The
trajectory I sketched from Russia of 1995 to Russia of 2012 might
(assuming the Mayans were wrong) suggest that this country is on a
course to become a peer to the U.S. in 10 or 15 years, but there are
lots of clues that Russia might instead be collapsing back into
another Soviet Union. I truly don't know what will happen, but here's
what I see when walking around the city.
In
addition to the Victory Parade participant carrying Stalin'sportrait, there are lots of apparently fond memories of the Soviet
Union (CCCP).
You've
got a Soviet Cafe:
And a
bar named after the city's Soviet name, Bar Leningrad:
Just
around the corner from the Chajka is the CCCP Bar and Cafe:
And
grocery store shelves are lined with kitschy Soviet ice cream. I didn't buy
any, so I can't say if they followed the old procedure of
substituting pig fat for milk to ensure extra creaminess.
One of
the more popular channels on TV is dedicated to reminiscing about the
Soviet period. On "Nostalgia" they interview singers, writers, and other
entertainers from back in the day, and replay old TV shows and show
Soviet movies.
Here
is their clever banner:
And
here is the timeline from their website. I like how The Beatles
figure prominently.
It's
not as though the positive attitude toward the Soviet Union is
attached to just one generation. The older generation, who were
already adults when the Wall came down really suffered during the
Yeltsin years. They just didn't have the skills or youth to succeed
in all the chaos of a young Russia. So they yearn for the stability
and equality of the Soviet period when no one had anything.
The
younger generation, on the other hand, has no personal memory of the
Soviet Union, but have lived their entire lives in a country with a
military in shambles, watching their parents struggle in the new
economy, and daily being told how weak Russia is compared to the
civilized West. This generation has (with the help of Putin) conjured
up the Soviet Union as a powerful country, feared by all, and capable
of anything. They want that again.
This nostalgia would have been unthinkable under Yeltsin. His rule was all about mobsters running the economy. But Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, the old KGB officer, has much more organized plans.
Somehow
everyone skips over the oppression and want of the Soviet regime;
Stalin's killing of 80 million of his own people through war, purges,
and concentration camps; the numbing doldrums of Brezhnev . . .
I've
talked to some Russians about this renaissance of the Soviet period and the concensus seems to be a
philosophical you-take-the-good;you-take-the-bad / facts-of-life
attitude. Even though the Soviet period wasn't perfect, they are
trying to reclaim the positive parts of the U.S.S.R. Since none of
those original words -- Union, Soviet, Socialist, or Republic -- seem
to be on their way back, maybe it's best that they are starting with
the ice cream.
