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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 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. 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The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore 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 political 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 idealized 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.