Why Should I Love Boris Nikolayevich?

Walking down a long Moscow metro corridor after a late night working on Russian Life, I spotted a Muscovite in her late 50s selling a newspaper called Za Rodinu, Za Stalina  (For the Homeland, For Stalin). This phrase caught my eye because it is laced with historical meaning — it was the battle cry of Soviet soldiers attacking the Nazis during WWII. What further piqued my interest was an article in the paper by one such WWII veteran, A. G. Soboleva. Its title was “Why I Love Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin.” It was written forty-five years after Stalin’s death ...

Veteran Soboleva’s letter sounded sincere. And I — certainly no Stalinist — was forced to admit that some of her arguments gave food for thought: (1) Under Stalin, Russia was a force to be reckoned with in the world; even Churchill admitted that “Stalin received Russia with a wooden plow and left her fitted out with nuclear weapons.” (2) “The soldiers were dying with Stalin’s name on their lips. With whose name on their lips will our soldiers attack the enemy now?”

No matter how charismatic and great a leader Stalin — “father of the people” — is claimed to be by his present day apologists, one cannot avoid the simple fact that he was a paranoic criminal. Fathers of the people don’t send millions of their “children” to the camps or execute them in prison cellars. To say nothing of controlling every conceivable aspect of social, economic and political life. (Stalin even wrote an article on the “issue of linguistics”; even my harmless Survival Russian column would have been a ticket to the camps 45 years ago...)

For one who is proud of his country, and who voted for Boris Nikolaevich Yeltsin despite his ups and downs, it has been painful to see Russia’s “weight” in international affairs be so greatly diminished. It is painful to see Russia talked down at by the US, to have the latter ignore Russia’s real concerns about the expansion of NATO. It is painful to see Boris Nikolaevich wave empty threats about an impending WWIII if the US bombs Iraq, to see the head of the world’s largest nation-state so tinnily rattling his sabres.

But one must face facts. The collapse of the socialist economy led to the loss of empire and the loss of the Cold War. But Russia is not now a “banana republic” without bananas. It is a country with huge historic and cultural arsenals, to say nothing of the nuclear, poorly managed though it is. And even though average Russians may seem so busy making ends meet, nevertheless, their reaction to the Iraqi crisis is unequivocal – 57% said in a recent poll that the use of military force against Iraq would be wrong.

Of course there are some Russians who have taken a shine to foreign affairs. Like Vladimir Zhirinovsky. Together with 50 Duma deputies, he tried at the height of the Iraqi crisis (as this issue went to press) to fly to Baghdad to show support for Saddam Hussein. They got trapped on the tarmac in Yerevan.

So, in February, Iraq and Stalin (because of his impending anniversary) were in the news a great deal here. One could not help wondering whether the US’s current “bull in a china shop” brand of foreign policy would be a menu item if Russia were as respected on the world stage as it was in Stalin’s day. Yes, Saddam Hussein is a cruel dictator. But it seems likely that things would be going a lot smoother if the US and Russia were working together on this one ...

Whether in this crisis or another, Russian soldiers will do battle again in some corner of the world. Were it to happen sooner rather than later (God forbid), it does not seem likely that our soldiers will charge into battle with the words “Za Rodinu, Za Yeltsina!” on their lips. This is not because of any lack of charisma or toughness on Yeltsin’s part (though admittedly he is not in the fighting shape he used to be). It is all because of economic and social pressures: months of wage arrears, poor housing conditions, hazing, etc. People aren’t even paying taxes now, because they feel the Russian government is not working for them. How could they be expected to die for Russia?

Change will not come easy or quick. Yeltsin needs to basically stay the course, without making any huge, unforgiveable mistakes. Only Russia’s economic revival will ensure that, in future international crises, Russia will have greater influence. And only treating our servicemen like human beings will pump new patriotic blood in these young men’s veins.

But what is more, improved socio-economic conditions for defense factory workers, pensioners and WWII veterans (and newspaper sellers) will make them value democracy and not yearn for Stalin or another “iron hand” — a regime which, it is worth noting, would hardly allow publication of dissenting newspapers.

I was brought up to treat war veterans with respect. And I can partially sympathize with with veteran Soboleva. Perhaps she, or one like her, was the one who helped my grandma evacuate from Moscow in 1941, together with her young boys - my uncle Yuri and dad Vadim.

But a Za Rodinu, Za Stalina newspaper on the threshshold of the 21st century is an anachronism. But then so is a massive bomb attack on one of the world’s traditional hot-spots.

Let’s hope there are no battle cries heard from anyone for some time to come.