Posted on 02/20/2018 1:41:31 PM PST by GoldenState_Rose
Teaching history has never been easy in Russia, where archives are closed and transparent discussions about the country’s Soviet past are met with hostility. Even then, teaching World War II is more difficult: with every year that Putin is in power, Russia fails to confront its role in the war head on.
In September 2016, three history textbooks were sanctioned by the Ministry of Education, all of which gloss over Stalin’s crimes and his initial alliance with Nazi Germany. “My main issue with the textbooks is that they do not reveal the whole truth,” says historian and teacher Leonid Katsva.
What is still unclear is who decides which book should be used in the classroom. “Is it the teacher, the school director or the city? I asked this question to the Moscow city government many times and received no answer,” says Abalov.
Most schools across the country have sided with one of them, published by Prosveshenie, whose retelling of the war focuses almost exclusively on the heroic aspects of the Soviet war effort.
For Russians, World War II began—not in 1939 as it did for the rest of the world—but in 1941. What happened before, and the Soviet Union’s role in it, has stirred emotions and denial in Russia. The most controversial moment, which the Kremlin traditionally does not emphasize, is the Molotov–Ribbentrop “non-aggression” pact between the USSR and Nazi Germany.
This year, a man in Perm, a city in the Urals, was fined 200 thousand rubles ($3,500) for reposting an article which correctly stated that the Soviet Union invaded Poland in 1939 in collaboration with the Nazis.
(Excerpt) Read more at themoscowtimes.com ...
I wonder if Russian history mentions that the Soviets invaded Poland in cooperation with the Germans?
Yep
Stalin hated “Leningrad”, to the point where I really don’t think he would have shed a tear if Hitler eliminated it from the face of the Earth. He always felt they were too “independent” from Moscow.
He had many of the “Heroes of Leningrad” shot after the war.
How many US textbooks mention the US Army invaded Russia in 1918, fighting with the Whites against the Reds in the revolution?
Even those that raped and pillaged had cause. I would guess many of them had their mothers, sisters, and wives who were innocent devastated, and their view of Nazi collaborators was pretty low. And pretty much every German was a Nazi collaborator.
I can’t imagine the mental state.
Yep, that was a big mistake, it gained the Bolsheviks a lot of sympathizers.
The Soviets (Russians) paid an unbelievable price for their alliance with the Nazis. It seems like spitting on the dead to freak out over it now.
You have to admit, this is pretty cool.
Victory Day : “Immortal Regiment” march
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lynKea8pGlw
Marching with pictures of relatives who fought during the War. Very cool.
The Russians used WW1 tactics against the Germans and managed to kill 20 million of their own people.
If it wasn’t for Lend Lease from the USA, the Russians would have lost many more killed and may even have been defeated by the Germans.
This year, a man in Perm, a city in the Urals, was fined 200 thousand rubles ($3,500) for reposting an article which correctly stated that the Soviet Union invaded Poland in 1939 in collaboration with the Nazis.
Those who don't learn from their history, are doomed to repeat it...and while there are no outright Gulags in Putin's Russia: there are definitely echoes of Stalin's repressions undermining the fabric and progress of Russian society today. As the fine the man above had to pay indiciates. -- This is just one of a string contemporary Russian acts of repression that even Orthodox Christian leaders have turned a blind eye too.
There are also a glaring lack memorials commemorating Gulag victims. And heavy restrictions placed upon the work and research of prison historians and archivists. The few memorials that do exist are heavily monitored so as not to compromise the overall Stalinist-heroic conception of the War.
America is a place where we openly discuss even the dark pages from our past and struggle to this day to overcome them. Unfortunately, we have become so self-deprecating to the point of disowning ANY credit or victory - and now ourselves tout pro-Soviet and anti-American narratives about the 20th Century. As dictated by the likes of Putin and ilk.
This is having a huge impact on our ability to forge a healthy, robust yet discerning patriotism among the populace and in confronting the challenges of our world today.
Most people who have never been to Russia or China are clueless as to the power revisionist historical narratives, which include the avoidance and denial of mass atrocities -> have in shaping their peoples' perception of the world, their political values, and their resentment towards America.
Stalin devastated his officer corps in the purges. A major factor in entering into the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was to buy time to rebuild the Red Army. Make no mistake - both Hitler and Stalin knew war was coming and if Hitler hadn’t started it Stalin would have when he was ready. The Red Army wasn’t ready in 1941, which almost but not quite led to the capture of Moscow.
“How many US textbooks mention the US Army invaded Russia in 1918, fighting with the Whites against the Reds in the revolution?”
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True. As I said, it’s tough for me to get all worked up about other country’s history books, they’re all going to tell it the way they prefer. I can barely imagine what the North Korean history books must look like and there’s not a thing I can do about it anyway.
What’s hilarious here is they do the same thing in the US. Not sure what the author’s point is. Have they checked out the manure that Pearson is peddling these days?
History is written not by the winners, but by the current winners.
Why worry about Russian history books? Ours aren’t any good either.
If you read to the end, you’ll see that you risk huge financial fines and punishments even for blogging your own opinion. Hopefully we don’t become like Putin’s Russia anytime soon.
“Freerepublics dot com” like this site are few and far between in Russia because people have been punished even for “Liking” certain posts.
I have the same thought.
As per agreement with Hitler, when Poland was defeated the USSR invaded what was left after German forces stopped along a per-determind line.
See post 36. The fact that you are even on a website like FreeRepublic is already a contrast to other countries - where your comments online regarding politically or historically sensitive subjects are heavily monitored.
Example: you’re not allowed to willy nilly mention Tiananmen Square in China.
The recent Florida school shooting has enabled woke people a glimpse into what is being produced at government schools. The kids appear damaged in multiple ways. I’m not sure what they’re learning but I’d guess it’s nothing of value.
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