For the Good of the Cause (Solzhenitsyn)
Short summary
Soviet Union, presumably 1950s. Teachers and students at a technical school eagerly anticipated moving to their new building after years in cramped facilities. The principal had worked tirelessly to secure the building, and students had volunteered their summer holidays to help construct it.
The literature teacher praised how students had worked as plasterers and painters without coercion, carrying a model of the building in May Day parades. Outside, students sang and debated with their teacher about literature's relevance in the technological age.
A delegation of officials arrived, led by factory director Khabalygin. They toured the school's inadequate facilities but showed no sympathy. They announced that a research institute would take the new building instead. The decision was presented as final, leaving Fyodor Mikheyich stunned. Lydia Georgievna wept, saying they had cheated the students.
The principal sought help from his wartime friend Grachikov, the town Party secretary. They met with regional secretary Knorozov, who dismissed their concerns. When Grachikov argued passionately about people mattering more than buildings, Knorozov became furious.
Communism will not be built with stones but with people, Victor Vavilich! It's a harder and longer task, but if we were to finish the whole structure tomorrow and it was built of nothing but stones, we would never have Communism!
Detailed summary by chapters
Chapter titles are editorial.
Chapter 1. Teachers and students prepare for the move to their new building
On the last day of August, teachers and students at a technical school gathered in anticipation of moving to their new building. The staff room buzzed with excitement as teachers discussed timetables and room assignments. Faina, the secretary, was managing the chaos while teachers prepared for the new academic year. The atmosphere was filled with optimism as everyone looked forward to finally leaving their cramped, inadequate facilities.
The principal had been working tirelessly to ensure the transition would go smoothly. Teachers discussed their new laboratories and equipment, excited about the improved conditions they would finally have. The electronics department was particularly enthusiastic, as they would have proper facilities for their specialized equipment including ignitrons, thyratrons, and generating lamps.
Lydia Georgievna was particularly proud of the students' contribution to the building project. She explained to a new teacher how the students had volunteered to help construct the building during their summer holidays. The project had been presented as a way to speed up construction when the trust ran out of funds. The students had enthusiastically agreed to help, forming teams and working in shifts.
The really amazing thing was that no one had to be coerced. If anyone dropped out, the other kids somehow filled in for them... the kids were better at the job than they were.
The students had worked as apprentice plasterers and painters, dug trenches for utilities, moved materials, and cleaned the building. They had even created a model of the new building and carried it in May Day processions as their symbol. The building project had become a source of tremendous pride for the entire school community. The cramped conditions in their current building made everyone eager for the move - they had been forced to run classes in two shifts, with multiple experiments sharing single rooms.
The school had been operating for seven years in buildings scattered around town, including a single-story workshop wing and another small building half a kilometer away. The new building represented not just better facilities, but also the promise of a proper hostel for students who had been living in inadequate private lodgings throughout the town. The principal had managed to secure a prime plot of land in the town center, and after years of bureaucratic delays and ministry reorganizations, construction had finally been completed.
Students gathered outside the old building, singing their self-composed Electronics Song and discussing the upcoming move. The excitement was palpable as they waited for final word from Fyodor Mikheyich about when they could transfer their equipment and begin classes in their new home.
Chapter 2. Student enthusiasm and debates about literature
Outside the school building, students continued their enthusiastic singing while waiting for news about the move. The third-year vacuum physics students were particularly vocal, with girls leading the verses and boys joining in the chorus. The atmosphere was festive despite the overcast morning and threat of rain.
When Lydia Georgievna came outside to address the students, she was immediately surrounded by eager young faces. The students had grown to love and respect her during the months spent working on the building site, where she had worked alongside them rather than simply giving orders. Her sincere nature and willingness to do any job herself had earned their devotion.
A spontaneous debate about literature erupted when Lydia Georgievna spoke with some fourth-year students. The students challenged traditional approaches to reading, arguing that technological progress had made long books obsolete. They complained about the length of novels and questioned the value of literary style when the same information could be found more efficiently in newspapers and radio broadcasts.
Chursanov argued that he never read fiction at all, preferring to listen to radio news while doing other useful activities. Other students supported his practical approach, questioning why they should read books when newspapers provided information more concisely. The debate revealed a generational shift in attitudes toward literature and traditional culture.
Lydia Georgievna found herself defending the value of books and literary style, arguing for psychological depth and artistic merit. However, the students remained skeptical, pointing out that many praised books ended up being returned to publishers and turned back into pulp. The passionate discussion was interrupted when students spotted the principal's jeep returning from the new building site.
Chapter 3. The delegation arrives and takes away the building
When Fyodor Mikheyich returned from the new building, his face showed none of the happiness the students expected. Instead, he looked deeply troubled. The crowd of students gathered around him, eager to hear when they could move, but his response crushed their hopes. He announced that they would have to wait longer because the builders were not ready, though he could not explain the real reason for the delay.
Earlier that day, a delegation of five officials had arrived at the school in two Volga cars. The group included a representative from the Ministry, a committee member, an electronics inspector, and a regional Party committee inspector, led by Vsevolod Borisovich Khabalygin, director of the electrical-appliances factory who held authority over the building's transfer.
The delegation toured the school's cramped facilities, but rather than showing sympathy for the poor conditions, they seemed to minimize the problems. Khabalygin made dismissive comments about the space being adequate, while the Ministry representative questioned whether the school really needed better facilities. Their attitude suggested they had already made their decision before arriving.
The devastating news was delivered matter-of-factly: the Ministry and committee had decided that an important scientific research institute would be located in the building originally assigned to the technical school. The decision was presented as final, with government approval expected within two days. Khabalygin tried to soften the blow by suggesting the school would eventually get an even better building.
It can't be helped; it's for the good of the cause.
After the delegation left, Fyodor Mikheyich stood stunned at the top of the staircase, unable to process what had happened. When Lydia Georgievna found him, she was devastated by the news. She broke down in tears, crying out about the injustice and how they had cheated the students who had worked so hard on the building.
They're taking our building away... What can we tell the students? We've ... cheated them.
Chapter 4. Fyodor Mikheyich seeks help from the authorities
Devastated by the sudden loss of the building, Fyodor Mikheyich contacted the Education Department at the Council of National Economy. They expressed indignation and promised to investigate, but their response lacked conviction. The principal realized he needed to seek help from higher authorities and arranged to meet with Ivan Kapitonovich Grachikov, secretary of the town Party committee and an old wartime friend.
Grachikov listened sympathetically as Fyodor Mikheyich explained the situation and calculated the enormous cost of alterations needed to convert the technical school building into a research institute. The principal argued that from the state's perspective, the decision was economically wasteful, requiring at least one and a half million rubles in modifications to a four-million-ruble building.
However, Grachikov explained the political reality: government decisions were made at the highest levels, and the regional Party committee had the final word on local matters. He revealed that Victor Vavilich Knorozov, the regional Party secretary, had already approved the transfer. Grachikov arranged to meet with Knorozov, though he warned that the regional secretary never changed his mind once a decision was made.
The meeting with Knorozov proved futile. The regional secretary dismissed their concerns, emphasizing that the research institute would elevate the town's status to the level of major cities like Gorky and Sverdlovsk. When Grachikov passionately argued that people mattered more than buildings and that cheating the students would damage their faith in the system, Knorozov became furious.
Which means more to us in the end—stones or people? Why are we arguing over a heap of stones?
Knorozov accused Grachikov of being immature and threatened his position. However, during the confrontation, Knorozov received a phone call from Khabalygin, who seemed to be having second thoughts about taking on the building project. After the call, Knorozov offered the technical school a compromise: they could have the new hostel building once it was completed, though it would require extensive modifications.
The decision has been taken... We have nothing to discuss.
Chapter 5. Final confrontation and acceptance of the decision
Back at the school, the Party secretary Yakov Ananievich advised against holding meetings to discuss the building transfer, arguing that it would draw too much attention to the issue. He suggested that teachers should simply tell students the institute was of national importance and that questioning its necessity would be inappropriate.
Lydia Georgievna strongly disagreed with this approach, arguing that hiding the truth from students would make them lose respect for their teachers. She believed in Lenin's principle of free speech and wanted to address the students honestly about what had happened. Her emotional response reflected her deep connection to the students and her belief in transparent communication.
We can't behave like that, especially with young people. Lenin taught us not to be afraid to speak freely. 'Free speech is a healing sword!'
Meanwhile, Fyodor Mikheyich discovered Khabalygin at the new building site, directing workers to install a fence that would give the institute more yard space at the expense of the technical school. This final act of appropriation revealed Khabalygin's self-serving nature and his determination to maximize benefits for the research institute he would likely direct.
The story concluded with the technical school community forced to accept their loss and begin planning for another year in their inadequate facilities. The students' enthusiasm and hard work had been betrayed by bureaucratic decisions made for political rather than educational reasons. The building they had constructed with their own hands would house a research institute, while they remained in cramped, scattered buildings that hindered their education and growth.