Nostalgia for the Soviet Union

Stalin-o-bus in Saint Petersburg, May 5, 2010

Nostalgia for the Soviet Union[1] or Soviet nostalgia[2][3] is a moral-psychological phenomenon of nostalgia for the Soviet era, whether its politics, its society, its culture, or simply its aesthetics. Such nostalgia is most common among people in Russia and the post-Soviet states, as well as persons born in the Soviet Union but long since living abroad. It often results from the frustration Russia experienced after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. As the Soviet economy crumbled into various new post-Soviet economies, changing painfully from a planned economy to capitalism, the standard of living fell for many people and their social safety net disintegrated, but they watched so-called New Russians and Russian oligarchs prosper, often by unethical means. Simultaneously, the loss of superpower status and the economic pain drove various reactions, from increased Russian nationalism to disillusionment.

In a 2013 Gallup poll done in the Former Soviet Union (excluding the Baltic states and Uzbekistan), 51% of respondents said that more harm than good came to their countries as a result of the dissolution of the Soviet Union.[4]

On April 25, 2005, the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, stated that the dissolution of the Soviet Union was a major geopolitical disaster of the 20th century.[5][6][7][8] In a June 2017 interview, Putin acknowledged the "horrors of Stalinism", but also criticized the "excessive demonization of Stalin" by "Russia's enemies".[9]

Revival of Stalin's cult

Since 2009 in Ukraine, the Communist Party of Ukraine, has actively tried to revive the cult of Joseph Stalin.[10][11][12][13] On June 22, 2013, Serhiy Topalov, a People's Deputy from the Communist Party, attacked a law enforcement agent over a portrait of Stalin.[14]

See also

Communist nostalgia in Europe

References

  1. ↑ Why Russia Backs The Eurasian Union. Business Insider (from The Economist). August 22, 2014.
  2. ↑ Nikitin, V. Putin is exploiting the legacy of the Soviet Union to further Russia's ends in Ukraine. The Independent. March 5, 2014.
  3. ↑ Taylor, A. Calls for a return to ‘Stalingrad’ name test the limits of Putin’s Soviet nostalgia. Washington Post. June 9, 2014
  4. ↑ Inc., Gallup,. "Former Soviet Countries See More Harm From Breakup". Gallup.com. Retrieved 2016-12-20.
  5. ↑ Putin deplores collapse of USSR. BBC. April 25, 2005
  6. ↑ Annual Address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. Kremlin. April 25, 2005
  7. ↑ Allen, N. Soviet break-up was geopolitical disaster, says Putin. The Telegraph. April 26, 2005
  8. ↑ Bigg, C. World: Was Soviet Collapse Last Century's Worst Geopolitical Catastrophe? Radio Liberty. April 29, 2005
  9. ↑ David Filipov (26 June 2017), For Russians, Stalin is the ‘most outstanding’ figure in world history, followed by Putin, The Washington Post, retrieved 7 August 2017
  10. ↑ Monument of Stalin in Zaporizhia placed under glass. ForUm. November 7, 2011
  11. ↑ CPU opened a monument to Stalin in Lutsk. Gordonua. February 3, 2014
  12. ↑ Residents of Kharkiv ride on a free of charge tramway with a portrait of Stalin. Censor.net. February 2, 2013
  13. ↑ The monuments of Stalin established by businessmen who invest in CPU will not stay for long. Argument.ua. May 7, 2012
  14. ↑ In Simferopol MP from CPU brawled with militsiya over a portrait of Stalin. Mirror Weekly. June 23, 2013

Further reading

News

Internet societies

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