Enjoy the Communist Party Valentine's found by a former student of mine two years ago, while you think of if Valdimir Putin, as returned president of Russia, has
a Soviet-style Cult of Personality following today in
Russia.
The Telegraph (UK) reported last November, that:
One in four Russians believe country is mired in Vladimir Putin cult of personality
The number of Russians who believe the country is in the grip of a Soviet-style cult of personality centred around Vladimir Putin, the prime minister, has more than doubled in the last six years, a poll has shown.
The poll, conducted by the independent Levada Centre, came as Mr Putin prepared to return to the Russian presidency for a controversial third term amid signs that he sees himself as a Charles De Gaulle father-of-the-nation like figure.
The survey was conducted last month and revealed that
exactly one quarter of Russians believe that such a cult does exist, while a
further thirty per cent said they saw increasing signs that such a cult was
emerging.
The findings reflect a big swing in public opinion.
Since then, Mr Putin's dominance of state TV and of the
country's political life has only grown however, and his supporters have been
increasingly vocal about casting him as the man who saved Russia from the
chaotic 1990s and restored national pride. . .
Has hosting the Sochi Winter Olympics, made for an even greater Putin cult?
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Above, PBS Sound Tracks, "A Man Like Putin," looks at Putin at a high of popular culture, if not political culture, popularity.
Putin targeted Virgin voters in this 2012 campaign ad. One Minute News'
story above, full version of ad below.
Ken Wedding (in 2010) posted this compilation of the Cult of Putin that is
still going strong in Russia, even if the economy is not:
Karmin Tomlinson, who teaches in Oregon City, OR, sent along these hints
for understanding part of the Putin mystique.
Or how about Такого как Путин / One Like Putin (English
subtitles)?
If you want 28 seconds of The Putin Girls (just the song): I want a man like Putin
And here are the translated lyrics for "I Want a Man Like Putin"
My boyfriend is in trouble again,
He got into a fight and got stoned on something,
I am sick of him and so I told him, 'get out of here',
And now I want a man like Putin.
A man like Putin, full of energy,
A man like Putin who doesn't drink,
A man like Putin who wouldn't hurt me,
I saw him in the news yesterday,He was saying the world was at the
crossroads,
"Here's another music video: Putin forever - Путин навсегда
And yet another: Putin "the legend"
How about a blog entry on the Putin
Cult?
_______________
So is Putin following akin to the Stalin legacy that still lingers in parts of the post-communist Russian world?
Read this article from The Economist from 2003, and blog your thoughts.
Still Mourning Stalin?
4 comments:
It is somewhat of a paradox to me how the Russian citizens can acknowledge the bloodshed under Stalin yet still maintain a sense of longing for the past. An explanation, within the article, that makes sense for this discrepancy is a desire for past greatness. The Russian citizens are tired of the outside world, predominantly the Western world, looking down on Russia as dysfunctional and behind. I believe personally that Putin's stance on past greatness and his policies stand in the way of Russia achieving further growth. A cult of personality behind Putin will have a negative effect on the country. How can a country move forward when the leader is more concerned about cultivating a cult of personality than solving national issues. Putin will never be able to achieve the cult of personality that Stalin held; however depending on the success of the Olympics (preventing terrorist attacks, Russian athletes taking gold, increasing tourism, and emphasizing the new "Great Russia") Putin's cult could increase substantially. In the end, whether or not it is a hindrance to the progression of the country, it appears that Putin is following akin to the Stalin legacy that still lingers in the Eastern European countries of the post-communist Russian world.
In foresight to our future discussion of Russia's "near abroad" countries, here is an article from the New York Times written by former president of Georgia (2004-2013), Mikheil Saakashvili, regarding the growth of the small independent nation that Russia still claims to own.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/13/opinion/saakashvili-czar-vladimirs-illusions.html?emc=eta1&_r=0
The article mentions the large differences between the growth of Georgia and Russia and elaborates on the possibility of Russia becoming decentralized under Putin. Also, Mr. Saakashvili relates Putin's policy today to that of the past Soviet leaders and questions if Putin's fate will mirror his predecessors.
Putin's cult of personality is impressive, especially considering it's involvement of Russia's youth, who I believe wish for more liberal politics than Putin's. After reading the Stalin article, it makes way more sense why Russians idolizes Putin. Russia acknowledges the atrocities which Stalin committed, but they also see that Russia has never been more important on a global scale than when Stalin was in power. They are tired of being dismissed by the west, and want to again be a world power- something they believe can only be achieved by a leader of great strength. Fortunately, Putin's demeanor is at least a little better than Stalin's, but I believe Russians have such a strong national identity and pride that they would stand behind any leader, for the sake of the state.
شركة تنظيف خزانات بالمدينة المنورة
شركة عزل بالمدينة المنورة
شركة عزل اسطح بالمدينة المنورة
شركة عزل خزانات بالمدينة المنورة
شركة كشف تسربات المياه بالمدينة المنورة
شركة تسليك مجاري بالمدينة المنورة
شركة تمديد غاز مركزي بجدة
شركة تمديد غاز مركزي بجدة
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