Alcoholism Quotes
The graphic for this quote is the original illustration from the article. German WWII propaganda characterized Churchill as a hugly overweight, ugly, drunk. Churchill was a relatively heavy drinker of alcohol.
This work of Chekov’s was censored heavily by the Russian Communists of the 1920s and 1930s who publicly glorified the Russian peasant. Chekov’s observation, like many of poverty-stricken populations observed the status quo and did not comment on how the state of affairs came to be in the first place.
The distinction between recreational drinking and heavy drinking is a subtle one and rarely made until modern times. Most leaders who would not have heavy drinkers in positions of responsibility were usually themselves teetotalers and they were very rare. Heavy drinkers and alcoholics have been in positions of responsibility throughout history including modern times—eg House Ways & Means Chairman Wilbur Mills and Russian President Boris Yeltsin. Peter was unusual in that he made the distinction.
The poem was his summary of the Wickersham Commission’s (National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement) conclusion regarding Prohibition.
