Comments on: Conference Call (or, Revisiting Debates about Soviet History) http://russian-front.com/2007/10/23/conference-call-or-revisiting-debates-about-soviet-history/ Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:29:59 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Yan M. http://russian-front.com/2007/10/23/conference-call-or-revisiting-debates-about-soviet-history/comment-page-1/#comment-8 Yan M. Tue, 23 Oct 2007 22:00:07 +0000 http://russian-front.com/2007/10/23/conference-call-or-revisiting-debates-about-soviet-history/#comment-8 Professor Augustine is actually my professor at St. Johns University, I guess this conference is why we've had classes canceled for tomorrow (Wednesday). I am, in fact, a "Soviet Specialist" or at least I like to think of myself as one. I am often mislabeled a 'Stalinist' or 'Stalin apologist', etc, and I'm sad to see that even in academia people are so quick to jump to conclusions without hearing someone out. I'd agree that there does exist a double standard against Soviet/Russian history, it is as evident today as it was during the Cold War. I would guess that today's 'camps,' in regards to Soviet history, are those who view Stalin via a cold war lens and those who are interested in finding out something of the 'truth' of what happened and put it into context with what they know of the world, dictatorships in general, and human nature. Professor Augustine is actually my professor at St. Johns University, I guess this conference is why we’ve had classes canceled for tomorrow (Wednesday). I am, in fact, a “Soviet Specialist” or at least I like to think of myself as one. I am often mislabeled a ‘Stalinist’ or ‘Stalin apologist’, etc, and I’m sad to see that even in academia people are so quick to jump to conclusions without hearing someone out.

I’d agree that there does exist a double standard against Soviet/Russian history, it is as evident today as it was during the Cold War. I would guess that today’s ‘camps,’ in regards to Soviet history, are those who view Stalin via a cold war lens and those who are interested in finding out something of the ‘truth’ of what happened and put it into context with what they know of the world, dictatorships in general, and human nature.

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