Soviet History as Source of Russian Pride

History says that the USSR died back in 1991.  People are supposed to be so fed up with the economic stagnation, the political inefficiency, and low standard of living compared to the West that no one really misses it.  Only strongman and revisionists like Putin would say something ridiculous like how the fall of the USSR was a great misfortune and the great Russian revival requires reinstating some parts of the USSR.  To Western observers, the USSR represented a failed system that simply proved itself to be uncompetitive over course of history. 

But looking at the exhibits of the local history museums provide a different picture of how the USSR is remembered, at least among the curators of the museums.  Remember that Vladivostok is one of the great power bases of the USSR.  As a closed city it hosted the Soviet Pacific Fleet, the primary instrument of power projection for the superpower on this side of the world.  And with an illustrious history of defeating the Japanese at the end of World War II, and playing an important role in the Cold War, the city is quite proud of its outsized role.

As the USSR is replaced with the Russian Federation, that history of USSR's military prowess is supposed to be underplayed.  Russia's newfound openness and great dependence on economic dynamism of Asian neighbors to power development of its Far East region means that talks of how it used to threaten those same countries with a massive fleet based in the city is no longer appropriate.  Instead of talking about how the city used to threaten a whole region, it would be much more diplomatic to speak about a history of Regional cooperation dating back centuries. 

Yet, examining the city's main museums, evidently celebration of Soviet power remains very much potent.  Museum after museum display artefacts of Soviet military history, proudly mentioning its powerful ships, heroic leaders, and victorious battles.  While Asian neighbors are somewhat downplayed in the exhibits while Nazi Germany is cast as the primary enemy, Asians are definitely still present, illustrated as enemies of Soviet power as it tries to maintain territorial integrity of its massive landmass. 

Added to such exhibits of military history are exhibits on Lenin and other political leaders of the USSR (sans Stalin, it seems.  He is just too controversial to still be portrayed in a positive light even for admirers of the USSR today).  Lenin is unabashedly portrayed as a decisive leader beloved by common Russian people as well as those of other countries.  Plenty of busts, books, paintings, and gifts from around the world help cement the image of eternal popularity.  No efforts are visible to qualify the negative consequences of the popularity.

But to suspect that modern-day Russians still have strong ideological ties to the USSR is missing the point.  Given how recent the USSR died, plenty of people still remember the economic shortages and mismanagement under the Soviet regime that made everyday lives difficult.  For many, the availability of new opportunities to make better living under the capitalist system, however imperfect it may be in the Russian iteration, have made it difficult to unwavering support the USSR as a viable model for modern nation-building.

However, at the same time, it is difficult to simply dismiss the USSR as a dark blot on Russian history.  After all, the USSR was a superpower, feared and respected across the world in most of its existence as a country to be reckoned with.  Its ability to influence global affairs at a comprehensive scale is plainly unattainable by Russia of today.  As a result of the power, the USSR and its people achieve the kind of global recognition that Russians of today aspire to but cannot realistically acquire.  Putin's efforts at revival is about reviving the national Prestige under the USSR, so missing in Russia today.

And because the Soviets had that Prestige, people are proud of it.  And because they are still proud of it, they want to keep the memories of the USSR alive, not as an Economic basket case, but as a global political power.  Russians understand that the apex of Russian power came, in some ways, under the Soviet regime, and they, without explicitly saying so, are recognizing that fact through their remembrance.  And because there is such demand for remembering, museums are incentivized to continue displaying artifacts from the Soviet days. 

For non-Russians, Russians' continued pride toward achievements of the USSR should not be taken with suspicion.  Instead, it should viewed was cautious welcome.  Russians suffered severely during the 1990s, when their way of life and indeed entire country came crashing down, with economic collapse, corruption, and chaos grabbing headlines.  Russian pride suffered immensely during those days.  The fact that people can comfortably show respect toward the Soviet past to restore their own sense of pride as a people is a normal process for Russians and Russia to be seen as a normal country again.