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 ...
Do they even mention “The Winter War” against Finland?
No mere textbook could hope to “tell the full story” of Russian involvement in WW2. I can’t even imagine how one would tell the story without 5-6 simultaneous story lines going on.
If liberals had their way, all mentions that slavery was supported by DemocRats and that socialism has killed over 70 million people would be erased.
No doubt you've heard of Simo Häyhä?
I have.
Ivan had a rough go of it. A lot of that was Uncle Joe’s fault for stupidly firing/killing his officer corps so he started at a huge disadvantage.
Never a more treacherous bastard has existed than Uncle Joe in my opinion. I’m glad the Allies didn’t cave to his timeline and we kept our own.
I can understand how they may Poo-Poo our contribution, it’s not entirely without cause from their perspective.
Russia fought a hell of a fight, I’ll always give them credit for that.
Great film ! “The Winter War”
If you can find it!
Maybe Netflix??
When has the search for truth ever mattered in Russia?
I have the highest regard for the average Red Army soldier (who didn’t rape and pillage across Germany, that is)
He had no say in who his leaders were, they were fighting for the “Rodina”.
Victors get to write the history for their people I suppose.
I know the Germans are still ashamed of their history today, as they should be. And America is ashamed of some of our history concerning slavery (for example). So be it. I think Japan is pretty weird about their history.
I’m encouraged that teachers in Russia are allowed to even question this openly.
This is something I can’t get too outraged about - pretty much every country tells their version of history. Besides, we got our plate full with what the left is doing to our own history books.
A nation that doesn’t revere their heroes, will eventually be ruled by a nation that does.
Oh absolutely. I think any “whole story” Russian WW2 history would have to begin with the purge of his officer corps in the late 30’s. From there you’d have to pick out ten sub-stories. My ancestry is Russian, and I worked on a cruise ship for a while in 2005 and we visited St. Pete 7 times, all overnight stays (VERY unusual for a cruise ship, ordinarily you are in any given port for 2-5 hours) and I wandered around relentlessly. What an amazing combination of 1750, 1850, and 1950 it was. Utterly fascinating.
There’s no question that the battle for St. Pete was one of the great titanic struggles of all time, yet that was but one sub-story of Russian involvement in WW2.
Quite a story in itself.
Notice, for those of you who watched the Olympics that the Russians never listed the names of medal winners just “Russian Team Member” with no name?
Or the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact?
I wonder if Russian history mentions that the Soviets invaded Poland in cooperation with the Germans?
I wonder if Russian history mentions that the Soviets invaded Poland in cooperation with the Germans?
I wonder if Russian history mentions that the Soviets invaded Poland in cooperation with the Germans?
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