Post Soviet Syndrome

[Boethius]

From RIANovosti -
 

Many Young Russians Are Nostalgic for the  Soviet Union.
 
Contrary to popular belief, the tight grip that 70  years of Soviet indoctrination exerted on the popular psyche was not limited to  the older generations of Soviet citizens. Many of today’s young people—who were  not even born when the Soviet Union still existed—are showing symptoms of grief  and pining for the “good old days.” While experts continue to unravel the  mystery behind ex-Soviet citizens’ love for the good old former union, more and  more young people say they too are casting some nostalgic looks at the Soviet  past.

For many young people, the fabled social guarantees and safety  net that the Soviet regime provided were the keys to their hearts. “It was good  that the government provided people with the necessary living conditions and  social benefits, there was more confidence about tomorrow,” 20-year-old Maria  Skorik, who studies PR at the Journalism and Philology Faculty of the Southern  Federal University in Rostov-on-Don, said. For her, social welfare is what was  cool about the Soviet Union, even though she said that her idea of those times was based on bedside stories.
 
Maxim Rudnev, aged 23, who studies at Russia’s Academy of Law and  Governance, also said recreational storytelling by his parents formed his  opinions about the Soviet past. “My opinion is based on stories I was told by my  grandparents and good Soviet movies,” said Rudnev, who was born in East Berlin  and never lived in the Soviet Union. “For me, the Soviet past is associated with  victories in World War II, the chievements of the space programs, science and  the labor movements, such as Stakhanovism.” Rudnev is now one of the patriotic young fellows in the pro-Kremlin Molodaya Gvardiya political movement, which, among other things, groom the young generation to look at the Soviet past with  admiration and some veneration.

Through rose-colored  glasses

A recent study by Valeria Kasamara and Anna Sorokina at  the Laboratory for Political Research at the Higher School of Economics found that nostalgia for the Soviet past is still quite common among Russians,including the younger generation. The study, which polled 300 high-school and  university students aged between 13 and 32, found that young people with little or no memory of the Soviet Union also tend to be nostalgic for the past. “Young  Russians didn’t live in the Soviet Union and only know about it from stories they have been told by their parents, grandparents and teachers, or Soviet  movies,” Kasamara said. “These tend to concentrate on positive experiences and  don’t reflect the gloomy Soviet reality.”

Sorokina added that those who remember the Soviet Union tend to  focus on its achievements. “To appeal to teenagers, parents only reminisce about the Soviet  achievements and the positive side, and try to compare today with the past  within an alluring context. For instance, the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow is compared with the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi and the Nashi political  movement is compared with the Pioneers and Little Octobrists,” she said.

The degree to which people are willing to idealize the past, experts say, depends to a large extent on their social status, upbringing,  education and movies. Tough social and economic conditions since the collapse of the Soviet Union can also lead people to idealize the past, according to  experts. “The difficulties people faced after the collapse of the Soviet Union,  including the 1998 economic crisis, the threat of terrorism, and the collapse of  order—which had been so typical of the post-Soviet era, outweighed the problems  of the Soviet period,” Kasamara said. “Although Soviet citizens didn’t like the  gloomy Soviet reality, when shock therapy was implemented in response to the collapse of the Soviet Union people started to recall ‘the romantic and still air of the Soviet Union’ when they had government support and confidence about tomorrow.”

Such a line of thinking is also winning over young Russians, many of whom, Kasamara said, suffer from a lack of confidence and a sense that they  are dependent on circumstances. “If somebody is not confident, has low self-esteem and is reliant on government support alone, they want to shift  responsibility onto somebody else,” Kasamara said. For many, the social welfare  or state guarantees that they will find a job after graduation are essential, because they are unable to act independently, she said.

Among the younger generation, students from regional and  second-tier universities are more likely to suffer from post-Soviet nostalgia. “Students from top Moscow universities are more confident about their future, more open-minded, self-reliant and ready to suggest a compromise because they are in demand among employers,” Kasamara said.


But not all students fit in with this broad categorization, particularly when it comes to perceptions of certain aspects of the Soviet Union. Skorik claimed not to suffer from post-Soviet nostalgia at all, despite her positive impression of the Soviet welfare system. “I was born before the  collapse of the Soviet Union, but I don’t remember this period,” she said, “I  did not belong to Soviet society like I do not belong to American society, because I live in modern Russia. It’s my aquarium and I don’t want to live outside of it.”

Longing for a strong hand

The researchers from the Higher School of Economics believe that to some extent, post-Soviet nostalgia is symptomatic of a yearning  for the strong and influential rule that characterized Soviet power. “Reliance on a strong government and leader helps to boost a person’s ego,” Kasamara said. “The grandeur and influence of Soviet power is what they are proud of, not great  literature and scientific achievements. While Americans take pride in their  freedoms, the average Russian is yearning for a strong and controlling  government.”

This desire for strong leadership is also noticeable among young  people who claim not to feel nostalgia for the past. Skorik sees a strong government as much more important for Russia than a close relationship with the West. While supporting friendly ties with other countries, she thinks that national interest and security should remain top priorities. “Concessions that may result in negative consequences for the country are not always a good way to  deal with geopolitical problems,” she said.

Suspicion toward Western countries is also quite common among the  post-Soviet generation, which Asamara believes indicates it is yearning for the  Soviet Union’s influence in the international political arena. A poll conducted by the Levada Center in 2011 revealed that 70 percent of respondents believe that Russia has a lot of strategic rivals and enemies abroad.

Rudnev also supports a strong government, but does not rule out the possibility of mutual understanding and collaboration. “Russia should work on building friendly partnerships with the West, but, concurrently, we should be  prudent and avoid manipulation. In other words, we should be an equal partner  for the West, but not a second-rate one.”

But young people’s perceptions of the Soviet Union are far from  overwhelmingly positive today. Although he feels nostalgia toward Soviet  grandeur, power and the country’s achievements, Rudnev would not like to live in the Soviet Union. He describes himself as a representative of a new generation  that is focused on improving today’s Russia, not the past. “Try to make your own  contributions to Russia’s development and well being before asking something from  the government, that’s my principle,” Rudnev said. “And this makes me different  from Soviet generations.” Rudnev also believes that the lack of competitiveness as well as reliance on the government and social welfare hampered the development of Soviet society on both international and domestic levels.

Other young people, such as Skorik take a negative view of the  uniformity that pervaded the Soviet Union. Her view is shared by 22-year old  Aznavur Dustmamotov, who was born in the Soviet Union and immigrated to the  United States in 2007 to study at Harvard. “The thing I most dislike about the  Soviet Union is its uniformity. There was one official ideology, one path to  success, even one taste in music, clothes, and film,” he said. Despite having a negative opinion of the Soviet Union, Dustmamontov said “it would certainly be curious to live there for a short time to witness such a radically different society.”

Dustmamotov, who described the Soviet Union as “a doomed  experiment” and “a failed state, based on coercion and false social theory,” also believes there is a fine line between pursuing national interests and reclaiming imperial ambitions. He personally never felt part of Soviet  achievements, even though he grew up in the Yaroslavl Region, because he is not an ethnic Russian. “I was always treated as an outsider, and I simply cannot  identify with Soviet achievements, such as victory in World War II or the  creation of the thermonuclear bomb, in the same way ethnic Russians do. I was  always told, ‘This is our success, not yours.’ Whatever the greatness of the Soviet Union may have consisted of, I have no share in it and do not feel sentimental about it.”

Reinhard Krumm, the head of the Moscow bureau of the Friedrich  Ebert Fund, an influential German organization promoting democratic values in  Russia, is skeptical of how widespread post-Soviet nostalgia is among young  Russians. “I have been teaching Russian students and I haven’t noticed that they  want to go back to the Soviet Union. They have a lot of opportunities to study  wherever and whatever they want. But whether Russian youth feels nostalgia  toward the Soviet Union primarily depends on their level of education and social status,” Krumm said, adding that those who are better educated are more confident and more comfortable in modern Russia and feel less nostalgia for the Soviet Union.
 
An expert on Soviet and post-Soviet history, Krumm said that in  contrast to their Soviet predecessors, consumerism and attachment to Western  culture are characteristic of the current generation. “Now young people understand they will not be able to profit in an isolated society. In a  globalized world Russians don’t want to stand apart, they want to  participate.”

Krumm also believes that the post-Soviet generation differs in its perception  of ideas of freedom, pluralism and responsibility. He said that European  countries make certain distinctions between Soviet and post-Soviet generations  partly because of this. “There is a lot of sympathy toward the new generation.  It’s more open-minded and confident. Russian youth is the same as youth is in  the rest of the world.”

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20110922/167044357.html
 

[Eduard]

Another 4 year term under Obama and all of us will get to experience many of the wonderful things the USSR had to offer! Well, for me it will be more like "reliving"... only without all the beautiful girls around 

[Boethius]

Hmm, I know you're being facetioius, but Americans would never endure the lack of freedom Soviet citizens did.
 
There's a lot of nostalgia for the USSR in Ukraine, too.  My husband, who is a lot older than those nostalgic for the past, says the collapse of communism "unleashed the real face" of the commies who, of course, still rule.
 
 
 
Eduard, don't you have two babies now?  I just see one in your avatar.

[Eduard]

Hmm, I know you're being facetioius, but Americans would never endure the lack of freedom Soviet citizens did.
 
There's a lot of nostalgia for the USSR in Ukraine, too.  My husband, who is a lot older than those nostalgic for the past, says the collapse of communism "unleashed the real face" of the commies who, of course, still rule.
 
 
 
Eduard, don't you have two babies now?  I just see one in your avatar.

sure, the most ruthless, the most fearless people with a special ability to place themselves in a position of being needed by the "right" people, who understand politics and the human nature better than most people - will rise to power no matter what social model is in place at the time.


About my photo - yes I do have 2 daughters now, this one was taken about 3 years ago when my older one was 2, I believe. Or maybe 4 years ago when she was 1. Not sure now.

[possum]

What is the current system's solution to the housing problem? What has the post-Soviet Russia produced in the last 20 years in terms of factories, airplanes, roads and other infrastructure?. Even the oil fields, 99,9% of them were developed in the Soviet era.. Mindlessly plundering Soviet wealth while relying on failing Soviet infrastructure is not a solution to anything. They've been doing it for 20 years, and as a result a lot of people feel disenfranchised.

[chivo]

It's pure fallacy to think any young person today wants to live in a Soviet regime regardless what any sensationalist piece of journalism reports.

[I/O]

I like to drive my fathers '56 Bedford truck too but after about 50 kms (30 miles) I'm more than happy to hand it back. 

[acctBill]

In my time in Russia I've never met any young (under 30) Russian who longed for the days of the Soviet Empire.  Some young Russians fantasized about the might and military exploits of the old Soviet Union however none actually wanted to live in Stalin's USSR.  I don't think that the idea of food rationing, lineups for everything, restrictions on internal and international travel and the brutality that existed in the USSR are an appealing lifestyle to younger Russians.   

[Eduard]

In my time in Russia I've never met any young (under 30) Russian who longed for the days of the Soviet Empire.  Some young Russians fantasized about the might and military exploits of the old Soviet Union however none actually wanted to live in Stalin's USSR.  I don't think that the idea of food rationing, lineups for everything, restrictions on internal and international travel and the brutality that existed in the USSR are an appealing lifestyle to younger Russians.   

I personally haven't heard any young person talking about "how nice it would be to live in a socialist society" and missing the USSR. Hell, when I got out in 1979 and came to the USA it was such an incredible feeling of freedom, such weight off my shoulders, it was an indescribable feeling that I could never forget. In those days you could easily spot a person from the USSR by their eyes, their facial expression and body pasture. They looked gloomy, depressed, worried, scared, mistrusting and cautious, always on guard. The look on their face was really unmistakable. If you have ever seen what a dog in a pack of dogs looks like where all other dogs are more dominant and are constantly picking on it and harassing it that would describe the look on the face of ordinary people living under the communist regime.
When I went back to Russia in the early 2000s for the first time since 1979 first thing that struck me was that people (especially the young people) no longer had that look/facial expression on their faces. Young Russians finally looked like free people and it was truly amazing to see.

[Steamer]

It's pure fallacy to think any young person today wants to live in a Soviet regime regardless what any sensationalist piece of journalism reports.

Nostalgia is very normal and at some time we all feel it. I feel the same way about growing up in Detroit. I forgot all the bad things and only remember the good.

[OlgaH]

I personally haven't heard any young person talking about "how nice it would be to live in a socialist society" and missing the USSR.

Here they are

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tLNusseSWg[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYFSqreNFW0[/youtube]
[youtube]
[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5JhhDVMzyU&feature=related[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqOv8mkZEXU&feature=related[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s8pvDCGPaE&feature=related[/youtube]

[Eduard]

Кто ищет тот всегда найдет, да? ))

[OlgaH]

Кто ищет тот всегда найдет, да? ))

А зачем искать, если они есть?  The communist meetings in Russia are not such rare occasion and I also saw young generation with red flags and propaganda leaflets during my last visits to Russia.

[Eduard]

А зачем искать, если они есть?  The communist meetings in Russia are not such rare occasion and I also saw young generation with red flags and propaganda leaflets during my last visits to Russia.

I guess I was never invited to one. Saw a demonstration with a bunch of red  Soviet flags in Kiev once, about a year or two ago though. Olga, I'm not denying that they exist, simply stating that personally I've never talked to them.

[wicheese]

А зачем искать, если они есть?  The communist meetings in Russia are not such rare occasion and I also saw young generation with red flags and propaganda leaflets during my last visits to Russia.

I have seen several such gatherings on my visits to the FSU, including my first visit to Omsk and my last visit to Moscow.

[possum]

Congratulations, comrades! As of today, we're back in USSR!! 

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/ea4f7162-e69c-11e0-8c5e-00144feab49a.html

[SANDRO43]

Congratulations, comrades! As of today, we're back in USSR!! 

They predicted it :

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pvXRl21lB8[/youtube]

[Eduard]

Congratulations, comrades! As of today, we're back in USSR!! 

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/ea4f7162-e69c-11e0-8c5e-00144feab49a.html

just upholding the long national tradition, isn't he?

[possum]

just upholding the long national tradition, isn't he?

The man has a tremendous amount of nostalgia for Brezhnev and the Stagnation.. He's just building a time machine so he can take us back to that time with him. And yes, he is bald(ing)

[Eduard]

Other than lots of information available to people by way of internet and scientific progress nothing really changed in the past few thousand years IMO.