Это Петя

Anyone with a Facebook account has seen these "Be like Bill" passive aggressive stick figure images complaining about peoples' social media habits but a recent article on Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty explains that Eastern Europe has taken it a step farther. Twitter and Facebook are now seeing «Будь как Петя» memes criticizing Russia's rejection of Europe, and «Будь как Паша» complaining about corruption in journalism and the dangers of being a journalist in Belarus. This is a great way to raise awareness about issues but the real question is whether social media angst will lead to any real changes or just provide an opportunity for people to vent their frustrations. It is the revival of slacktivism in the technological era where silly Western culture like these memes can spread thousands of miles and represent a political message. http://www.rferl.org/content/be-like-bill-russia-ukraine-belarus/27519662.html

Russian WWII Veterans

iremember.ru is a website created by the Russian Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communication. Available in both English and Russian, this site is a compilation of memoirs from Russian World War II veterans, most of whom are alive today. These interviewees range from front line soldiers to NKVD agents and encompass many age groups at the time of service. Not only do these interviews provide insight into the combat experience of these people, but they also detail Stalin's style of command during this time.

Reykjavik

A dose of Russian Foreign Policy history...

During 1986, the Soviet Union and United States were in the middle of a Cold War. Due to both nations' significant military advancements, they were in the middle of a MAD situation (yes, Gorbachev and Reagan were both pretty mad but in this case it stands for 'Mutually assured destruction'). 

At the conference in Reykjavik, Iceland, 1986, both strong leaders met to sort out a nuclear arms policy. Gorbachev was frustrated by Reagan's insistence on the STAR WARS project (a defense system based in space). 

In order to successfully establish a INF treaty, Gorbachev and Reagan were both willing to consider giving up all of their INF weapons. Unfortunately, since Reagan was unwilling to compromise on his STAR WARS program, not much was able to be achieved at this conference, frustrating both foreign leaders.

Kibbutzim

Over this past summer, I had the opportunity to spend a few days on Kibbutz Ketura in Southern Israel. Kibbutzim are primarily agricultural, and originally Socialist and Zionist communities that have hugely contributed to Israeli economic success. Eastern European and Russian Jewish immigrants who moved to Israel to start a new life originally started these Kibbutzim. In fact, you can still find many Russians and Russian speakers living there. While Americans specifically founded Ketura, there are Russians who reside there. These communities are thriving microcosms of cultural diversity incorporating visiting students, military members, and immigrants from all over the world into a living and working environment. For me, it was very surprising to find that my studies coincided with a place that I visited as little more than a vacation. 

Ethnic Diversity in Russia

Most people have a very specific vision when they think of a typical Russian person. While many Russians may fit this bill, it is surprising to know that most people in Russia today are not ethnically Russian. The Russian Empire, spanning from 1721 to 1971, covered a large amount of the Eurasian area and, therefore, included many different nationalities of people. In fact, during the height of the Empire, less than 50% of its people were ethnically Russian. The rest were a scattered combination of Jews, Poles, Germans, along with countless more nationalities. While the Russian Empire did dissolve during the 1970s, many of the people residing in the Soviet Union then, and Russia today, still bear some ancestry to the non-ethnic citizens of the Russian Empire.

Anna Karenina form a Historical Perspective

Attending the lecture given on March 29^th by Dr. Bartlett on the modernity of Anna Karenina did a lot to tie together one of my favorite novels with the Russian Empire class I am currently enrolled in. One of the most notable connections is the emancipation of the serfs by Alexander II as a part of the Great Reforms and Levin’s participation in the zemstvo. Having read the book before knowing anything about Russian history, this was always perplexing to me. After learning about it in class and hearing it tied to Anna Karenina, the novel takes on a new relevance. Since the novel occurs primarily after the emancipation of the serfs, Levin has to deal with issues that every landlord was facing at the time, making it a very modern novel for its time and relatable to its readers at that time. This is one of the most important modern aspects of Anna Karenina.

Берингов пролив

The Bering Strait is the body of water separating the United States (Alaska) from Russia. It is only 53 miles wide at its narrowest section. There are multiple islands throughout the strait, the most well-known being the Little and Big Diomedes.

During the cold war, famous distance and cold-water swimmer Lynn Cox swam 2.7 miles between Little Diomede and Big Diomede islands. Normally, travel was prohibited between the islands due to the political conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States. An exception was made specially for her. She swam through the frigid 43 degree Fahrenheit water for an hour and thirty minutes before completing the swim at Big Diomede. Water this temperature would have caused hypothermia in the average human, but Cox, utilizing her unique body type, was able to complete this swim safely.  She was welcomed by a combination of both Soviets and Americans. In the end, this swim helped to relax Cold War tensions as both Ronald Reagan and, then Soviet Statesman, Mikhail Gorbachev both praised her success.

Русский Хэллоуин

It’s almost that special day of the year when all of the пебёнок run from door to door, dressed as призраки, упыри, и гоблины. Yes, I’m talking about Halloween; a beloved American holiday, marked by many traditions and the commercialization of death, which is celebrated each year on October 31.  Unfortunately, Russians do not share American’s adoration of this very westernized holiday. In fact, many areas have banned its celebration in schools and are encouraging youths not to participate in any activities at all. The components considered to be harmless fun by Americans are said to be satanic and harmful to children by Russian religious groups.

The rejection of Halloween has more of a purpose than to reject supposedly satanic principles, though. Many Russians believe that, by eliminating holidays such as Halloween and Valentine’s Day, Russia can revive some of its own traditions. Put simply, Halloween is synonymous with the westernization of Russia in the minds of many. After the Soviet Union fell, Halloween became very popular.