Mythmaking in the New Russia: Politics and Memory in the Yeltsin Era by Kathleen E. Smith

From the Publisher

"Kathleen E. Smith examines the use of collective memories in Russian politics during the Yeltsin years, surveying the various issues that became battlegrounds for contending notions of what it means to be Russian. Both the new establishment and its opponents have struggled to shape versions of past events into symbolic political capital. What parts of the Communist past, Smith asks, have proved useful for interpreting political options? Which versions of their history have Russians chosen to cling to, and which Soviet memories have they deliberately tried to forget? What symbols do they hold up as truly Russian? Which symbols will help define the attitudes shaping Russian policy for decades to come?" Smith illustrates the potency of memory debates across a broad range of fields - law, politics, art, and architecture. Her case studies include the changing interpretations of the attempted coups of 1991 and 1993, the recasting of the holiday calendar, the controversy over the national anthem, the status of trophy art brought to Russia at the and of World War II, and the partisan use of historical symbols in elections.

Foreign Affairs

Collective memory can be the stuff of politics. In the battle to shape it, Smith argues, Russia's liberals have been dilatory and ineffective. The conservative opposition did a better job of memorializing Boris Yeltsin's assault on the parliament in fall 1993 than he and his allies did when trying to inscribe in the public imagination the heroism of summer 1991. Choosing June 12, the forgotten day in 1990 when Soviet Russia voted itself sovereign, as Russia's "Independence Day" has left the people either indifferent or puzzled. Running a contest to define the "Russia idea" failed predictably. Still, Smith's message in this interesting cut at the quest of Russian elites to find and exploit national identity does not suggest that the conservatives have gotten their way. Communist symbols and manufactured history no longer serve to bind a people together. The contest continues, and debunking the rallying points of others prevails over finding something positive to fill the void.

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