MOSCOW (Reuters) – History has
become a weapon in Russia’s battle with the West over Ukraine as
President Vladimir Putin looks increasingly to the past to whip up
patriotism and rally support.
Last month’s lavish commemorations of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War Two, several declarations by Putin and new history textbooks have all presented what some independent historians say are slanted or rewritten versions of the past.
The Nazi-Soviet pact that divided Poland in 1939 – which saw Moscow seize much of what is now Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic States – is now seen in a positive light. A new justification has been found for the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and some of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin’s worst crimes have been played down.
“It is an aggressive stance in the debate over history,” said Alexei Miller, a history Professor at European University in St Petersburg, who says all sides have been distorting the past during the conflict. “History is a victim of the current crisis in relations between Russia and Europe.”
He says “wars of memory” are being waged with the West and ex-Soviet neighbours such as the Baltic states and Ukraine, where history is increasingly being interpreted in different ways to suit political views.
Putin, who denies Western accusations of sending troops and weapons to pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, has made clear that he understands the power of history.
This is perhaps not surprising for a man brought up in the Soviet Union, where history was vetted to glorify Communism, denigrate the West and denounce “enemies of the people”.
Full article available here: http://www.euronews.com/newswires/3023336-history-becomes-a-weapon-in-russia-west-rift-over-ukraine/
Source: Euronews
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