Motherland: Soviet Nostalgia in the Russian Federation

165 Pages·2022·5.01 MB·English

by  Charles J. Sullivan

Motherland
Soviet Nostalgia in
the Russian Federation
Charles J. Sullivan
Motherland
Charles J. Sullivan
Motherland
Soviet Nostalgia in the Russian Federation
Charles J. Sullivan
Lexington, SC, USA
ISBN 978-981-19-3974-7 ISBN 978-981-19-3975-4 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-3975-4
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For Gulnur
Contents
1 Introduction 1
2 Yearning for the USSR 23
3 Economic Bedlam 41
4 Social Glue 59
5 Glory Days 77
6 The Politics of the Past and Present 97
7 Uncertainty in Future 127
Epilogue 143
References 147
Index 161
vii
List of Tables
Table 6.1 Results of OLS multivariate regressions on correlates
of nostalgia television channels 109
Table 6.2 Beta coefficients television channels 110
ix
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
How do popular perceptions regarding the differentiation of the past
from the present influence contemporary politics? In raising this ques-
tion, I analyze a particular type of nostalgia in this book, that being of the
Soviet variety within the Russian Federation. December 25, 2021, marked
the thirtieth anniversary of the official dissolution of the Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics. In writing this book (which originally served as my
dissertation thesis), I set out to uncover an answer to the following ques-
tion: To what extent do Russia’s citizens yearn for the Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics, and why do they seemingly long to return to a bygone
system?
The idea for this book originated in the summer of 2008 when I
first traveled to the city of Volgograd (formerly known as Stalingrad).
While studying at the George Washington University for a PhD in polit-
ical science, I became interested in the politics of the former Soviet
Union (FSU) region. In 2008, my wife (a Tatar and native Russian
citizen from Kazan) along with my teenage nephew accompanied me
on a trip. I thought that traveling to the city once named after Stalin
would help me conjure up an interesting topic for my dissertation thesis.
The journey was grueling. The summer heat was overbearing and the
ride from Kazan to Volgograd on an overcrowded train lasted twenty-five
hours. Although the city does not measure up to the likes of Moscow or
St. Petersburg in terms of history and culture, Volgograd is a must-see for
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature 1
Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022
C. J. Sullivan, Motherland,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-3975-4_1
2 C. J. SULLIVAN
Russophiles. Upon arrival, I recall feeling as if the city was “stuck” in the
past. Volgograd seeks to impress upon visitors its significance not solely
in Russia’s history but in a worldly context. As one walks the streets and
tours the voluminous spectrum of tanks, war planes, bullet-riddled build-
ings, and monuments to the heroic defenders in the Battle of Stalingrad
(1942–1943), one cannot help but feel the city’s visceral attachment to
the Soviet past. Volgograd stands as a modern-day version of Carthage,
but with one crucial difference. The defenders here won this battle. To
this day, Volgograd serves as a time capsule showcasing Russia’s greatest
historical feat and as a testament to which the city named after Stalin
has shaped the geopolitical contours of the contemporary era. The main
attraction in Volgograd is the Mamayev Kurgan battlefield complex, a
massive geographical clearing. A great deal of intense fighting took place
on this tract of land during the Battle of Stalingrad. As visitors ascend the
gargantuan complex, they are greeted by a variety of statues and murals
commemorating the Soviet Union’s military victory over Nazi Germany
in the Great Patriotic War (1941–45, also known as the Great Father-
land War). At the summit, one comes face-to-face with the colossal statue
“The Motherland is Calling” (Rodina Mat’ Zovët!). Upon reaching the
base of the statue, I decided to take a photograph of it from underneath
with the intention of capturing the view from the ground. While doing
so, my wife took notice and said, “Why are you taking this picture? No
one will know what it is from this angle.” My wife then paused and said,
“Well, maybe some people will know what it is. Maybe the older gener-
ation. Maybe those who really love and miss the Soviet Union, they will
know what it is for sure.” Upon hearing these words, the idea of longing
for the USSR entered my mind. My thoughts homed in on a thesis topic:
feelings of Soviet nostalgia in Russia. Perhaps the most interesting aspect
of nostalgia as it is discussed in the political science discipline is that it
has yet to be adequately defined. Scholars commonly reference nostalgia
in studies concerning Russia, but only in a passive manner. Mendelson
and Gerber (2005–2006) argue that Soviet nostalgia is hindering Russia’s
democratic prospects. Yet they do not define this concept. Instead, much
of their analysis focuses on how Josef Stalin is remembered, popular opin-
ions on democracy and authoritarianism, and how US developmental aid
1 INTRODUCTION 3
could be targeted to promote the spread of democratic values, particu-
larly among the youth.1 Similarly, in discussing how Russians interpret
the Stalinist period, Sherlock (2011) argues that Soviet nostalgia is not
widespread among the youth. Although he cites survey findings, Sher-
lock brushes over the topic of nostalgia. Instead, his work on “Russian
attitudes about the Soviet past” examines how Russians perceive Stalin
and how their government addresses the Stalinist period.2 Way (2011)
argues that feelings of Soviet nostalgia in Russia help to buttress the ruling
regime led by President Vladimir Putin.3 But if Russia’s citizens yearn for
a return to the USSR, then how do such sentiments aid its successor
government? What is Soviet nostalgia?
In referencing Boym (2001), I conceptualize nostalgia as a type of
feeling emphasizing a return to a specific “place” or “time” from the
past.4 Boym characterizes nostalgia as a “rebellion against the modern
idea of time” and as a “side effect of the teleology of progress.”5 With
this definition in mind, nostalgia entails both a “positive” appraisal of the
past (influenced by memories and recollections) and a negative appraisal
of the present (resulting from comparing the difficulties of the present
to a rather idealized depiction of the past).6 In speaking of an ideal-
ized past, Davis (1979) notes that “…nostalgic feeling is almost never
infused with those sentiments we commonly think of as negative…”7
This is so because feelings of nostalgia tend to originate in response to
1 Sarah E. Mendelson and Theodore P. Gerber, “ Soviet Nostalgia: An Impediment
to Russian Democratization,” The Washington Quarterly Vol. 29, No. 1 (Winter 2005–
2006): 83–96.
2 Thomas Sherlock, “Confronting the Stalinist Past: The Politics of Memory in Russia,”
The Washington Quarterly Vol. 34, No. 2 (Spring 2011): 93–109.
3 Lucan Way, “The Lessons of 1989,” Journal of Democracy Vol. 22, No. 4 (October
2011): 18.
4 Svetlana Boym, The Future of Nostalgia (New York: Basic Books, 2001), xv. Boym
also defines nostalgia as “…a longing for a home that no longer exists or has never
existed” (xiii).
5 Ibid., xiii, 10.
6 Fred Davis, Yearning for Yesterday: A Sociology of Nostalgia (New York: Free Press,
1979), 9–16, 101–103.
7 Ibid., 14.