The many reversals you chronicle here, and how they are being used to justify certain actions and divert attention from others, reminded me of an essential skill I first encountered in radical feminist analysis of patriarchy (circa 1980): ‘double double unthink’. It is defined as ‘to go past the obvious level of…reversals and find the underlying Lie.’ Putin is giving that technique a workout these days. Thanks for untangling this for us—without deep knowledge of the history, I could sense the absurdity but not explain it.
It is inspiring to hear a learned, authoritative voice say clearly that what we are witnessing from Russia is fascism and genocide. The media continues to shy away from these terms. The terms have content; their content matches the evidence before our eyes. Why can they not be spoken, written, and broadcast more widely? Prof. Snyder's expertise should give other thought leaders greater courage to name what we all can see.
Thank you. How do you explain overt references to Nazism in the new Z campaign, especially the armbands? I seems like there is a deliberate alignment with, or even cultivation of, those who worship Hitler.
The fact remains that Russia and NATO are now at war. The asymmetries of that war will drive it in unpredictable directions. One is choice of weapons--cyberwarfare, particularly. Another is blowback from sanctions. Another is China. Another is whether an economically crippled Ukraine is viable. And not the least is what happens in American politics, the United States no longer being a stronghold of democratic republicanism. In hindsight, we connect the dots from 1931 to 1937 to 1939 to 1941. At the time, none of that was obvious, to anybody.
Curious how traditional Soviet historiography reveals a truth it otherwise denied by calling Hitler's invasion of June 22 1941 "a total shock" and a "a betrayal". In other words, the two nations were supposed to pals, but Hitler suddenly stabbed Russia in the back. Contradictorily, Soviet historiography also claims the Soviet Union was "preparing for the inevitable war against fascism which finally came on June 22 1941" (?!?) Soviet historiography is consistently contradictory!
Stalin's problem with unequivocal opposition to 'fascism' was that he regarded right-wing extremist parties not as threats or enemies, but as an excellent catalyst to further undermine democracies by clashing with communist parties all over Europe at election time. Communist 101: Secretly create as much chaos in every capitalist country as possible, the more violent and bloodthirsty the better. Foment civil wars and wars between capitalist nations, but conceal communist involvement until the last moment. This is the only route to trigger the worldwide proletariat revolution which will be controlled by Moscow. This BTW is Putin's basic goal, without the 'proletariat' claptrap. It's only about obtaining more power for the Kremlin.
I have just received notification about my subscription being renewed on 6th June '22. It's amazing how this past 12 months have gone by. I never thought Thinking about... will turn out to be such a crucial source for me both regarding information and encouragement. I have become better informed and also heartened by everyone's effort to help Ukraine as best as they can. In the learning community where we raise money for education, all our Ukrainian teachers and members are fine, some in Kyiv or Lviv, others in the Czech Republic. One of them is living under Russian occupation (near Izyum) and we can only connect sporadically. She says people in her small town are equally worried about being liberated by Ukrainian forces (on account of the bloody battle anticipated) and living under Russian rule.
On February 24, 1920, the Allied Supreme Council announced that they would would no longer have a diplomatic relationship with the Moscow Bolshevik administration and on the same date in 1952 (or thereabouts), NATO approved a massive program to protect Europe
I am listening to your expanded On Tyranny, and just finished listening to the chapter titled, The Beautiful Language. I am savoring each of the chapters, because each one offers so much food for thought. This is especially true because we are watching how delusion, dictatorship, and erasing the future in order to revive an imaginary past have manifested in the war on Ukraine. Back to the chapter on language, I am struck hard by the thought of electing a president who is multilingual, and who carries a diversity of ethnicities in their own being. The potential for problem-solving, and for listening to others, the potential for stronger solutions, is simply mind-blowing. Thank you.
It is a little scary and hard to understand how the leader of a country -- responsible for 145 million people, and armed with nuclear weapons -- can be so delusional. Egomaniacal, yes. Dictatorial, yes. Authoritarian and intolerant of opposition, yes. But delusional? Where does Putin get his news? Fox? All Tucker all the time?
The many reversals you chronicle here, and how they are being used to justify certain actions and divert attention from others, reminded me of an essential skill I first encountered in radical feminist analysis of patriarchy (circa 1980): ‘double double unthink’. It is defined as ‘to go past the obvious level of…reversals and find the underlying Lie.’ Putin is giving that technique a workout these days. Thanks for untangling this for us—without deep knowledge of the history, I could sense the absurdity but not explain it.
Very helpful. My favorite takeaway: Under Putin, the word “fascist” (or “Nazi”) just means “my chosen enemy, who is to be eliminated.”
Elimination of your enemy certainly simplifies things. Or... seems to.
It is inspiring to hear a learned, authoritative voice say clearly that what we are witnessing from Russia is fascism and genocide. The media continues to shy away from these terms. The terms have content; their content matches the evidence before our eyes. Why can they not be spoken, written, and broadcast more widely? Prof. Snyder's expertise should give other thought leaders greater courage to name what we all can see.
"These terms in official Russian usage today are simply hate speech enabling war crimes" - well said. Bravo.
Thank you. How do you explain overt references to Nazism in the new Z campaign, especially the armbands? I seems like there is a deliberate alignment with, or even cultivation of, those who worship Hitler.
Hitler: Make Germany Great Again
Putin: Make Russia Great Again
Trump:
The fact remains that Russia and NATO are now at war. The asymmetries of that war will drive it in unpredictable directions. One is choice of weapons--cyberwarfare, particularly. Another is blowback from sanctions. Another is China. Another is whether an economically crippled Ukraine is viable. And not the least is what happens in American politics, the United States no longer being a stronghold of democratic republicanism. In hindsight, we connect the dots from 1931 to 1937 to 1939 to 1941. At the time, none of that was obvious, to anybody.
Curious how traditional Soviet historiography reveals a truth it otherwise denied by calling Hitler's invasion of June 22 1941 "a total shock" and a "a betrayal". In other words, the two nations were supposed to pals, but Hitler suddenly stabbed Russia in the back. Contradictorily, Soviet historiography also claims the Soviet Union was "preparing for the inevitable war against fascism which finally came on June 22 1941" (?!?) Soviet historiography is consistently contradictory!
Stalin's problem with unequivocal opposition to 'fascism' was that he regarded right-wing extremist parties not as threats or enemies, but as an excellent catalyst to further undermine democracies by clashing with communist parties all over Europe at election time. Communist 101: Secretly create as much chaos in every capitalist country as possible, the more violent and bloodthirsty the better. Foment civil wars and wars between capitalist nations, but conceal communist involvement until the last moment. This is the only route to trigger the worldwide proletariat revolution which will be controlled by Moscow. This BTW is Putin's basic goal, without the 'proletariat' claptrap. It's only about obtaining more power for the Kremlin.
Thank you. Are the armbands props or emblematic of Russian Fascism under Putin?
I have just received notification about my subscription being renewed on 6th June '22. It's amazing how this past 12 months have gone by. I never thought Thinking about... will turn out to be such a crucial source for me both regarding information and encouragement. I have become better informed and also heartened by everyone's effort to help Ukraine as best as they can. In the learning community where we raise money for education, all our Ukrainian teachers and members are fine, some in Kyiv or Lviv, others in the Czech Republic. One of them is living under Russian occupation (near Izyum) and we can only connect sporadically. She says people in her small town are equally worried about being liberated by Ukrainian forces (on account of the bloody battle anticipated) and living under Russian rule.
On February 24, 1920, the Allied Supreme Council announced that they would would no longer have a diplomatic relationship with the Moscow Bolshevik administration and on the same date in 1952 (or thereabouts), NATO approved a massive program to protect Europe
from Soviet aggression.
I am listening to your expanded On Tyranny, and just finished listening to the chapter titled, The Beautiful Language. I am savoring each of the chapters, because each one offers so much food for thought. This is especially true because we are watching how delusion, dictatorship, and erasing the future in order to revive an imaginary past have manifested in the war on Ukraine. Back to the chapter on language, I am struck hard by the thought of electing a president who is multilingual, and who carries a diversity of ethnicities in their own being. The potential for problem-solving, and for listening to others, the potential for stronger solutions, is simply mind-blowing. Thank you.
It is a little scary and hard to understand how the leader of a country -- responsible for 145 million people, and armed with nuclear weapons -- can be so delusional. Egomaniacal, yes. Dictatorial, yes. Authoritarian and intolerant of opposition, yes. But delusional? Where does Putin get his news? Fox? All Tucker all the time?