I used to think that once the war in Ukraine started to go wrong for Putin that there might be the possibility that there were high ranking military prepared to oust him. I was wrong. I think if Putin was in danger from within it would have materialised by now. We’re stuck with the murderous scumbag for the foreseeable I’m afraid.
Oh its undoubtedly a regime built on fear. What I don’t understand is why people turn up to vote in their “democratic “ elections. People do though in their millions. Not much of a protest I’ll admit but those that don’t support Putin or his regime could easily take the not voting option. I’d expect all those that are given a vote are documented and could be traced but he can’t put millions of people in prison. Wouldn’t matter one iota to the result but a protest nonetheless.
Oh it’s undoubtedly a regime built on fear. What I don’t understand is why people turn up to vote in their “democratic “ elections. People do though in their millions. Not much of a protest I’ll admit but those that don’t support Putin or his regime could easily take the not voting option. I’d expect all those that are given a vote are documented and could be traced but he can’t put millions of people in prison. Wouldn’t matter one iota to the result but a protest nonetheless.
One if the reasons why so many Russians continue yo vote for Putin is the 24 hours of propaganda pumped out by Russian TV, the underlying message of which is the West hates us, we need to attack / undermine the West in any way we can before it destroys us and only a strong leader can make this happen, a leader who will make Mother Russia Great again regaining her lost Empire. Guess who that leader is. Add to this the totalitarian police state that exists in Russia repressing all opposition plus an education system that pumps out the exact same anti-West message and it’s no wonder Putin gets the support he does. (Echoes of 1930’s Germany under the Nazi regime).
Oh it’s undoubtedly a regime built on fear. What I don’t understand is why people turn up to vote in their “democratic “ elections. People do though in their millions. Not much of a protest I’ll admit but those that don’t support Putin or his regime could easily take the not voting option. I’d expect all those that are given a vote are documented and could be traced but he can’t put millions of people in prison. Wouldn’t matter one iota to the result but a protest nonetheless.
One if the reasons why so many Russians continue yo vote for Putin is the 24 hours of propaganda pumped out by Russian TV, the underlying message of which is the West hates us, we need to attack / undermine the West in any way we can before it destroys us and only a strong leader can make this happen, a leader who will make Mother Russia Great again regaining her lost Empire. Guess who that leader is. Add to this the totalitarian police state that exists in Russia repressing all opposition plus an education system that pumps out the exact same anti-West message and it’s no wonder Putin gets the support he does. (Echoes of 1930’s Germany under the Nazi regime).
I understand the propaganda, repression and fear but the Russian people are not stupid. They have access to foreign news and social media and many will have travelled overseas so have the opportunity to make judgements themselves. I can see that Russians of a certain age will totally accept the state news and propaganda but anyone under forty (?) would surely be looking at Putin with increasing scepticism at least.
You’re right, the Russian population, like all nationalities, has the same mix of intelligence as any one else. But so did the German population in the 1930’s. Many older Russians still look back on the Soviet Union fondly and feel a sense on loss. International news agencies are increasingly blocked in Russia,
Culturally the Russians value (or at least understand) strong leaders and decision makers (feel free to put quotation marks around any or all of "strong", "leaders", "decision makers").
The Tsars Lenin Stalin etc etc
Softening under Gorbachev and democracy under Yeltsin was an aberration. They like a dictator. Even Stalin is getting a bit of an airing as a positive figure.
You’re right, the Russian population, like all nationalities, has the same mix of intelligence as any one else. But so did the German population in the 1930’s. Many older Russians still look back on the Soviet Union fondly and feel a sense on loss. International news agencies are increasingly blocked in Russia,
I don’t think that rise of the Nazi party and the propaganda of Goebbels is comparable. In the 1930’s there was no television. Travel overseas for leisure was only for the rich. No social media and large parts of the population of Germany and elsewhere were largely ill educated. It was far easier to manipulate the news and truth back then.
You only need to spend some time in Russia (not advisable right now of course ) to realise how insidious their televised propaganda is. It’s non stop. There’s a youth organization called Nashi with strong ties to the Kremlin too.
(TV was first introduced in Germany in 1935 and cinema had been going strong since the 1920’s The first Nazi propaganda film was released around 1927 covering the Nuremberg Rally of that year.)
The USA is a free country, yet the propaganda put out by Trump is believed by millions. In a repressive regime such as that in Russia, it's even easier to brainwash people into believing what they are told.
You only need to spend some time in Russia (not advisable right now of course ) to realise how insidious their televised propaganda is. It’s non stop. There’s a youth organization called Nashi with strong ties to the Kremlin too.
(TV was first introduced in Germany in 1935 and cinema had been going strong since the 1920’s The first Nazi propaganda film was released around 1927 covering the Nuremberg Rally of that year.)
Nashi, a youth organization in Russia, that was likened by some critics to the Hitler Youth ceased to exist in 2019.
400 people who placed flowers in memory and respect for Navalny were arrested and put in prison. Quite why people are still prepared to show any support for the monster Putin I have no idea. Not all of his supporters are on the gravy train.
The Russian people are historically serfs, who are invariably led by phsycoparhs and despots. It is ingrained in their history. Not sure what the answers are but the consquencies of what is going on is chilling. What strikes me is, you name any other population in the world, who could wander around going about their everyday business, when higher end estimates state that 400,000 of their young men will not be coming home. Absolutely astonishing.
Oh it’s undoubtedly a regime built on fear. What I don’t understand is why people turn up to vote in their “democratic “ elections. People do though in their millions. Not much of a protest I’ll admit but those that don’t support Putin or his regime could easily take the not voting option. I’d expect all those that are given a vote are documented and could be traced but he can’t put millions of people in prison. Wouldn’t matter one iota to the result but a protest nonetheless.
One if the reasons why so many Russians continue yo vote for Putin is the 24 hours of propaganda pumped out by Russian TV, the underlying message of which is the West hates us, we need to attack / undermine the West in any way we can before it destroys us and only a strong leader can make this happen, a leader who will make Mother Russia Great again regaining her lost Empire. Guess who that leader is. Add to this the totalitarian police state that exists in Russia repressing all opposition plus an education system that pumps out the exact same anti-West message and it’s no wonder Putin gets the support he does. (Echoes of 1930’s Germany under the Nazi regime).
I understand the propaganda, repression and fear but the Russian people are not stupid. They have access to foreign news and social media and many will have travelled overseas so have the opportunity to make judgements themselves. I can see that Russians of a certain age will totally accept the state news and propaganda but anyone under forty (?) would surely be looking at Putin with increasing scepticism at least.
I understand your bewilderment. Unfortunately only if you have had anything to do with Russia and its people (and those who have had to endure their rule as an occupying force) do you start to grasp the extent to which they are different to any Europeans you have ever met. It is only a small part of the story but many of those who have travelled overseas are currently permanently overseas. And even if they have left Mother Russia, there is no guarantee that their attitudes will have changed as much as you'd assume. I came face to face with quite shocking attitudes among young educated Russians in the Yeltsin years, i.e before Putin. I often wonder if The West could have taken a different and more helpful approach to Russia in those years, but now looking back I am far from sure that something like a Marshall Plan would have worked on them. It's now the biggest problem of our age, of that I am sure.
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The Tsars
Lenin
Stalin
etc etc
Softening under Gorbachev and democracy under Yeltsin was an aberration. They like a dictator. Even Stalin is getting a bit of an airing as a positive figure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULwVITOdGXY
What strikes me is, you name any other population in the world, who could wander around going about their everyday business, when higher end estimates state that 400,000 of their young men will not be coming home. Absolutely astonishing.