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Reviews
It Was a Long Time Ago, and It Never Happened Anyway: Russia and the Communist Past by David Satter
bleary's review against another edition
4.0
Purely by chance, I read this at the same time as [book:Second-Hand Time|26854453] by [author:Svetlana Alexievich|7728207] and I'm kind of glad I did because the two books seem to be in a kind of conversation with each other.
Both books try to answer the question of how today's Russian's feel about the Soviet past, especially the repression and mass murder committed during the Stalin era. Satter knows a lot about the topic, having covered the USSR as a journalist from the early 70s until its collapse. He also knows a lot about the events in the following decade: how a political group called Monument fought to have memorials to the victims of repression erected across the country; how this became an issue of passionate popular support during Glasnost; how the Communist past was put on trial during the Yeltsin era (partly as a way of shoring up Yeltsin's authority); how the financial disaster of the 90s put the kibosh on all memorial plans; and finally how Putin revived an aggressive, religious sense of Russian nationalism. Putin's whole platform is based on an idea of Russian manifest destiny, which means celebrating the whole of Russian history as a journey towards where they are now - in practice, this means focusing on the victory in the Great Patriotic War while turning a blind eye to the worst crimes of the Stalin era.
(The fact that Putin is ex-KGB is also quite relevant)
Satter goes through a number of atrocities, from mass killings in Moscow to the horror of the gulags, and traces the aftermath through to the present day. It's the same story again and again: ignorance, followed by anger when the truth leaks out during Glasnost, followed by a slow dissipation of that anger and an acceptance that times were different back then. Germany, Satter argues, went through a painful process of soul-searching after the collapse of the Nazi regime, which not only did justice to the victims but also created a new political reality in Germany that prevents the return of authoritarianism. Russia failed to go through a similar process, and the new Russia that we see emerging is a symptom of that failure.
It's well-argued and brilliantly researched, although he does tend to hop between topics without building a narrative so this book reads like a selection of thematically linked essays. Also, he is ultimately a Western academic trying to understand a world that's alien to him. Hence the contrast with Alexeivich's book, which is filled with authentic Russian voices talking about what it really felt like to live through the Soviet and early post-Soviet era. "The mysterious Russian soul," says one voice in Second-Hand Time, "everyone wants to understand it." And although Satter presents a compelling argument, he always writes like an outsider looking in.
Both books try to answer the question of how today's Russian's feel about the Soviet past, especially the repression and mass murder committed during the Stalin era. Satter knows a lot about the topic, having covered the USSR as a journalist from the early 70s until its collapse. He also knows a lot about the events in the following decade: how a political group called Monument fought to have memorials to the victims of repression erected across the country; how this became an issue of passionate popular support during Glasnost; how the Communist past was put on trial during the Yeltsin era (partly as a way of shoring up Yeltsin's authority); how the financial disaster of the 90s put the kibosh on all memorial plans; and finally how Putin revived an aggressive, religious sense of Russian nationalism. Putin's whole platform is based on an idea of Russian manifest destiny, which means celebrating the whole of Russian history as a journey towards where they are now - in practice, this means focusing on the victory in the Great Patriotic War while turning a blind eye to the worst crimes of the Stalin era.
(The fact that Putin is ex-KGB is also quite relevant)
Satter goes through a number of atrocities, from mass killings in Moscow to the horror of the gulags, and traces the aftermath through to the present day. It's the same story again and again: ignorance, followed by anger when the truth leaks out during Glasnost, followed by a slow dissipation of that anger and an acceptance that times were different back then. Germany, Satter argues, went through a painful process of soul-searching after the collapse of the Nazi regime, which not only did justice to the victims but also created a new political reality in Germany that prevents the return of authoritarianism. Russia failed to go through a similar process, and the new Russia that we see emerging is a symptom of that failure.
It's well-argued and brilliantly researched, although he does tend to hop between topics without building a narrative so this book reads like a selection of thematically linked essays. Also, he is ultimately a Western academic trying to understand a world that's alien to him. Hence the contrast with Alexeivich's book, which is filled with authentic Russian voices talking about what it really felt like to live through the Soviet and early post-Soviet era. "The mysterious Russian soul," says one voice in Second-Hand Time, "everyone wants to understand it." And although Satter presents a compelling argument, he always writes like an outsider looking in.
erictlee's review against another edition
5.0
First of all, that's a great title for a book. And this is a very good book.
Veteran journalist David Satter explores the difficult terrain of historical memory in post-Communist Russia. He explores issues like what do with mass graves from the Stalin era (and how to find them), memorials and museums, school textbooks, and so on. The book was published seven years ago, but it anticipates what the Putin era was going to be like, especially regarding Ukraine, Georgia and Russian foreign policy in general. The current debate between Putin and Western historians over the question of the Polish role in starting World War II is anticipated in Satter's discussion of how Russians today view what they still call the Great Patriotic War.
For those of us who grew up at a time when the Soviet Union still existed, the story of the rise and fall of Russian democracy, and the marginalisation of human rights organisations, makes for a depressing read. The era of glasnost and the first years after the breakup of the USSR were in some ways a hopeful time -- but that is now all gone.
Satter chooses to end the book without offering up much hope, but he does challenge the Russians to face up to their history as other countries (such as Germany) have done. He acknowledges that this is difficult, but writes that "it is certainly well within the capacity of a nation that tried to create heaven on earth." And, he adds, "it is the only hope for a better future."
Veteran journalist David Satter explores the difficult terrain of historical memory in post-Communist Russia. He explores issues like what do with mass graves from the Stalin era (and how to find them), memorials and museums, school textbooks, and so on. The book was published seven years ago, but it anticipates what the Putin era was going to be like, especially regarding Ukraine, Georgia and Russian foreign policy in general. The current debate between Putin and Western historians over the question of the Polish role in starting World War II is anticipated in Satter's discussion of how Russians today view what they still call the Great Patriotic War.
For those of us who grew up at a time when the Soviet Union still existed, the story of the rise and fall of Russian democracy, and the marginalisation of human rights organisations, makes for a depressing read. The era of glasnost and the first years after the breakup of the USSR were in some ways a hopeful time -- but that is now all gone.
Satter chooses to end the book without offering up much hope, but he does challenge the Russians to face up to their history as other countries (such as Germany) have done. He acknowledges that this is difficult, but writes that "it is certainly well within the capacity of a nation that tried to create heaven on earth." And, he adds, "it is the only hope for a better future."
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