Russians’ nostalgia for USSR is dwindling - poll

[Delenda Carthago]

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.


The state that once united 15 republics dissolved in December 1991, after the leaders of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus signed the document which marked the end of the Soviet empire.


Two decades on, over a half of Russians are confident that the collapse of the USSR could be prevented, the pollster found out. Still, 35 per cent stated that it was inevitable.


Shortly after the disintegration of the country, people were split on the reasons behind it. Back in 1992, 27 per cent of citizens thought that the communist state was doomed as the transition to democracy began.
With the passage of time Russians have changed their opinion: now 45 per cent of people blame politicians for bringing the Soviet empire to an end.


http://rt.com/politics/soviet-collapse-ussr-poll-059/

[Paul Pott]

This is not surprising. The people who actually lived in the USSR and remember the hardships of the 90s are becoming a smaller and smaller percentage of the population.

Younger people in Russia (born late 80s on) in general don't know much about the USSR, why it existed, or why it collapsed. They also lack direction. The left - any kind of left, really - hardly exists. The silver lining is that that could change in the coming years, since the economic crisis is bound to deepen.

[Delenda Carthago]

This is not surprising. The people who actually lived in the USSR and remember the hardships of the 90s are becoming a smaller and smaller percentage of the population.

Younger people in Russia (born late 80s on) in general don't know much about the USSR, why it existed, or why it collapsed. They also lack direction. The left - any kind of left, really - hardly exists. The silver lining is that that could change in the coming years, since the economic crisis is bound to deepen.
The people who lived it, even in its worse era, think that it was better than today. Case closed.:cool:

[KurtFF8]

This is not surprising. The people who actually lived in the USSR and remember the hardships of the 90s are becoming a smaller and smaller percentage of the population.

Younger people in Russia (born late 80s on) in general don't know much about the USSR, why it existed, or why it collapsed. They also lack direction. The left - any kind of left, really - hardly exists. The silver lining is that that could change in the coming years, since the economic crisis is bound to deepen.

Indeed, but on top of this: Russia has become much more stable since the craziness of the 90s. So while it's still pretty clear that the USSR had superior living and economic standards to today's Russia, there's less reason for Russians to have as much nostalgia for the time (especially as you point out, less and less folks actually experienced the USSR).

This is why I agree with Zizek's assessment of the mass phenomenon of nostalgia in the former socialist European countries. He says that it's not as much a political move as a sort of "mourning" for a sudden loss of stability. He pointed out that we shouldn't put too much hope in the revolutionary potential of nostalgic feelings (although he wasn't alone in pointing this out of course)

[a_wild_MAGIKARP]

Young Russians really need to listen to their grandparents, who remember the good times and not just the 80s...
But they still have more potential for revolution than people in the west who have been brainwashed from birth about communism.

[RadioRaheem84]

Zizek is correct. Younger Russians knew the turmoil of the 90s and then the subsequent "balance" acheived by Putin's nationalist party. That is the only stability they know and the only turmoil they know was the 90s. They have little to no recollection of the USSR or what better stability actually is. They probably just think that a happy medium can be acheived and that Putin set the right course.

Younger people in all nations for some reason really identify a lot with this "third way" of the New Labor/New Democrat stripe. They dislike the leftist class warfare talk that berates rich people too much but they also dislike the right wing free market rhetoric (unless they're libertatian). Like Tariq Ali pointed out; among the establishment there is a radical "center", and I think this is starting to trickle down to the younger masses. I see this a lot in the US where many kids on the "left" just want some moderate welfare state but at the same time the freedom to "get theirs" too, i.e. become a millionaire.

In essense, they're just looking for an equal chance to be rich or upper middle class/professional. They're looking for "oppportunity". Essentially if they do not make then they'll be 'ok'.

[Arlekino]

Young Russians really need to listen to their grandparents, who remember the good times and not just the 80s...
But they still have more potential for revolution than people in the west who have been brainwashed from birth about communism.

Funny sometimes I talk to my son how I am nostalgic of great Soviet Union Times I think he don't even believing me. (how so wonderful country) Mostly I am too glorified because I am so nostalgic of Soviet Times. Everything what I see films, documentaries,music is so pleasant to me and you know even my husband fed up of my stories of Soviet Union but I can'.t stop it. and carry on my Soviet propaganda.

[sanpal]

Originally Posted by a_wild_MAGIKARP http://www.revleft.com/vb/revleft/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.revleft.com/vb/showthread.php?p=2588407#post2588407)
Young Russians really need to listen to their grandparents, who remember the good times and not just the 80s...
But they still have more potential for revolution than people in the west who have been brainwashed from birth about communism.



Funny sometimes I talk to my son how I am nostalgic of great Soviet Union Times I think he don't even believing me. (how so wonderful country) Mostly I am too glorified because I am so nostalgic of Soviet Times. Everything what I see films, documentaries,music is so pleasant to me and you know even my husband fed up of my stories of Soviet Union but I can'.t stop it. and carry on my Soviet propaganda.

As a rule most of young people don't believe their parents, possible that the lack of experience gives them confidence that they know things better than their parents. Sometimes they have the opposite ideology as a protest.

[LOLseph Stalin]

Last I read about half of the former eastern bloc wants socialism back.

[KurtFF8]

Zizek is correct. Younger Russians knew the turmoil of the 90s and then the subsequent "balance" acheived by Putin's nationalist party. That is the only stability they know and the only turmoil they know was the 90s. They have little to no recollection of the USSR or what better stability actually is. They probably just think that a happy medium can be acheived and that Putin set the right course.

Younger people in all nations for some reason really identify a lot with this "third way" of the New Labor/New Democrat stripe. They dislike the leftist class warfare talk that berates rich people too much but they also dislike the right wing free market rhetoric (unless they're libertatian). Like Tariq Ali pointed out; among the establishment there is a radical "center", and I think this is starting to trickle down to the younger masses. I see this a lot in the US where many kids on the "left" just want some moderate welfare state but at the same time the freedom to "get theirs" too, i.e. become a millionaire.

In essense, they're just looking for an equal chance to be rich or upper middle class/professional. They're looking for "oppportunity". Essentially if they do not make then they'll be 'ok'.

Indeed, and looking to Putin as someone who has brought that kind of stability isn't wrong or incorrect. His policies (while clearly not Leftist) have allowed post-Soviet Russia to regain economic and political stability to a large extent and even allow it to being to exert external power once again. This poses a serious challenge to the Communists in Russia (who makeup the primary opposition Party) as they do not have the same sort of political capital that they may have had in the 1990s due to the incompetence of Yeltsin.

[Paul Pott]

Indeed, and looking to Putin as someone who has brought that kind of stability isn't wrong or incorrect. His policies (while clearly not Leftist) have allowed post-Soviet Russia to regain economic and political stability to a large extent and even allow it to being to exert external power once again. This poses a serious challenge to the Communists in Russia (who makeup the primary opposition Party) as they do not have the same sort of political capital that they may have had in the 1990s due to the incompetence of Yeltsin.

Under Putin the national bourgeoisie regained dominance, while under Yeltsin foreign interests were strong, almost in a neocolonial fashion, since the economy and society in general were in a state of ruin and open to exploitation. Very unusual for a powerful state like Russia under modern conditions, and it didn't last long.

Russia is becoming an imperialist power again. The first signs of life there were the reconquest of Chechnya and the 2008 war, and now greater investment in East Europe and other places, much like China, along with the whole Eurasian Union project.

The Russian "communists" are revisionists whose only engagement with the working class is parliamentary. Their platform is nostalgia and hollow nationalism with the occasional sprinkling of anti-semitism and anti-immigrant garbage.

They're no better than the various CPs who have held power in India, or the main "communist" party in South Africa. Their goal is really just to restore the symbols of the USSR to modern Russia along with some populist economic policies.

[Crabbensmasher]

Yep, the so called "nostalgia" was just a reaction to the troubles in the 90s, which were terrible for Russia. One thing I've noticed though, is that Putin uses the nostalgia to his advantage. He'll say something praising Lenin or the old soviet leadership. He wants to appear sympathetic to the USSR. I guess we'll see a lot less of this as nostalgia shrinks.