's attempt to try and further humanity by forcing them into first contact gives way to a war which nearly results in the genocide of the entire species.

Even as the USSR in Russia eventually crumbled, so did the Covenant war. But both left unimaginable destruction in their wake, on both instances due to one person trying to force their dream into reality before the world was ready.

Just an idea that struck me when I was reading about the Assembly. I believe that if I were to spend more time analysing the other data-pads (I've only really gone into depth on data-pad 8 right now) I'd find other pre-USSR communist-Russia analogies scattered throughout. I might at some point.

Maybe I'm reading into things too much, but I do think this is a valid analogy I've got here.

[Edited on 12.08.2011 3:37 PM PST]

  • 12.08.2011 3:36 PM PDT

@accordingto343

Your one stop shop for all of 343's fabulous errors and ridiculous notions in the Halo lore.

It works, but it resonates with many majority-minority movements. The minority usually does something crazy and overthrows the majority in time.

  • 12.08.2011 3:39 PM PDT
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Five exclamations marks are a good signifier of an insane mind. As is trying to hide from Death in an airtight room. Silly wizard.

It is indeed a valid analogy. Another thing to note is that in one of the final data pads is that there is a line that says
And now the Minority becomes the Majority
May be paraphrasing a bit, but the point is there.

  • 12.08.2011 3:43 PM PDT
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Do not waste your tears, I was not born to watch the world grow dim. Life is not measured in years, but by the deeds of men.

Posted by: goldhawk
We should know better, because we are better.

If the Minority and Majority are the Russian parties, who is Marx?

[Edited on 12.08.2011 3:50 PM PST]

  • 12.08.2011 3:49 PM PDT


Posted by: Xd00999
If the Assembly is the Russian parties, who is Marx?


Presumably the person/group who gave the AIs this drive to want to protect and further the human race. Both parties interpret how to carry out this directive differently.

  • 12.08.2011 3:51 PM PDT

Have A Nice Day!

Commander, CammCam's Queensguard; Sapphire Mod; 34th Seat, Table of Avalon(Exiled);Captain, HAND

yolo? -blam!- that! YOLTOSS!! You Only Live Twice or Some -blam!-

A very good interpretation in my opinion. I'd like to see the remaining datapads dissected in this manner.

  • 12.08.2011 3:59 PM PDT
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Do not waste your tears, I was not born to watch the world grow dim. Life is not measured in years, but by the deeds of men.

Posted by: goldhawk
We should know better, because we are better.


Posted by: Wolverfrog

Posted by: Xd00999
If the Majority and Minority are the Russian parties, who is Marx?


Presumably the person/group who gave the AIs this drive to want to protect and further the human race. Both parties interpret how to carry out this directive differently.

Yet who is this person? Could they have uncovered something in the Solar System that made them act like this?
IIRC, the Assembly's first convened in 2304, roughly adecade after Shaw-Fujikawa was made. Up until then Humanity never went farther than Jupiter in the Solar System due to inability to get anywhere fast. It mentions that there are alarming radiation spikes coming from Uranus (tee hee) but they were never explored due to cost. Perhaps the founding AI of the Assembly went to Uranus and found something in there that motivated them to take action. Perhaps something Forerunner was in there. They remove Uranus from the list of planets to explore and begin their campaign to guide humanity.

This is all off the top of my head, not a lot of real support.

  • 12.08.2011 4:03 PM PDT

"Find where the liar hides, so that I may place my boot between his gums!" - Rtas 'Vadum

Posted by: Xd00999
Perhaps something Forerunner was in there. They remove Uranus from the list of planets to explore and begin their campaign to guide humanity.

Sounds plausible. I cannot really think of many ways in which a world within our own solar system would be too far away to explore in a cost efficient manner when the UNSC has FTL capabilities.

  • 12.08.2011 4:15 PM PDT
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Do not waste your tears, I was not born to watch the world grow dim. Life is not measured in years, but by the deeds of men.

Posted by: goldhawk
We should know better, because we are better.


Posted by: anton1792
Posted by: Xd00999
Perhaps something Forerunner was in there. They remove Uranus from the list of planets to explore and begin their campaign to guide humanity.

Sounds plausible. I cannot really think of many ways in which a world within our own solar system would be too far away to explore in a cost efficient manner when the UNSC has FTL capabilities.

Perhaps, as a cover story the Assembly might use, the short jump of a few light minutes is too short to justify the cost of opening up a slipspace portal. They would say that going to Uranus via slipspace would cost millions of credits with no confirmed gain.

  • 12.08.2011 4:22 PM PDT
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Deva Path


Posted by: DecepticonCobra

We are all going to get banned aren't we?


Posted by: Xd00999

Posted by: anton1792
Posted by: Xd00999
Perhaps something Forerunner was in there. They remove Uranus from the list of planets to explore and begin their campaign to guide humanity.

Sounds plausible. I cannot really think of many ways in which a world within our own solar system would be too far away to explore in a cost efficient manner when the UNSC has FTL capabilities.

Perhaps, as a cover story the Assembly might use, the short jump of a few light minutes is too short to justify the cost of opening up a slipspace portal. They would say that going to Uranus via slipspace would cost millions of credits with no confirmed gain.


Which is why they don't use FTL and just travel there that way. This make infinity being in the Oort cloud even more funny.


I see nothing wrong with this idea seeing how reach was colonized by people of European descent (Which we could say russia falls in that area).

  • 12.08.2011 4:35 PM PDT
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Posted by: Xd00999

Posted by: anton1792
Posted by: Xd00999
Perhaps something Forerunner was in there. They remove Uranus from the list of planets to explore and begin their campaign to guide humanity.

Sounds plausible. I cannot really think of many ways in which a world within our own solar system would be too far away to explore in a cost efficient manner when the UNSC has FTL capabilities.

Perhaps, as a cover story the Assembly might use, the short jump of a few light minutes is too short to justify the cost of opening up a slipspace portal. They would say that going to Uranus via slipspace would cost millions of credits with no confirmed gain.

knowing humanity, that doesn't make sense. I doubt few million credits is anywhere near the amount of money that goes to all our space projects these days in one year. And I also don't believe a single slipspace jump costs millions of credits, otherwise we wouldn't see nearly as frequent jumping.

There isn't basically any reason why humanity wouldn't go to Uranus if they have the tech required. I also don't believe that their speeds in regular space are low enough even if slipspace jumps cost way more than they probably do.

Anyhow, in my opinion that doesn't make sense. I can't think of any good reason to not go to Uranus when you have the resources and it won't take too much time.

  • 12.09.2011 6:14 AM PDT

It was the only thing they could do, especially with the Kornilov incident and the threat that people would grow tired of the revolutionaries and move to put their Tsar back in power. If even a single potential heir to the throne remained alive, Tsarists could wage their own counter-revolution and put autocracy back in place. No, Nicholas' family didn't deserve it and neither did he even though he'd made some bad choices, but it was the only logical choice the Bolsheviks could make.

Anyway, that's a bit off topic.

  • 12.09.2011 8:36 AM PDT

The most important question is when will Halo's Trotsky get stabbed in the back of the head with an ice pick.

  • 12.09.2011 12:45 PM PDT