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Nearly half of Russians ignorant of 1968's Czechoslovakia invasion – poll

Rogue Valley

Rogue Valley

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Nearly half of Russians ignorant of 1968's Czechoslovakia invasion – poll

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8/19/18
More than a third of Russians say the Soviet Union was correct to intervene in Czechoslovakia in 1968 and nearly half of the population says it knows nothing about the invasion at all, according to new polling data obtained by the Guardian before its release on the 50th anniversary of the crushing of the Prague spring. The polling data reflects the resurgence of “Brezhnev-era propaganda, stereotypes of the Soviet period,” said Lev Gudkov of Russia’s Levada Center, which will release the results on Monday. More than a fifth of Russians blamed a “subversive action by western countries” to split the communist bloc for a Czechoslovak program of liberalization that ended in a Soviet-led invasion of the communist country. The Warsaw Pact intervention was seen as a turning point for the Soviet legacy in Europe, but its anniversary on Monday will largely pass unnoticed in Russia, where politicians and television stations have tended to stay quiet on the topic. “Generally speaking, the authorities don’t want to pay any attention to the anniversary,” said Andrei Kolesnikov of the Carnegie Moscow Center.
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No wonder a certain Russian here is terrible at History.

Related: Prague Spring
 
The media is state run and controlled over there. No surprise.
 
Jack Fabulous said:
Meh... 75% of Americans probably don't know that we once invaded Grenada, either.
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Oh hell our president is that ignorant too. He's proved his ignorance on world and U.S. history on many occasions and continues to do so.
 
Jack Fabulous said:
Meh... 75% of Americans probably don't know that we once invaded Grenada, either.
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That's true, but Granada was a quick flash in the pan (and some argue a false flag operation) compared to the invasion of Czechoslavakia. That said, yeah Americans aren't generally big on knowing anything outside their little universe unless they take a history course or have an interest in history. They don't want to be bothered unless it effects them directly.

And keep in mind many of the people that lived then are up in age now. That's a long time ago for the younger generation.

OTOH I'll bet the Russian history books have it written to the state's satisfaction. At least here I would hope it would be more truthful.
 
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EnigmaO01 said:
That's true, but Granada was a quick flash in the pan (and some argue a false flag operation) compared to the invasion of Czechoslavakia. That said, yeah Americans aren't generally big on knowing anything outside their little universe unless they take a history course or have an interest in history. They don't want to be bothered unless it effects them directly.

And keep in mind many of the people that lived then are up in age now. That's a long time ago for the younger generation.

OTOH I'll bet the Russian history books have it written to the state's satisfaction. At least here I would hope it would be more truthful.
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I am always hopeful when I see a survey regarding Americans and either history or geography; mostly disappointed by the levels of ignorance. But they can tell you who is sleeping around in Hollywood.......
 
Most Americans don't know about the genocide of the Native Americans... just saying...

Hell most Danes don't really know that we once had slave plantations in America. It was only after a popular TV show that it came up again.. Yea we sold those islands to the US and they are now called the US Virgin Islands.. and made the black population suffer even more... dark times for Denmark.

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Most Chinese don't know about the Tiananmen Square uprising either. If you go to China and google "Tiananmen square uprising", you just get touristy pictures of the square today.
 
Jack Fabulous said:
Meh... 75% of Americans probably don't know that we once invaded Grenada, either.
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When you read some of the diatribes against Haiti (especially from Americans) you realise so few are aware of the impact of direct control and then financial control there either.
 
Jack Fabulous said:
Meh... 75% of Americans probably don't know that we once invaded Grenada, either.
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I'm struggling with comparison between USSR >> Czech and USA >> Grenada, particularly when our main concern was a few hundred medical students being turned into a copycat of the Iran Hostage Crisis.
 
ataraxia said:
Most Chinese don't know about the Tiananmen Square uprising either. If you go to China and google "Tiananmen square uprising", you just get touristy pictures of the square today.
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I was under the impression that even making any comment about the Tiananmen Square Uprising would land you in hot water over there.
 
Checkerboard Strangler said:
I was under the impression that even making any comment about the Tiananmen Square Uprising would land you in hot water over there.
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And you would be correct. Young people in China today would have no idea what you were even talking about if you brought it up.
 
Checkerboard Strangler said:
I'm struggling with comparison between USSR >> Czech and USA >> Grenada, particularly when our main concern was a few hundred medical students being turned into a copycat of the Iran Hostage Crisis.
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It wasn't a comparison of the actions, it was a comparison(sort of) of the general ignorance of the populations.

I wonder how many Americans could even find Vietnam on a map?
 
I can could certainly envisage the military crushing a similar revolt in the EU if it really threatened the pro US, pro EU orientation of the state.


Normally the political systems are designed to prevent outsiders gaining power with huge entry barriers. Failing that the leader is normally 'turned' or moderated in favour of the status quo. The really interesting question is what happens if both the above controls fail.

The answer to that question may be seen in the attempted military coup in Turkey in 2016.
 
I heard a joint EU task force is going to invade the UK soon.

Whatever is being smoked here, I'd prefer the smoke to be blown the other way, lest the voiced insanity become infectious.

I mean, what a load of piffle. :roll:
 
To be fair, Russia is not the only country where the elite treats the citizens like mushrooms. Turkey and Iran come to mind in addition to places like China already named.

Trouble though is that if one could keep the light out all of the time and people had no natural limit to eating the BS they're fed, one wouldn't need a Ministry of Truth.

And said Ministry wouldn't need to fall back on trolls.
 
Rogue Valley said:
The revisionism permeates.....

Vladimir Putin says there was nothing wrong with Soviet Union's pact with Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany
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It's not Russia which engages in WW2 revisionism such that communism is equated with Nazism.

It's not Russia which has virtually expunged the memory of WW2 from history and collective remembrance.

It's not Russia which has engaged in xenophobic Russia hatred whilst simultaneously co-opting Germany into the club of so called 'civilised nations'.
 
Westphalian said:
It's not Russia which engages in WW2 revisionism such that communism is equated with Nazism.

It's not Russia which has virtually expunged the memory of WW2 from history and collective remembrance.

It's not Russia which has engaged in xenophobic Russia hatred whilst simultaneously co-opting Germany into the club of so called 'civilised nations'.
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But of course. We all know that Russia is blameless in everything. The paragon of virtue.
 
Westphalian said:
I can could certainly envisage the military crushing a similar revolt in the EU if it really threatened the pro US, pro EU orientation of the state.


Normally the political systems are designed to prevent outsiders gaining power with huge entry barriers. Failing that the leader is normally 'turned' or moderated in favour of the status quo. The really interesting question is what happens if both the above controls fail.

The answer to that question may be seen in the attempted military coup in Turkey in 2016.
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Have we seen a similar revolt in the EU?

And when did US forces invade Turkey? I must have missed it.

Oh, wait... This was nothing but a diversion from Russia/USSR invading their Communist ally for getting too uppity...
 
Westphalian said:
It's not Russia which engages in WW2 revisionism such that communism is equated with Nazism.

It's not Russia which has virtually expunged the memory of WW2 from history and collective remembrance.

It's not Russia which has engaged in xenophobic Russia hatred whilst simultaneously co-opting Germany into the club of so called 'civilised nations'.
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Russia has taken Xenophobia to a level only topped by Feudal Japan and perhaps some cults.

The dictionary has "See also Russia" under the headings for Paranoia and Xenophobia.
 
Rogue Valley said:
For Westphalian.....

Photos: 50 Years Since a Soviet Invasion Ended the Prague Spring

I know. He'll say they are Photoshopped. The typical Olgino response.
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Interesting photos Rogue ...... thanks for posting.


Some exaggeration is obvious in the narrative - photo 15 for example does not show 'thousands' of protestors.

As the US knows from its egregious errors in Iraq and Afghanistan, foreign invaders are rarely welcomed for long. Which of course explains why Crimea was not an invasion but a liberation - the approval of the Russian 'invasion' by the overwhelmingly Russian population tells a story all of its own.

I'm no apologist for the Soviet Union or Russia. Both made / make mistakes. The Soviets were too slow and inflexible to recognise that some political reform was to be welcomed. Prague 1968 should have been handled better.
 
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