Taschist Borduria
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Borduria is a fictional country in The Adventures of Tintin. In the Tintin comic books, it is said to be located in the Balkans, probably in what is currently the eastern half of Slovenia or eastern Croatia and is bordered by Syldavia (also a fictional country), as well as Hungary and Yugoslavia. It is a parody a stereotypical Eastern bloc country.
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[edit] Pre-History and Local/Internal affairs
In 1195, Borduria conquered their neighbour Syldavia, and ruled it to 1275, when baron Almazout drove the Bordurians away after 6 months, and became king Ottokar I of Syldavia. In 1939, they unsuccessfully staged a coup d'état against Syldavia, trying to remove the king and invade the country, which it is historically linked to, with support from Syldavian Borduria supporters. The failed coup d'etat and Anschluss with Syldavia in 1939 led to a Taschist government took power in 1956.
[edit] Taschist Borduria
By 1956, Borduria was reminiscent of a stereotypical Eastern Bloc country complete with its own secret police (ZEP), military dictator, Kurvi-Tasch, whose name is a combination of his moustache and his ideology, and the "taschist" ideology which in all indications seems to be identical to Stalinism with a more militaristic edge. The statue of Kurvi-Tasch in a Nazi-like salute in front of a government building is an overt comparison between him and Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. The ubiquity of his moustache, "the whiskers of Kurvi-Tasch", seems to be similar to the swastika or hammer and sickle in its (over) use (it is often seen used as a swear word and a diacritical mark, and the bumpers of the local cars are shaped to resemble it).
Other traces of the Kurvi-Taschist moustache can be found on the name of the Hotel where Tintin was staying in Szohod, where it is called Hotel Zsnorr which, given Herge's Belgian bilingualism, means moustache in Dutch ('snor').
[edit] Foreign Affairs
In 1976, in the story Tintin and the Picaros, the Bordurian government supported General Tapioca, the current ruler of San Theodoros, a fictional banana republic in South America, and even sent him military advisors. Officially, General Tapioca and San Theodoros are subscribers to the "taschist" ideology, proof of this can be seen on page 22 of Tintin and the Picaros: when Colonel Sponsz is talking with Colonel Alvarez in the former's San Theodorian office the latter hits a bust of Kurvi-Tasch with a cork.
Another common point between both countries is their tradition of military leadership of the state and government and in that respect the many colonels that they hire. Military and government equipment in San Theodoros often incorporates the Taschist moustache logo in detail decoration, indicating Bordurian origin.
[edit] Military of Taschist Borduria
The military power of Borduria ruled by the Taschist government, has evidence that its quality had dropped dramatically.
In one Tintin comic (The Calculus Affair), they made attempts to stop the stolen tank that Tintin and his companions were using. However, all their attempts fail because of the terrible quality of their weaponry and military construction.
[edit] Sources
Tintin albums featuring Borduria:
- Le Sceptre d’Ottokar (King Ottokar's Sceptre, 1939)
- L’Affaire Tournesol (The Calculus Affair, 1956)
- Colonel Sponsz of Borduria features in Tintin et les Picaros (Tintin and the Picaros, 1976)
