Too many young people — not just in Russia, but around the world — do not know basic Gulag history, and it is Russia’s disservice to the world to downplay this dimension of their history. There are so many lessons that must be learned.
Think of all the millenial socialists here in America who think Stalin and Lenin were not that bad. Or ‘not as bad as Hitler.’ People to this day can even visit Lenin’s body at his mausoleum in Moscow.
It is my understanding that museums on the sites of actual Gulag camps are few and far between, and the few that exist are heavily monitored by the government. The narratives are adjusted to ultimately praise Russia’s war effort. Some even saying the Gulag system was necessary to defeat Hitler.
“” “” It is my understanding that museums on the sites of actual Gulag camps are few and far between, and the few that exist are heavily monitored by the government. The narratives are adjusted to ultimately praise Russia’s war effort. Some even saying the Gulag system was necessary to defeat Hitler.”” “”
How many museums do you want? I have been to some and never mantioned a thing praising Lenin or Stalin. I haven’t seen a thing linking Gulag to war affort there too.
“It is my understanding that museums on the sites of actual Gulag camps are few and far between, and the few that exist are heavily monitored by the government. “
It turns out that your understanding comes from being an armchair warrior on FR, making stuff up out of thin air, and then insisting you know for sure it is true.
And that anyone who disbelieves you is an agent or denying the truth because you saw it written down somewhere.
Just like how all those people skeptical of the mueller investigation were suspect agents, nice discussion technique.
I walked through a gulag museum in Russia. They didn’t downplay anything. They go into fine detail about killing of Christians. There is a functioning Christian monastery with services at the gulag. There are tours of all the sites and multilanguage guides.
There is a lot of ‘contrarian’ sympathy for Stalin in both Russia and Ukraine. Some people will say they demonize him because they are against all things soviet, and they actually miss aspects of soviet times (order, pension, whatever). I have heard people in Ukraine say outrageous things like that the people killed were corrupt and needed to be killed. As if they can judge even one person enough to say they deserve death, let alone millions.
There is a big statue of a communist on hill next to monastery i visit in ukraine. The taxi driver thinks it is strange I want to go monastery, but points at statue and says what a great man he was.
There are a lot of people who a communist and not christian. Some people are just nominally christian cause it is a national identity thing. But then the same thing with their communism, some don’t really know it but just like ancestors/history. Or maybe their school/family/govt taught that. There is a lot of brainwashing everywhere and we are doomed to repeat mistakes of history we don’t know