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Curzon
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Curzon

Date

February 11th, 2005

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Soviet Nostalgia

The New Republic has a great article on “Stalin Nostalgia” in their latest issue. Because login is required to view the article, a pdf version can be read here. Today, a majority of Russians have a favorable view of Stalin and remember the iron man who could match the might of the United States, not the brutal totalitarian who murdered millions.

Soviet Nostalgia isn’t limited to Russia proper. I saw a similar phenomenon with my own eyes when I visisted Kazakhstan last year. Although the Kazakhs had demanded independence upon the fall of the Soviet regime, and the national leaders have immortalized the millions killed by the Soviets in war and famine on statues and monuments, there is nonetheless a desire by many of the common folk for a restoration of the USSR’s glory. Soviet nostalgia is chic. One of the colas in the supermarket was “CCCP COLA.” A popular music video called “EUROASIA” saw three young kids sing about restoring the Soviet Union, this time conquering Britain to the Middle East to Japan. And one trendy bar carried a purely Soviet theme:

Maybe people are happy that the Soviet Union has given them national determination, freedom of speech, etc etc. And we’re seeing it now as many countries formerly subordinate to Russia are aligning themselves with the West (Ukraine, Georgia, the Baltic States). That doesn’t stop many of the people from reminiscing about the glory days of old. Because despite the good that came from the post-USSR breakup, many feel they have lost their national pride, and they want it back. Eurasianet has an article—dated, but nonetheless fascinating—on how Russia’s Soviet Nostalgia poses a security threat to the Eurasian region. Both that and the above New Republic article are highly recommended reading.

Comments to this entry

aneeb
August 19, 2005
5:44 am
Soviet union need again
Wat you want to show through the article
Yes Stallin killed many bourgoise
Thats is very good
for the society
bcause capitalism making millions life bad, death
Stallin made russia A big country from a colony
kingdom,
dictator ship
Curzon
August 19, 2005
9:52 am
You are insane.
tdaxp
January 20, 2006
4:30 pm
The 5GW of the Orcish Hoardes

With the confirmation of a Samuel Alito being a sure-thing, Iran acting like a typical realist power, and "Science" magazines reading like science fiction, life is normal. Perhaps too normal.

But have no fear! When real blog politics is boring,...
Jess V. Nielsen
May 10, 2006
1:29 am
Economic reform turned into tax evasive monopolistic capitalism bankrupting and corrupting public administration, political liberalism was fake, politics still being controlled by a soviet schooled political elite and manipulated by dirty methods unthinkable in the west, these new societal constuctions were severely dysfunctional, they weakened Russia severly enabling subversive action to be taken from the west which still saw Russia as a strategic rival to be weakened for own benefit, the businessmen and politicians who attacked Russia were short sighted vultures they themselves mortally vounded the belief in a better freer future thereby partially destroying the possibility for a long term liberal democratic political culture and a truly free market capitalism, these developments were not beneficial to the ordinary people therefore there naturally developed loathe for this and a longing for a fifferent ordered society from the past with ignorance towards the supressive atmosphere of the past this now enabling the growth of the soft autocracy now developing, Russia can still turn towards the right direction but this need clandestine support from the west, Georgia and Ukraine show the right direction towards the true good of a westernization of Russia with healthy democracy and a diversified economy based on more than mere natural resources which is inadequate to fully develop Russia, many important sectors were destroyed by the chaotic transition from a planned economy into bandit capitalism and resources were removed from developing other important sectors such as added value manufactured goods both needing and supporting the existence of and need for educated people and providing resources therefore, but maybe I'am an ignorant rambling idealist Russia maybe needs autocratic developmentalism following the example of China this may be the way forward for Russia, its society immature for true democracy and the morality and patriotism of the business elite insufficient to motivate selflessness for the sake of Russia by investing the money earned from the proceedes from the sale of natural resources into underdeveloped sectors making Russia less exporting of wealth potential in other sectors where the current importing now prevents Russia from developing these sectors whereby Russia could develop a independent capability thereby keeping resources in there own economy, sorry for my rambling, I hope that someday a politically and economically developed Russia will join Europe in a Great Civilizatory Alliance for mutual benefit thereby bringing the bright light of greatness back to Westen Eurasia !