History joke

The entire work force of the Communist countries is subjected to periodic purges (called verifications in Newspeak). One of the most severe took place in 1957 when Novotny, rattled by the Hungarian Revolution the year before, tried hard to weed out "radishes" (red outside, white inside) from all but insignificant positions. Any one of the following would often result in the loss of one's job: Bourgeois or Jewish family background, relatives abroad, contacts with former capitalists, having lived in a Western country, insufficient knowledge of Communist literature, and others.

A man is interviewed by a "Verification Committee."
"What kind of family do you come from?"
"A rich, Jewish family."
"And your wife?"
"A German aristocrat."
"Have you ever been to the West?"
"I spent most of my life in England."
"How did you make a living there?"
"A friend supported me."
"Where did you get the money from?"
"He owned a textile factory."
"Who was Lenin?"
"Never heard of him."
"What is your name?"
"Karl Marx."

KM
Born: May 5, 1818, Trier, Germany
Died: March 14, 1883, London, United Kingdom

VL
Born 22 April 1870 Simbirsk, Russian Empire
Died 21 January 1924 (aged 53) Gorki, Leninsky District, Moscow Oblast

And Lenin earned money as a waiter in Brooklyn before returning to Russia to lead a revolt against Karensky.

Quote: Pacomartin

"Karl Marx."

While jokes need not make consistent logical sense, they shouldn't be too absurd. So if Marx is somehow being purged in Hungary (of all places), despite having died decades before the October Revolution, never mind 1957, he should have heard of Lenin.

Just saying.

Here's another joke: Lenin owned a Rolls Royce as his personal car, after he rose to leader of the USSR.

The punch line is that he did have a Rolls (and a driver) for his personal use.


For an actual joke:

Soon after the USSR imposes communism in Poland, Janus goes to his local commissar and asks for permission to emigrate to the West.

The commissar asks, "Are you unhappy with your job?"
"I can't complain," Janus answers.
"Are you unsatisfied with your housing?"
"I can't complain,"
"Do you not get enough to eat?"
"I can't complain,"
"Then why in blazes do you want to emigrate to the West?"
"In the West," Janus explains, "I can complain."

Quote: Nareed

So if Marx is somehow being purged in Hungary (of all places), despite having died decades before the October Revolution

Karl Marx died long before the 25 October 1917 Revolution. Marx died of bronchitis and pleurisy in London on 14 March 1883 (age 64). He died a stateless person; family and friends in London buried his body in Highgate Cemetery, London. There were between nine and eleven mourners at his funeral.

On 1 March 1881 (O.S.) Alexander II, was assassinated by members of the terrorist organization Narodnaya Volya. Narodnaya Volya was influenced by Karl Marx.




Karl Marx died a few weeks before the coronation of Alexander III on (27 May 1883) the very conservative man who succeeded his father in his late 30's. During Alexander's 13.5 year reign Russia fought no major wars, for which he was styled "The Peacemaker".

Quote: Pacomartin

Karl Marx died long before the 25 October 1917 Revolution..

He also never thought a backwards state like Russia would be the one to raise Marxist revolution. He expected it to come out of England or Germany.