Reply With QuoteNo surprise here. There's lots of Communist nostalgia in many former Eastern Bloc states. Sickening to the core as far as I'm concerned.
56% of Russians regret the dissolution of the Soviet Union
http://rt.com/politics/soviet-collapse-ussr-poll-059/Some 56 per cent of Russians still regret the dissolution of the Soviet Union, according to a poll published on the eve of the 90th anniversary of the foundation of the first Socialist state.
However, this is almost 10 per cent less than a decade ago, a survey by All- Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) revealed.
A third of Russians do not mourn over the collapse of the Soviet Union 21 years ago. That is 6 per cent more than in 2002.
The majority of respondents who feel nostalgic about the end of the Soviet era are those above 45 years of age, with low education level, non-internet users and residents of capital cities of Russian regions. Youngsters, people with higher education and active web users on the contrary prefer life in modern Russia.
Two thirds of those questioned agreed that Soviet Union furthered the cultural and economic development of peoples that lived on the territory of the country. At the same time, 20 per cent believe that it was the other way round.
No surprise here. There's lots of Communist nostalgia in many former Eastern Bloc states. Sickening to the core as far as I'm concerned.
Sickening, but understandable as far as this Anti-Communist is concerned.Originally Posted by muck
A friend of mine recently traveled to that area and told me that.
I think itīs a big failure from those new states, considering itīs being 20 years since the end of the SU, if such a number of people still long for the communist days rather than sticking to a more promissing present.
Why is it sickening?
I would say 20% of Americans regret the dissolution of the SU too....
Que?
So... if I as a German told you that I regret the downfall of the Nazi regime it wouldn't strike you as a noteworthy statement? It's sickening because it shows that people to this very day have not truly arrived in democracy yet. Because it shows that people are willing to give (economic) safety precedence above freedom, even if its only a freedom of the paper in Putin's Russia. That is actually a spring of peril.
I grew up within eyeshot of the Iron Curtain. No, I don't really expect its resurgence anytime soon but suffice it to say I find it disturbing when people speek fondly of that dark past.
Depends. I haven't heard much of it from my Polish family and friends etc.
I would wager that old retirees might be the ones reminiscent about the communist times.
Young people? Haha not so much.
In Russia's case it might be simply a nostalgia about being a super power etc.
I think it was having bread on the table, whiskey in the stomach, and pensions in the mail.
(Not counting Brezhnev era stagnation)
That too. the nostalgia about being a super power seems more common amongst young nationalistic people.
It is hard to move away from a caretaker society to one of individual responsibility.
Not entirely comparable, Germans Today enjoy standards of living that are quite high compared to Nazi Germany no?
As for giving economic priority over Freedom well.. Without either Economic Stability/Security and Literal Security ala 90s you have no freedom (or indeed the opposite, very worst sort of freedom all the dangers and no controls)
Nostalgia for the old Days should not make one accept or forget all of its faults, flaws and mistakes by any means and I think anyone who really wishes it back needs to confront those facts. BUT the road to democracy is a long one unless the hand that guides them is very careful and the institutions to implement it are strong 'freedom' is just a word and it takes Time and reforms to bring about changes aswell as people desiring it*. But to say People gave up freedom for this prosperity I think is not at all accurate, look at all the instability, the lack of purchasing power (and thus limited mobility freedom or indeed opportunity to invest in real education "freedom of the mind"), the fixed elections of Eltsins era....
What is being regretted is the breakdown in social cohesion, the loss of pride and the traumas that fell upon a nation and her people. Thinking to all the wars across the ex-USSR I think its end as it was is quite tragic on a human level too, the only saving grace being who knows how much more violent it could of been...
Edit~~~
*People I think tend to expect more and indeed push for better standards once their most basic needs are taken care of (Food, Drink, Shelter and Money), indeed I would argue much all the political 'awakening' some would call it (as small as it is) is largely the result of such improvements in recent years, allowing more People to actually take an interest
Old people nostalgic about their youth, and young people not quite sure what to do with themselves so they look to the past for comfort, its very understandable. I highly doubt that this 56% figure equates to half of the Russian population being hardcore communist. In my opinion survival of USSR would have been preferable, same way as survival of the Empire would have been preferable (all these break ups and dissolutions cause damage and set the country's progress back) but now that its gone, its gone, we exist only in the present and can affect only the future, so that should be the focus.
In times of hardship, people like to remember and glorify positive things from the past, it's just the way we humans function.....
I think also that the media play an important role. In the old communist empire there was one truth that most of the society literally consumed, people now have a choice of many views, but some feel lost.
Another extremely important factor is crime, especially those displayed in the media, because in communist papers you rarely read about murder or rape, most of the crimes against socialist property, ie robberies, but the idea was very biased. Today it is a myriad of media crazy pervert who raped and murdered on every corner. Each report contains masses of horror and terror and crisis. In contrast to the communist media said they are doing well and everything is heading towards a bright tomorrow.
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