Posted on 09/05/2008 10:16:18 AM PDT by george76
Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin claims he acted "rationally" in executing and imprisoning millions of people in the Gulags, a Russian school book claims.
The book, A History of Russia, 1900-1945, will be used as a teaching guide in Russian schools, 55 years after Stalin died.
It is designed for teachers to promote patriotism among the Russian young, and seems to follow an attempt backed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to re-evaluate Stalin's record in a more positive light.
Historians believe up to 20 million people died as a result of his actions, many times more than were killed under Hitler's Nazi regime in Germany.
It is produced by the country's leading school book publishers Prosveshenije, a state-supported company that used to have a monopoly on the supply of classroom texts in the Soviet era.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Meet the new boss, same as...
Looks like Comrade Putin has been reading his Orwell collection again.
Those who control the past control the future. Those who control the present control the past.
Russians pay tribute to writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2008/08/05/6354321-ap.html
‘...Putin himself expressed concern about public memory, calling later Tuesday for Solzhenitsyn’s works to become an important part of the Russian school curriculum.
“Together with the entire nation he lived through a great tragedy of repression,” Putin said in a meeting with the education minister. “He not only lived through it, but ... through his works and his entire life he inoculated our society against tyranny in all its forms.” ...
Not as long as the students can read 'A History of Russia, 1900-1945' AND the works of Solzhenitzyn, who exposes Stalin as the monster he was. Let them read both and make up their own minds.
Ping for the list...
Your welcome!
Yeah, you’re right. Sometimes when something outrageous happens, I see the term Hitler used a lot. Sometimes, I have seen Al-Qaeda/September 11 Hijackers and even Stalin used. For example, Wendy Portillo case in Florida. Some bloggers called her Mrs. Hitler, Mini-Hitler, or said she was worse than Hitler. Some called her Hitler and followed him. Same went with Lori Drew. One blog said, “Some people are born evil, Hitler, Stalin, Lori Drew”. One said that both Curt and Lori Drew were worse than Hitler.
4 later
Putin says, “through his works and his entire life he inoculated our society against tyranny in all its forms.” I guess this means Putin will be turning the gun on himself, and soon? Thanks Fred.
schizophrenic?
The Putin Quiz:
Check all that apply to you or that you agree with.
You sometimes think you have the ability to predict the future.
Sometimes you have hallucinations.
You’re emotional responses are often inappropriate (like laughing when you should be crying).
You have lost interest in life.
You sometimes skip a shower or brushing your teeth when you really shouldn’t.
You taste or smell things that aren’t really there.
There are odd or unusual things going on that you can’t explain.
You have great difficultly expressing your emotions.
You speak in a monotone voice.
People have called your beliefs paranoid.
There are people inside your head that no one else can hear.
You have special abilities that people are jealous of.
It’s hard for you to tell what is real and what isn’t.
Sometimes you mind plays tricks on you.
You feel like other people are plotting against you.
You worry that other people can read your mind.
You feel almost alien, like you don’t share anything in common with anyone.
You are very superstitious.
You think that you have magical or supernatural powers.
Sometimes you hear someone laughing or whistling - when no one is around.
You are clumsy and uncoordinated.
You are often withdrawn and don’t talk much.
You feel like people are planning to hurt you - or are about to hurt you.
You are addicted to narcotics.
You are worried that you are going crazy.
Stalin's real name was 'Dzhugashvilis'. His father was Ossetian, his mother Georgian. He spoke only Georgian until he was around 8 & reportedly retained the accent his entire life. This was indeed "Russian-controlled" territory at the time, yet ethnically Stalin was not a Russian.
well, yeah, but most people don’t ask me about it. OH WAIT, you mean him... yeah, good call... ;’)
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