Ленин – Совок, Сталин – Ватник

This about History, tagged , , , , , , , was written by for on June 27, 2017 .No Comments

“Как хорошо, что я не россиянин…” – Егор Холмогоров. Примерно такая у меня возникла реакция на новость, что мои соотечественники считают Сталина “самого выдающего человека всех времен и народов”. Но проблема в том, что россиянин – это все равно на 80% русский, как не крути, и эту проблему простым семантическим способом – не преодолеть. 1989 […]

Translation: The Red Army “Rape of Germany” was Invented by Goebbels

This about History, tagged , , , , was written by for on May 9, 2013 .No Comments

In an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda, Russian history professor Elena Sinyavskaya in a discussion with Alexey Ovchinnikov disputes the factual provenance of the Red Army rape of Germany. The Myth of the “Rape of Germany” was Invented by Goebbels In recent years, Victory Day has unfortunately acquired a not very pleasant tradition: the closer the holiday comes, […]

The Russian Imperialist Genocide In Chechnya

This about History, tagged , , , , was written by for on April 20, 2013 .42 Comments

Hard as it is to believe, but in the wake of the Boston Bombings, many Western commentators actively trying to find the roots of the Tsarnaev brothers’ rage in Russia’s “aggression” or even “genocide” of Chechnya. This is not to deny that Chechens did not have an exceptionally hard time of it in the 1990s. That said, […]

Russia Now Produces As Many Cars As The USSR Did At Its Peak

This about Economy, tagged , , , was written by for on February 25, 2013 .14 Comments

As I write the book, I create a lot of graphs. Here is one of them. So in manufacturing terms, as far as cars are concerned, the “deindustrialization” era is decidedly over. Of course it’s also important to note that in 1985 they were producing this whereas today they are producing this as well as various […]

On Defending The Soviet Union

This about Economy, tagged , , , , , , , was written by for on July 12, 2012 .196 Comments

Contrary to what some might try to take from my post on the longterm failure of the Soviet economy, I am not an anti-Soviet ideologue. I loathe lies about its achievements and the blanket condemnations directed its way by moralistic poseurs every bit as much or more than I detest reality-challenged attempts to paint it […]

Last Word On Jews In Russia

This about History, tagged , , , was written by for on June 30, 2012 .39 Comments

At least until the issue arises again. Over to Alex Mercouris: … I do not agree that the two big revolutionary parties in tsarist Russia, the Socialist Revolutionaries and the Social Democrats were under Jewish ideological influence. I do not know what “Jewish ideology” is. Anyway the Socialist Revolutionaries had their origins in the far […]

Ayn Stalin: Soviet Inequalities In 1929-1954

This about Economy, tagged , , , , was written by for on June 24, 2012 .15 Comments

While researching my article on Soviet economic performance relative to the US (it was bad), I came across this fascinating graph showing income inequality in the USSR since 1946. As you can see, the 10% richest Soviet citizens in the first postwar year were more than seven times as rich as the 10% poorest. That is […]

The Soviet Economy – Charting Failure

This about Economy, tagged , , , , , was written by for on June 22, 2012 .143 Comments

Many Communists, leftists, and even patriots (I’m sorry to say) have a pronounced tendency to make out the Soviet economy as not quite the resounding failure it really was – or even to paint it as a success story that was only brought down by perestroika and liberal reforms. The above chart – based on […]

Jaan Kaplinski – From Confrontation To Reconciliation

This , about History, tagged , , , , , was written by for on June 2, 2012 .9 Comments

Two weeks back, the distinguished Estonian poet and linguist Jaan Kaplinski in a comment on this blog linked to his article in the Russian-Estonian paper День за Днем lamenting the state of Estonian – Russian relations, especially as they were apparently really good back in the Tsarist days. In that article from От противостояния к примирению (From Confrontation to […]

The Uncertain Future Of Cheap Russian Booze

This about Demographics, tagged , , , , was written by for on April 28, 2011 .3 Comments

One thing that strikes you, as you wander the shops of any Russian city, is the sheer cheapness of booze and cigs. As little as 3 years ago, one could buy a pint-sized bottle of beer or a pack of cigarettes for just $1, while a 0.5l bottle of vodka cost as little as $3. Prices have since […]

Безродный Космополит

This about Life, tagged , , was written by for , on May 15, 2010 .5 Comments

По окончании Великой Отечественной Войны, в известнoм тосте, Сталин выделил русских, составляющих большинство красноармейцев, как «наиболее выдающуюся нацию из всех наций, входящих в состав Советского Союза». На другой стороне земного шара, в рассказе “Conversation Piece, 1945”, Владимир Набоков описывает пикантную встречу с одним Белым полковником и эмигрантом Мельниковым, славившим товарища Сталина, великого вождя и красного […]

Reconciling Stalin with Victory

This about History, tagged , , , , was written by for on May 9, 2010 .32 Comments

За нас за вас и за десант и за спецназ! I would like to start off by expressing my deepest respects to the Red Army veterans who fought and died so that (literally) hundreds of millions of their Slavic brethren could live. Вечная слава героям! Last year I discussed four myths about the Eastern Front, […]