My school work about Putin’s Russia
Some months ago I opened some old files from the 2000s where I also stored the assignments that I wrote as a high-school student in Sweden. Since I was a social science student, I admired subjects as history and international relations was learning the Russian language and even went to a study exchange for one week in St: Petersburg, I decided during my last high school year to write an assignment about politics and society in Russia.
The choice for my work became to analyse “Nashi (Ours), a pro-Putin youth movement in Russia organised and funded by the Russian government. My ambition was to compare Nashi with Hitler Jugend (Hitler Youth), the National Socialist (Nazi) party in Hitler’s Germany.
The Nashi movement was mostly active during the 2000s and started as a “counter-reaction” against the democratic revolution in Ukraine, also known as “the Orange revolution”. Nashi has officially existed until 2019, but the movement started to dissolve and disorganise already after 2012.
Since my work is written in Swedish, you can try to read it by using Google Translate or similar. Otherwise, here are some of the most important points that I wrote in 2008.
- In 2007, members of Nashi attacked embassies of Sweden and Estonia in Moscow. The motivation for Nashi was the decision of the Estonian government to remove a statue of a Soviet soldier in Tallinn. After Estonia was submitted to nationalist criticism from Russia as based on Soviet nostalgia, the Swedish government expressed support for Estonia.
- Nashi received the nickname “Putinjugend” in European media because Nashi also had “military camps” where their members received para-military training such as regarding firearms.
- Nashi was also created by the political party United Russia, basically the party of still current dictator Vladimir Putin. The predecessor of Nashi was called Idusije Vmjeste, which means “Marching/Walking together.”
Similarities and differences between Nashi and Hitlerjugend:
- Both organisations were created by leading and highly appointed politicians and had members going through para-military training
- A usual member of Hitler Jugend was between 14–18, while Nashi members were between 15–18. Also, Nashi had a side-organisation called “Mishki” for children between 8–15.
- While Nashi was officially a “democratic anti-fascist” organisations, compared to Hitler Jugend’s nazi ideology, the rhetoric used by Nashi was regarded as undemocratic and extreme, reminding even about Hitler Jugend. For example, Nashi members would express things such as “enemies of the people” and use the word as fascist and spy to label everyone from neo-nazis to liberals only because such political groups opposed Putin’s regime.
- Both organisations have been conducting massive demonstrations and personality cult behaviours.
- Unlike Hitler Jugend that was spending more of its political indoctrination work in camps and outside of urban areas, Nashi focused more on visiting places like schools and public places in order to promote narratives and myths about Russia being under attack and that any revolution attempt against Putin and the government has to be prevented.
In the “Analysis” part of my work, I wrote among the following regarding Nashi:
“The risk is that such an organisation, which is not questioning its leaders is that it can easily be manipulated and used for evil deeds. Young people can, after all easily be brainwashed. It is more often stated that Russia is on the way to become a dictatorship and, if that is correct, then Nashi is playing a big role in that process. Just as Hitler Jugend, Nashi can offer young people comradeship, leadership, development and possibilities to become a part of something bigger. And the appreciation for that they are showing to those who pay for that who in this case are sponsoring Putin and United Russia.”
Thanks for reading. You can support and reward my work via:
Pay Pal — lauvlad89@gmail.com
Seeds — vladlausevic
Steemit — @lauvlad89
Skycoin — ZxjhWMJRbTNCRQzy5MekZzH4fhdWFCqBP8
Bitcoin 3HbxyDXE9MhNQ8RqsirqgYvFupQzh5Xby2
Swish — 0762345677
Tezos — tz1QrRzkTAKuPKF8dmGW6c1ScEHBUGvoiJBM