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wolfy
Fire-eater
Joined: Sep 13, 2004
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 Posted:
Aug 20, 2007 - 10:06 AM |
 
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| Post subject: Russia returning to Totalitarianism |
Vladimir Putin rewrites Russia's history books to promote patriotism
By Shawn Walker in Moscow
Published: 20 August 2007
Critics are accusing President Vladimir Putin's government of a Soviet-style rewriting of Russian history with a series of new "patriotic" textbooks to be unveiled in the new school year.
New laws passed this summer have given the government sweeping powers over which textbooks will be used in schools. Teachers and other critics have voiced concerns that this will allow the government to force the use of a single, approved book in each subject - essentially a return to Soviet practice.
Mr Putin has complained that the negative view of the Soviet past in current history textbooks is down to the fact that the authors received foreign grants to write them.
Now, the Kremlin claims it wants to change that situation and a recommissioning of Russia's history textbooks is under way. A handbook for teachers, on the basis of which a future textbook for students could be written, is called The Modern History of Russia, 1945-2006. Only one of the authors is a professional historian. The book calls Joseph Stalin a "contradictory" figure, and states that while some people consider him evil, others recognise him as a "hero" for his role in the Great Patriotic War (the Second World War) and his territorial expansion.
"Learning history should make people feel part of the nation, but it depends on how it's done," said one history teacher from Moscow. "If the idea is to hide everything that was bad and only speak of strength and military victories, I'm not sure that this is the best way to create that kind of feeling."
The law seems to have come from a meeting Mr Putin held with teachers when he lamented the state of history teaching in the country, saying that both society and teachers were "confused". He called for a more patriotic approach to the subject.
Officially, little attention has been paid to the darker aspects of Russia's Soviet past, such as the Stalinist purges or the deportation in appalling conditions of 3 million of its own citizens during the Second World War, with the focus instead on the strength of Stalin's Soviet Union and the victory over Germany.
On 5 August, the Orthodox Church held a ceremony to mark 70 years since the start of Stalin's "Great Purge", but no government officials attended. Mr. Putin said that while 1937 shouldn't be forgotten, other countries had behaved far worse, making references to Hiroshima and the Vietnam War. "We should not allow anyone else to make us feel guilty. Let them think about themselves," he said.
Vladislav Golovanov, a history teacher from Yakutsk in Siberia, told Putin at the meeting that Russia's history should help the country to be unified. The state should return to the teaching of history, he said, and ensure that it is used to instil a sense of patriotism and pride. "Our history should not be about self-flagellation."
"In the official state view of history, the main event of the twentieth century is the victory in the Second World War," said Boris Dubin, an expert at the Levada Centre think tank and polling agency. "The Holocaust is hardly taught at all in Russia, nor is the history of the gulag system. The rehabilitation of Stalin is connected to the emphasis on the war victory."
The textbook's final chapter covers Mr Putin's rule. It describes the Yukos affair as a message from government to big business: "Obey the law, pay your taxes, and don't attempt to rise above the state." The message was heard, says the book. This or similar books could soon be the only option Russian history teachers have for use in the classroom. |
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hc
Post Roaster
Joined: Apr 04, 2007
Posts: 4545
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Aug 20, 2007 - 10:33 AM |
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I think that to say "Russia is going back to totalitarianism" without reading the actual text of the books is pretty blunt.
We need to read a "before" and "after" in order to judge.
Maybe they dont talk about gulags but I doubt wolfy's book said anything about massacres in colonial India, England's role in creating the mess in Israel, sponsorship to butcher dictators (Pinochet), dumping drugs in other countries and the likes, do they?
So. When it comes to losing face to history every country has something to hide dont they? |
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wolfy
Fire-eater
Joined: Sep 13, 2004
Posts: 2510
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| Posted:
Aug 20, 2007 - 10:44 AM |
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| I doubt wolfy's book said anything about massacres in colonial India, England's role in creating the mess in Israel, sponsorship to butcher dictators (Pinochet), dumping drugs in other countries |
True to a point. My book is specifically about the Western world and I give a very unbiased analysis of the Middle East (I think you would be surprised by this). I can only hope that it may be incorporated as part of a school curriculum one day but I doubt it.
Out of interest, what massacres in colonial India are you referring too? The Black Hole of Calcutta? |
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hc
Post Roaster
Joined: Apr 04, 2007
Posts: 4545
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Aug 20, 2007 - 10:56 AM |
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Have you heard about a book called Western Civilization with Chinese Comparison by John G. Blair & Jerusha Hull McCormack, Visiting Professors at Beijing Foreign Studies University?
Talks a lot about the differences between East and West from a Western point of view (something that I imagine is the purpose of your book?).
A 1060 pages book.
TOC:
WCwCC as a University Course
Module 0.1 GROUNDWORK
Module 0.1.1 Working Concepts for WCwCC
Module 0.1.2 Comparisons: China and the West
Module 0.2 REFERENCE CONCEPTS
Module 0.2.1 Influential Western Ideas
Module 0.2.2 Traditional Chinese Schools of Thought
Module 1 LANGUAGE snapshot
Module 1.1: Classical Languages: Chinese, Greek and Latin
Module 1.2: Modern Languages: Chinese and English
Module 2 EDUCATION snapshot
Module 2.1: Traditional Ideas about Education
Module 2.2: Modern Approaches to Education
Module 3 FAMILY and GENDER snapshot
Module 3.1: Traditional Ideas about Family and Gender
Module 3.2: Modern Views of Family and Gender
Module 4 HEALTH and the BODY snapshot
Module 4.1: Traditional Perspectives on Health and the Body
Module 4.2: Modern Concepts of Health and the Body
Module 5 HUMAN NATURE snapshot
Module 5.1: Traditional Ideas about Human Nature
Module 5.2: Modern Views of Human Nature
Module 6 NATURE snapshot
Module 6.1: Traditional Concepts of Nature
Module 6.2: Modern Approaches to Nature
Module 7 ECONOMICS snapshot
Module 7.1: Traditional Economics
Module 7.2: Modern Economics
Module 8 GOVERNANCE snapshot
Module 8.1: Traditional Governance
Module 8.2: Modern Governance
Module 9 LAW snapshot
Module 9.1: Traditional Views of Law
Module 9.2: Modern Concepts of Law
Module 10 DEATH snapshot
Module 10.1: Traditional Concepts of Death
Module 10.2: Modern Perspectives on Death
Module 11 VALUES snapshot
Module 11.1: Traditional Values
Module 11.2: Modern Values
Module 12 WORLDVIEWS snapshot
Module 12.1: Traditional Worldviews
Module 12.2: Modern Worldviews
Module 13 KNOWLEDGE snapshot
Module 13.1: Traditional Ideas of Knowledge
Module 13.2: Modern Approaches to Knowledge
Perhaps you should have a look at that. |
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wolfy
Fire-eater
Joined: Sep 13, 2004
Posts: 2510
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| Posted:
Aug 20, 2007 - 11:00 AM |
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Cheers. My book's actually finished now and I'm happy with it. I'm in the process of putting it online on a subscription basis and I'm busy doing the illustrations and maps. I figured it would work best self-published in the end. I don't have to worry too much about copyright issues then. |
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hc
Post Roaster
Joined: Apr 04, 2007
Posts: 4545
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Aug 20, 2007 - 11:07 AM |
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wolfy
Fire-eater
Joined: Sep 13, 2004
Posts: 2510
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Aug 20, 2007 - 11:09 AM |
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shanghaiceltic
Board Royalty
Joined: Sep 20, 2005
Posts: 7149
Location: Perth WA
Status: Offline
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Aug 20, 2007 - 12:49 PM |
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It is not just the editing of Russian history but also the increasing of the military budgets which points to his wanting stronger controls over all things Russian, plus his pushing the former Warsaw Pact countries to toe the line. Unlike the cold war that lasted until Gorbachev came to power this one can be financed by the increased revenue from oil and gas.
For patriotism you can read nationalism. Communism does not exist in Russia any more but they are still smarting from the collapse of the Soviet Union under Boris Yeltsin.
In the period I was in submarines we took part in a number of what we called 'sneakies', intelligence gathering patrols, often in areas we should not have been in. They were quite scary and the Russian submarines were always improving. Some of our boats and the US ones had very close encounters involving damage to both sides. It was a war fought without shooting but not without losses, particularly on the Russian side and with one probability on the USN side.
They did the same to us and tried to probe the areas around the RN Naval bases and the US Naval bases on both side of the US.
In todays political atmosphere the chances of escalation are much higher. Plus Putin knows that the US and UK armed forces are very stretched with their involvement in the Gulf and Afghanistan. Putin also knows he can exploit the divide over in the US and UK over the war in Iraq and it's effect on the region.
Vladimir Putin rearms his Cold War military
By Gethin Chamberlain, Tim Shipman and Nick Holdsworth in Moscow, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 4:01am BST 20/08/2007
In a hangar at an airfield 24 miles south east of Moscow, technicians were yesterday checking over the latest additions to the burgeoning military arsenal which a resurgent Russia hopes can restore its status as a major world power.
The MiG-35 and MiG-29 fighters which Russia plans to showcase at this week's -Moscow international air show are just a small part of a £100 billion plan to return the Russian military to the heights of its Cold War might.
A woman begs in Harare, Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe: anarchy in four months, says official
Russia's planned military might - click to enlarge
On Friday President Vladimir Putin caused consternation by announcing the resumption of regular, long-range nuclear bomber patrols, but there is more to come; Russia is planning to double combat aircraft production by 2025 with more nuclear missiles, aircraft carriers and tanks at the top of Moscow's shopping list.
The message to the West is clear: the days of being able to dismiss Russia as a spent force are over. Bolstered by the cash from sales of oil and gas and President Putin's steely determination to re-establish the country on the world stage, the Russian -military machine is back in business.
Various theories have been put forward for the dramatic military expansion, not least the need to appeal to nationalists in the run-up to forthcoming parliamentary and presidential elections. The real reason, however, appears to be that Russia has taken offence at what it regards as the West's insulting indifference to its very existence.
Intelligence sources say Washington and London have been taken aback by just how seriously Russia has viewed the perceived slight and admit that in concentrating so heavily on Iraq and al-Qaeda, they took their eyes off the ball.
"They were slow to see that these people are still players," said a former White House staffer, who served both Ronald Reagan and George Bush. "My great fear is that I wake up one day soon to discover that we lost the Cold War, or rather that like everything else, we won the war and then lost the peace."
A source close to the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, who cut her teeth in government as a Kremlinologist in the Eighties, said that Middle East issues had diverted her attention from a more rigorous engagement with Moscow.
"She wants to spend more time on Russia but that hasn't always been possible. She said to me that she regrets the fact that she has not done enough on what is, after all, her major area of expertise."
The carefully-staged pictures of the president stripped to the waist and striking various manly poses on holiday in Siberia last week are not the only Russian muscle-flexing that has been going on in recent months.
While Russia's submariners have managed to upset even the mild-mannered Norwegians and Canadians by planting a flag under the Arctic ice, its long range TU-95 Bear bombers have rattled America's cage by buzzing its US naval base on the island of Guam in the western Pacific. The Georgians are furious after a Russian missile landed on the outskirts of a village near Tbilisi and a series of war games in Russia's southern Ural Mountains featuring some 6,500 troops from Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan sparked Western concern over the emergence of a new Warsaw Pact.
The alarm may have sounded too late, however, according to Matthew Clements, Eurasia editor of Jane's Country Risk. "I think what has not been seen is the way Russia perceives itself as a new, great power, and how it feels it has not been taken as seriously as it should be," he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Vladimir Putin rearms his Cold War military
The latest developments have exacerbated an already tense situation. Russia has responded angrily to US plans to station an anti-missile system in the Czech republic and Poland by threatening to site its own missiles in Kaliningrad to counter the threat. Earlier this summer Mr Putin upped the ante by threatening to target US strategic nuclear sites in Europe. Tensions with Britain over the murder of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko have prompted tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats, while on Friday the BBC's World Service was thrown off Russian FM radio.
The Foreign Office last week refused to be drawn on its attitude towards Russia's newly-assertive attitude, other than to observe that "we are not alarmed".
But perhaps the only positive that Britain can draw from Russia's military resurgence is that its new Typhoon fighter aircraft, purchased at about £20 billion to counter a Cold War threat, might finally have found a worthy adversary.
Eight years ago, when -President Putin first came to power, the Russian military was in meltdown. The Russian army was crippled by low morale, the navy was rusting away and the air force was at half its Cold War strength.
But no longer. Russian defence spending rose by 22 per cent and 27 per cent in the past two years and could be up as much as 30 per cent this year. In February, Sergei Ivanov, then defence secretary and now one of the front-runners to replace Mr Putin next year, announced a £100 billion programme of expenditure. According to Jane's Sentinel Country Risk Assessments, the Russian shopping list includes two new submarine-launched nuclear ballistic missiles, the Bulava and the Sineva, both with a 5,000 mile range and capable of carrying 10 nuclear warheads, and a new anti-aircraft missile, the S-400, which the Russian ministry of defence claims is effective against incoming missiles.
It also plans to spend heavily on the new TU-160 strategic bomber, which can launch cruise missiles, the SU-34 "Fullback" fighter-bomber capable of all-weather attacks on heavily defended targets and a new fifth-generation fighter, the Sukhoi T-50, which is expected to come into service in 2008 as Russia's main lightweight front-line fighter. The expanded Russian fleet will include six new nuclear powered aircraft carriers, it has just one at present, and eight ballistic missile submarines. Alex Pravda, a Russia expert at London's Chatham House foreign policy think tank, said the new aggressive approach was typical Putin.
"He believes in fighting for your place in the sun and has said that nobody appreciates weakness. They are not looking for the imperial reach of the Soviet era. What they want is an international presence."
But with Mr Putin unable to stand for a third term, his former defence secretary Sergei Ivanov is well-placed to benefit from domestic approval of the tough new stance when Russians go to the polls next March.
Whoever succeeds Mr Putin, the West is likely to have to accept that the balance of power has changed. As Mr Putin said when he announced the resumption of strategic bomber patrols: "Combat duty has begun." |
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Witch_Pauline
Reacher
Joined: Sep 23, 2005
Posts: 305
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline
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Aug 20, 2007 - 01:11 PM |
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Laughable and pathetic. If you want to kill you dog, call it communist. As for rewriting of history... Western history books come to mind, especially the history of WW2. |
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hc
Post Roaster
Joined: Apr 04, 2007
Posts: 4545
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| Posted:
Aug 20, 2007 - 01:16 PM |
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"It is not just the editing of Russian history but also the increasing of the military budgets which points to his wanting stronger controls over all things Russian, plus his pushing the former Warsaw Pact countries to toe the line. Unlike the cold war that lasted until Gorbachev came to power this one can be financed by the increased revenue from oil and gas.
For patriotism you can read nationalism. Communism does not exist in Russia any more but they are still smarting from the collapse of the Soviet Union under Boris Yeltsin.
In the period I was in submarines we took part in a number of what we called 'sneakies', intelligence gathering patrols, often in areas we should not have been in. They were quite scary and the Russian submarines were always improving. Some of our boats and the US ones had very close encounters involving damage to both sides. It was a war fought without shooting but not without losses, particularly on the Russian side and with one probability on the USN side.
They did the same to us and tried to probe the areas around the RN Naval bases and the US Naval bases on both side of the US.
In todays political atmosphere the chances of escalation are much higher. Plus Putin knows that the US and UK armed forces are very stretched with their involvement in the Gulf and Afghanistan. Putin also knows he can exploit the divide over in the US and UK over the war in Iraq and it's effect on the region. "
Well, he is challenging the status quo, so what?
If Russia was the superpower and somebody else was rearming, they would say exactly the same as you are saying.
The West will need to learn how to divide the power a bit as Russia and China want a piece of the cake too.
And considering who is leading the West, I dont think a challenge from Russia is all that bad, put the retards in check a bit.
Now is the moment, you can see it happening: north pole, Venezuela, Nigeria, Russia, all these nations are getting as much as they can while the US and UK are overstretched.
When Iraq comes to an end we will have a reshaped world and it wont be pretty to the US.
And this is all very fair! |
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shanghaiceltic
Board Royalty
Joined: Sep 20, 2005
Posts: 7149
Location: Perth WA
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| Posted:
Aug 20, 2007 - 01:37 PM |
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But if challenge comes to takeover would you want to be living under a regime such as Putin's? |
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Witch_Pauline
Reacher
Joined: Sep 23, 2005
Posts: 305
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Aug 20, 2007 - 02:10 PM |
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I certainly hope that Russia gets stronger, that we get rid of the whiners in the EU and form a new EU - from the Atlantic to the Pacific (is that called Bering sea? Siberian sea?). |
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wolfy
Fire-eater
Joined: Sep 13, 2004
Posts: 2510
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| Posted:
Aug 20, 2007 - 02:42 PM |
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hc
Post Roaster
Joined: Apr 04, 2007
Posts: 4545
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Aug 20, 2007 - 02:44 PM |
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| shanghaiceltic wrote: |
| But if challenge comes to takeover would you want to be living under a regime such as Putin's? |
It is obvious that the world in many fronts is running in collision course and those that are on top now will have to compromise. But "takeover" is a big illusion.
When my dad lived in Sweden in the 60s he collected a number of these leaflets from the Swedish government about what to do in case of a nuclear attack from the Russians. Quite funny actually. I imagine you must have had something similar as well in the UK right, and that might be playing a role here.
Anyway, confrontation is bad for everybody but a stalemate serves us well in my opinion. Hegemony has CLEARLY not worked out as those in power, like proven before throughout history, abused from it.
You being from the UK think that Russia rising is a tragedy. I am sure that the poor fellas in Iraq, India, China, and most of the Muslim world think that this rise would be great to put the lid on the thieves in power (oh, that means the UK and the US...ooops). |
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hc
Post Roaster
Joined: Apr 04, 2007
Posts: 4545
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| Posted:
Aug 20, 2007 - 02:45 PM |
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wolfy
Fire-eater
Joined: Sep 13, 2004
Posts: 2510
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| Posted:
Aug 20, 2007 - 02:46 PM |
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shanghaiceltic
Board Royalty
Joined: Sep 20, 2005
Posts: 7149
Location: Perth WA
Status: Offline
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| Posted:
Aug 20, 2007 - 02:52 PM |
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| Quote: |
| You being from the UK think that Russia rising is a tragedy. |
Not quite the case. It is the method of their rise that concerns me. If they rose in power without persecuting their own people well and good. But that does not seem to be the case.
Call it what you like but if you have the ability to non violently challenge your goverment or religeous leaders without fear of arrest then that is good. |
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hc
Post Roaster
Joined: Apr 04, 2007
Posts: 4545
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Aug 20, 2007 - 03:06 PM |
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"Call it what you like but if you have the ability to non violently challenge your goverment or religeous leaders without fear of arrest then that is good."
But that's the thing most people miss.
Democracy is not a "feature", it's a process. It's not choice. It needs to happen. It's like puberty. If you dont have the hormones kicking in, you are toast. And when the hormones are there, nothing can prevent the titie from sprouting beautifully.
You can only reach the "ability to non violently challenge your goverment or religeous leaders without fear of arrest" step after you climbed a hundred of previous steps.
If you give a lot of rights without being ready for them, you will invariably end up in a situation with no flexibility whatsoever to conduct the changes that you must in order to develop the country.
Name me one single developing country that through democracy became developed.
Countries are underdeveloped because at a certain point in history they took a wrong turn here or there and normally to correct that you will need to piss off a lot of people, since these wrong turns might privilege some groups here and there that will not want to lose what they got by chance. You can see signs of that everywhere. In India, in Russia, in Brazil that's most definitely true (states that use 80% of their entire revenue to pay state employees!!!!).
Now, I am not promoting slaughtering anyone that disagrees, I am saying that sometimes you will need to compromise in crucial points focused on the greater objective. That's what great managers do in companies, that's what great leaders do. The alternative is being mediocre forever. Some countries settle for that, some countries don't. Russia clearly dont, and they are perfectly right.
Besides, I really doubt the West has genuine care for the poor persecuted Russians just as they dont give a flying fk about the little african kid dying of diseases curable with a penny a day. Let's admit, nobody gives a flying fk.
We need to look ourselves in the mirror and acknowledge that we don't give a flying fk. As long as we honest and acknowledge we can then move ahead and DO something. Rock concerts with faded stars ain't help if you know what I mean. |
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shanghaiceltic
Board Royalty
Joined: Sep 20, 2005
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Location: Perth WA
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| Posted:
Aug 20, 2007 - 03:31 PM |
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I never mentioned democracy. I said the ability to challenge a government on its policies or a religion on its absolute control.
Totalitarian/one party states repress any form of thought that is not their own or does not fit in with their ideas and therefore cannot move on except by coups. |
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hc
Post Roaster
Joined: Apr 04, 2007
Posts: 4545
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Aug 20, 2007 - 03:47 PM |
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Would you agree that there is no democracy in the world without "the ability to non violently challenge your goverment or religeous leaders without fear of arrest"?
So, we could say that "the ability to non violently challenge your goverment or religeous leaders without fear of arrest" is required for democracy right i.e. one of the steps as I mentioned?
"Totalitarian/one party states repress any form of thought that is not their own or does not fit in with their ideas and therefore cannot move on except by coups.
That sounds pretty much like the US today doesnt it? |
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bougie
Board Legend
Joined: Nov 20, 2004
Posts: 12777
Location: Wuhan Hubei China
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Aug 20, 2007 - 08:28 PM |
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Russia returning to Totalitarianism ... is that even a word ? |
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Borodino
Reacher
Joined: Jan 03, 2007
Posts: 316
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Aug 20, 2007 - 09:09 PM |
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I should just like to confirm that totalitarianism is indeed a word.
Carry on. |
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leidelaohu
Low Seater
Joined: June 11, 2007
Posts: 3257
Status: Offline
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| Posted:
Aug 20, 2007 - 09:20 PM |
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| shanghaiceltic wrote: |
| Not quite the case. It is the method of their rise that concerns me. If they rose in power without persecuting their own people well and good. But that does not seem to be the case. |
I don't give one dog turd for their own people; as long as they can pose a serious threat to the dangerously retarded arseholes in Washington it will be a good thing for the world. William of Orange was a genius. |
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shanghaiceltic
Board Royalty
Joined: Sep 20, 2005
Posts: 7149
Location: Perth WA
Status: Offline
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| Posted:
Aug 21, 2007 - 07:47 AM |
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| hc wrote: |
Would you agree that there is no democracy in the world without "the ability to non violently challenge your goverment or religeous leaders without fear of arrest"?
So, we could say that "the ability to non violently challenge your goverment or religeous leaders without fear of arrest" is required for democracy right i.e. one of the steps as I mentioned?
"Totalitarian/one party states repress any form of thought that is not their own or does not fit in with their ideas and therefore cannot move on except by coups.
That sounds pretty much like the US today doesnt it? |
At least in the UK and many other countries you can write an open letter, go on TV, make a documentary, or write a book that challenges government opinion or religous lleadership without fear of arrest.
If governments of other countries deny this right then they are plainly scared of something, possibly the truth.
Russian has held elections and it will hold more. The difference is that Putin is repressing any challenges to his regime to maintain his grip on power. |
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hc
Post Roaster
Joined: Apr 04, 2007
Posts: 4545
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| Posted:
Aug 21, 2007 - 11:40 AM |
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