Society - Institute of Modern Russia

“Going to That Demonstration Was a Selfish Move: I Wanted to Have a Clean Conscience”: Natalia Gorbanevskaya in Her Own Words

Details: Nation

“Going to That Demonstration Was a Selfish Move: I Wanted to Have a Clean Conscience”: Natalia Gorbanevskaya in Her Own Words

Details: 04 December 2013

On December 4, Natalia Gorbanevskaya was read her last rites at the Russian Orthodox Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple and buried at the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. Gorbanevskaya—poet, translator, human rights activist, first editor of the Chronicle of Current Events, participant in the August 1968 Red Square demonstration—died on November 29 at the age of 77. In 2005, she took part in the filming of Vladimir Kara-Murza’s documentary film They Chose Freedom. Below are excerpts from her interview.

The “Enlightened Nationalism” of Lev Gumilev

Details: Nation

The “Enlightened Nationalism” of Lev Gumilev

Details: 02 December 2013; Alexander Yanov

The Institute of Modern Russia continues its series of articles by Alexander Yanov on the history of Russian nationalism. This installment is dedicated to the teaching of Lev Gumilev, a prominent Russian historian who has been proclaimed the founder of the “integration” of the Eurasian space by the current Russian authorities.

Natalia Gorbanevskaya, 1936-2013

Details: Nation

Natalia Gorbanevskaya, 1936-2013

Details: 29 November 2013

On November 29, Natalia Gorbanevskaya—poet, translator, human rights activist and participant of the 1968 Red Square demonstration—died in Paris. She died in her sleep. She was 77.

From Economic Crisis to Political Crisis

Details: Nation

From Economic Crisis to Political Crisis

Changing Middle-Class Attitudes in Moscow and St. Petersburg, 2008–2012

Details: 19 November 2013; Sasha de Vogel

During the 2011–2012 electoral cycle, Russia saw unprecedented mass protests by representatives of the country’s growing middle class calling for more democracy and less corruption. Political scientists point to the unraveling of an unspoken “social contract” between Vladimir Putin and Russian society. In this study, Sasha de Vogel, managing editor of the Journal of Globalization and Development, analyzes the causes and nature of the Russian middle class’ protest.

Could the Bolsheviks have been defeated in 1917?

Details: Nation

Could the Bolsheviks have been defeated in 1917?

Details: 11 November 2013; Alexander Yanov

The Institute of Modern Russia continues its series of articles by Alexander Yanov on the history of Russian nationalism. In this installment, the author explores the reason for the 1917 Revolution and concludes that the Bolsheviks did not win the battle for power; rather, the Provisional Government lost by rejecting an alternative to Bolshevism and thereby missing its opportunity to exclude Bolshevism from the game.

The Approved Past: How History will be Taught to Russia’s Children

Details: Nation

The Approved Past: How History will be Taught to Russia’s Children

Details: 07 November 2013; Vladimir Kara-Murza

In October, the Russian Historical Society has approved new guidelines for history textbooks that will be used in Russian schools after 2015. The guidelines were drawn up at the request of Vladimir Putin. IMR Senior Policy Advisor Vladimir Kara-Murza—a historian by training—analyzed the blueprint, noting its positive and negative aspects.

The Unlearned Lessons: International Day against Fascism and Anti-Semitism

Details: Nation

The Unlearned Lessons: International Day against Fascism and Anti-Semitism

Details: 06 November 2013; Boris Bruk

November 9 is the International Day against Fascism and Anti-Semitism, an annual commemoration of Kristallnacht. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the anti-Semitic pogroms in Nazi Germany that became the starting point of the Holocaust. IMR Advisor Boris Bruk recalls the events of November 1938, and draws parallels with present-day Russia.

Russia Is Above the Law: Where Pogroms Could Lead

Details: Nation

Russia Is Above the Law: Where Pogroms Could Lead

Details: 30 October 2013; Tatiana Stanovaya

In mid-October, after the murder of 25-year-old Yegor Shcherbakov in Moscow’s Biryulyovo district, allegedly by a man from the Caucasus region, local residents supported by nationalist organizations stormed a wholesale vegetable market mainly employing migrant workers. Such ethnic violence is becoming increasingly frequent in Russia. According to political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya, racial tension is a time bomb that may have dire consequences for the country.

Ten Myths About Migrants

Details: Nation

Ten Myths About Migrants

Details: 28 October 2013; Alexander Podrabinek

The “migrant issue” is being presented as one of the main pressure points in Russian society. Author and human rights activist Alexander Podrabinek discusses the ten most popular myths about migrants—and debunks nine of them.

The Catastrophe: Russia and the First World War

Details: Nation

The Catastrophe: Russia and the First World War

Details: 25 October 2013; Alexander Yanov

The Institute of Modern Russia continues the series of articles by prominent historian Alexander Yanov. In the new installment the author discusses whether it was possible for Russia to avoid the Bolshevik coup d'état of 1917—and why it did not.

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