Leonid's resurrection
22/10/11 16:19![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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talkpoliticsThe "father of the nation", Brezhnev has become a very fashionable name in Russia recently. Whether that's just a kind of a cozy cultural cynicism or it's the carefully created background mood that would favor Putin's return to Kremlin, we've yet to see.
It all started with a TV interview. Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman of the Putin campaign, suddenly went on a tirade praising the former communist leader Leonid Brezhnev. Yeah, that same Brezhnev who for most Russians is like a symbol of senility and the loss of control. Something like the Russian Jimmy Carter. Answering a question by the interviewer, Peskov said that indeed, some people are talking about the "Brezhnevization" of the regime, i.e. Putin's wearing off as a leader, but he countered that those are just some words of people who had no clue about Brezhnev's era. Because it was exactly that time, Peskov argues, when the foundations of the Soviet industry and agriculture were laid, i.e. when the real Russian economy was born.
Well, it's true that during Brezhnev's time Russia went through a period of relative social peace and quiet prosperity. More people who were outside of the party nomenclature were able to afford TVs, fridges, a car and a home (and as we know, if you have a fridge, then you're not poor, OK?) Although they had to line up for years in order to get some of those. The faith in the bright communist future was being funneled into the heads of the Soviet citizens through total indoctrination and pompous parades. Today's parades and celebrations of national holidays stunningly resemble the old rituals. And the fact that a number of dissidents are being thrown behind bars or are forced to leave Russia and live abroad (where they still aren't safe enough), is another common thing that today's Russia is having with Brezhnev's Soviet Union.
Another symptom of the cozy cynicism and nihilism that reigned over the Russian society in Brezhnev's time are the film comedies from that era, most of them dearly loved even today by the older Russians. The condescending humor radiating from them inevitably tunes you up to a certain sense of nostalgia. In the 90s, when Russia became the scene of turbulent changes, some intellectuals who had already desperately run out of ideas used to say: "Back then we lived in communism - without even knowing it". That wasn't a good time for people burning on the inside with strong beliefs and ideas. It was like a waste of time. There was a whole generation who lived a hollow, empty life without a sense of purpose. The Russian composer Tarnopolsky for instance famously said that he felt like he was some animal living in some kind of a zoo, who was being fed twice a day and shown on display for the kids.
The above mentioned material prosperity that some from the baby-boomer generation in the US could draw some parallels with, was in fact possible due to the oil boom. Something that today's mass prosperity and the birth of the new middle class in Putin's Russia could be also attributed to. The reforms of prime-minister Kosigyn that were proclaimed immediately after Brezhnev became USSR's leader were also mentioned by Putin's spokesman in that interview. But let's recall that those reforms soon collapsed under the weight of the bureaucratic machine, and after the vast oil and gas deposits that were discovered in the early 70s, those reforms became largely irrelevant and even useless.
Just like today, the consumer and investment products were coming mostly from abroad. And back then, just like today, the revenue from the natural resources was gradually diminishing, while the expenses for armament were increasing. And that ultimately brought the Soviet state face to face with an existential threat, which it couldn't withstand. The parallels are many, and history is repeating itself. If Putin is as wise and a long-term thinker as he claims to be, he better look at those parallels more closely, especially now when Brezhnev's ghost is suddenly being pulled out of the closet.
By the way Peskov's little flirt with the memory of one of the most faceless Soviet leaders shows that Putin intends, nay, is desperate to stay in power for life. And that's exactly why Putin, who's only 59, already looks old - despite his remarkable physical and intellectual form.
It all started with a TV interview. Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman of the Putin campaign, suddenly went on a tirade praising the former communist leader Leonid Brezhnev. Yeah, that same Brezhnev who for most Russians is like a symbol of senility and the loss of control. Something like the Russian Jimmy Carter. Answering a question by the interviewer, Peskov said that indeed, some people are talking about the "Brezhnevization" of the regime, i.e. Putin's wearing off as a leader, but he countered that those are just some words of people who had no clue about Brezhnev's era. Because it was exactly that time, Peskov argues, when the foundations of the Soviet industry and agriculture were laid, i.e. when the real Russian economy was born.
Well, it's true that during Brezhnev's time Russia went through a period of relative social peace and quiet prosperity. More people who were outside of the party nomenclature were able to afford TVs, fridges, a car and a home (and as we know, if you have a fridge, then you're not poor, OK?) Although they had to line up for years in order to get some of those. The faith in the bright communist future was being funneled into the heads of the Soviet citizens through total indoctrination and pompous parades. Today's parades and celebrations of national holidays stunningly resemble the old rituals. And the fact that a number of dissidents are being thrown behind bars or are forced to leave Russia and live abroad (where they still aren't safe enough), is another common thing that today's Russia is having with Brezhnev's Soviet Union.
Another symptom of the cozy cynicism and nihilism that reigned over the Russian society in Brezhnev's time are the film comedies from that era, most of them dearly loved even today by the older Russians. The condescending humor radiating from them inevitably tunes you up to a certain sense of nostalgia. In the 90s, when Russia became the scene of turbulent changes, some intellectuals who had already desperately run out of ideas used to say: "Back then we lived in communism - without even knowing it". That wasn't a good time for people burning on the inside with strong beliefs and ideas. It was like a waste of time. There was a whole generation who lived a hollow, empty life without a sense of purpose. The Russian composer Tarnopolsky for instance famously said that he felt like he was some animal living in some kind of a zoo, who was being fed twice a day and shown on display for the kids.
The above mentioned material prosperity that some from the baby-boomer generation in the US could draw some parallels with, was in fact possible due to the oil boom. Something that today's mass prosperity and the birth of the new middle class in Putin's Russia could be also attributed to. The reforms of prime-minister Kosigyn that were proclaimed immediately after Brezhnev became USSR's leader were also mentioned by Putin's spokesman in that interview. But let's recall that those reforms soon collapsed under the weight of the bureaucratic machine, and after the vast oil and gas deposits that were discovered in the early 70s, those reforms became largely irrelevant and even useless.
Just like today, the consumer and investment products were coming mostly from abroad. And back then, just like today, the revenue from the natural resources was gradually diminishing, while the expenses for armament were increasing. And that ultimately brought the Soviet state face to face with an existential threat, which it couldn't withstand. The parallels are many, and history is repeating itself. If Putin is as wise and a long-term thinker as he claims to be, he better look at those parallels more closely, especially now when Brezhnev's ghost is suddenly being pulled out of the closet.
By the way Peskov's little flirt with the memory of one of the most faceless Soviet leaders shows that Putin intends, nay, is desperate to stay in power for life. And that's exactly why Putin, who's only 59, already looks old - despite his remarkable physical and intellectual form.
(no subject)
If they were going to do that with any Soviet leader, why not Stalin? I mean that old man died *old* and in control of half of Europe, and it's not a former KGB agent would have that much scruples with whitewashing the Vohdz anyway.
(no subject)
Date: 22/10/11 17:51 (UTC)Of course, Putin's spokeman is trying to divert attention from the real point of this comparison.
(no subject)
Date: 22/10/11 16:38 (UTC)Caption: God, help me save myself from this deadly love.
(no subject)
Date: 22/10/11 17:21 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 22/10/11 17:24 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 22/10/11 17:46 (UTC)