Bloomsbury Academic Putins Russia and the Falsification of History: Reasserting Control over the Past

This book provides a bold examination of the political use of history in contemporary Russia. Anton Weiss-Wendt argues that history is yet another discipline misappropriated by the Kremlin for the purpose of rallying the population. He explains how, since the pro-democracy protests in 201112, the Russian government has hamstrung independent research and simultaneously aligned state institutions in the promotion of militant patriotism. The Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Russian Orthodox Church and pro-government nationalist organizationsthe entire state machinery has been mobilized to construe a single, glorious historical narrative with the focus being on Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. Putins Russia and the Falsification of History studies the intricate networks managed from the Kremlin that engage in history-making. Whether it is the Holocaust or Soviet mass terror, Tsars or Stalin, the regime promotes a syncretic interpretation of Russian history that supports the notion of a strong state and authoritarian rule. That interpretation finds its way into new monuments, exhibitions, and quasi-professional associations. In addition to administrative measures of control, the Russian state has been using the penal code to censor critical perspectives on history, with the offenders typically being individuals who endorse liberal values and call for a political change in Russia. This powerful book shows how history is increasingly becoming an element of political technology in Russia, with the apparent systematic destruction of independent institutions, including the academy, setting the very future of History as an academic discipline in Russia in doubt. Review "The Putin regime is trying to rewrite history to suppress the memory of repression and to justify itself. In this book, Anton Weiss-Wendt draws on impressive research to provide a comprehensive guide to what is happening. The result is a resource for all those who understand that the truth about the past is the sine qua non for Russia's decent future." --David Satter, Author of It Was a Long Time Ago and It Never Happened Anyway: Russia and the Communist Past (2011)."Prof Weiss-Wendt demonstrates how Putin has succeeded in imposing a 'history politics' on his subjects that sacralises a mendacious version of World War II history whilst destroying Russia's pre-existing structures of historical research and education, themselves already compromised. His ultimate objective is seemingly to crush domestic dissent, discredit former vassal states Moscow wants to reabsorb, and draw Western democracies into a new 'Yalta' radically recasting European security arrangements. Weiss-Wendt's imposing analysis is objective and the tone courteous. But his summaries and conclusions are clear and unequivocal.The West's response to this ominous ideological offensive has been weak. This is a book which all alarmed by 'Westlessness' should read carefully, including officials and politicians." --John Besemeres, Research Fellow, Australian National University, Australia About the Author Anton Weiss-Wendt is Research Professor at the Center for the Study of the Holocaust and Religious Minorities in Oslo, Norway. His recent publications include A Rhetorical Crime: Genocide in the Geopolitical Discourse of the Cold War (2018), Racial Science in Hitler's Europe, 1939-1945 (2013) and The Nazi Genocide of the Roma: Reassessment and Commemoration (2013).