Post by hollister on Aug 20, 2007 10:25:38 GMT -7
Vladimir Putin rewrites Russia's history books to promote patriotism
By Shawn Walker in Moscow
Published: 20 August 2007
From the article-
Critics are accusing President Vladimir Putin's government of a Soviet-style rewriting of Russian history with a series of new "patriotic" textbooks to be unveiled in the new school year.
New laws passed this summer have given the government sweeping powers over which textbooks will be used in schools. Teachers and other critics have voiced concerns that this will allow the government to force the use of a single, approved book in each subject - essentially a return to Soviet practice.
.......
Now, the Kremlin claims it wants to change that situation and a recommissioning of Russia's history textbooks is under way. A handbook for teachers, on the basis of which a future textbook for students could be written, is called The Modern History of Russia, 1945-2006. Only one of the authors is a professional historian. The book calls Joseph Stalin a "contradictory" figure, and states that while some people consider him evil, others recognise him as a "hero" for his role in the Great Patriotic War (the Second World War) and his territorial expansion.
.....
"In the official state view of history, the main event of the twentieth century is the victory in the Second World War," said Boris Dubin, an expert at the Levada Centre think tank and polling agency. "The Holocaust is hardly taught at all in Russia, nor is the history of the gulag system. The rehabilitation of Stalin is connected to the emphasis on the war victory."
The textbook's final chapter covers Mr Putin's rule. It describes the Yukos affair as a message from government to big business: "Obey the law, pay your taxes, and don't attempt to rise above the state." The message was heard, says the book. This or similar books could soon be the only option Russian history teachers have for use in the classroom.
complete article at news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2878775.ece
By Shawn Walker in Moscow
Published: 20 August 2007
From the article-
Critics are accusing President Vladimir Putin's government of a Soviet-style rewriting of Russian history with a series of new "patriotic" textbooks to be unveiled in the new school year.
New laws passed this summer have given the government sweeping powers over which textbooks will be used in schools. Teachers and other critics have voiced concerns that this will allow the government to force the use of a single, approved book in each subject - essentially a return to Soviet practice.
.......
Now, the Kremlin claims it wants to change that situation and a recommissioning of Russia's history textbooks is under way. A handbook for teachers, on the basis of which a future textbook for students could be written, is called The Modern History of Russia, 1945-2006. Only one of the authors is a professional historian. The book calls Joseph Stalin a "contradictory" figure, and states that while some people consider him evil, others recognise him as a "hero" for his role in the Great Patriotic War (the Second World War) and his territorial expansion.
.....
"In the official state view of history, the main event of the twentieth century is the victory in the Second World War," said Boris Dubin, an expert at the Levada Centre think tank and polling agency. "The Holocaust is hardly taught at all in Russia, nor is the history of the gulag system. The rehabilitation of Stalin is connected to the emphasis on the war victory."
The textbook's final chapter covers Mr Putin's rule. It describes the Yukos affair as a message from government to big business: "Obey the law, pay your taxes, and don't attempt to rise above the state." The message was heard, says the book. This or similar books could soon be the only option Russian history teachers have for use in the classroom.
complete article at news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2878775.ece