Головна

Introductory Text 1

"The World Behind the Mirror"

"We know too little about the laws of history."

- Andrei Sakharov

 The XXth century has closed as it began, with revolution in Russia, the great landmass where Europe, Asia, and the Middle East converge. Revolution first exploded in Russia in 1905 after Japan stunned the Russian empire by sinking its fleet at the Battle of Tsushima. This upheaval was called the Great Rehearsal by Lenin; it did not succeed, but set the stage. In 1917, in the midst of war, revolution broke out again, this time toppling the tsarist autocracy. The Bolsheviks soon captured the revolution, and the Russians were forced to reject democracy and a market economy. For the next seven decades, the Russians subjected themselves and the rest of the world to a massive experiment in totalitarian dictatorship and central planning.In the 1990s, the Russians have returned to the same fateful crossroads at which they stood more than seven decades ago. The choice that Russia made in 1917 did much to define the conflicts and the very character of the 20th century. The collapse of communism stands as the most important development for the entire world at the end of the century. The choices Russia makes now about its future will be one of the major forces shaping the 21st century.Russia does not have a free hand in making its choices. It must somehow extricate itself from the powerful grip of the Soviet past. Unlike Japan and Germany in the late 1940s, the former Soviet Union is not a defeated country. Defeat in war sometimes enables people to bury the past and start anew. But that option is not open to the Russians, or to most of their former subjects. The past is still very much in place.Yet, truly, there is no going back. The core of the Soviet system has been obliterated. The Communist ideology and its center of power, the apparatus of the Communist Party, have been destroyed. Above all, what has collapsed is the Communist ideal itself. Even though its utopianism turned out to be a cloak for a brutal system of power, this ideal has not yet been replaced by another strong ideal that commands broad allegiance. That new ideal could well prove to be nationalism, which can manifest itself in many different forms. A battle over the soul and character of Russian nationalism has already begun. Will the result be a constructive, unifying principle that brings the past and the future into alignment and provides a foundation for a democratic political order, or will it become the tool of extremists filled with anger and resentment and hungry for authoritarianism? In such circumstances, Russia faces an immense agenda, trying simultaneously to make three very difficult transitions. The first is from dictatorship to democracy. The second is from a command economy, which was run by planners at the center, and in which money did not really count, to a free market. And the third is from a four-century-old empire to a nation-state.The possibilities before Russia are very broad. Internationally, Russia might well reemerge as a Great Power, a partner in a more peaceful world. And this is a unique time of opportunity, both for Russia and for the rest of the world! landmass - величезна частина сушіto converge -сходитися (про лініях, дорогах і т. п.) to stun - оглушати, приголомшуватиupheaval - переворотto topple - зд. повалитиautocracy -[O: 'tokr ...] -самодержавіе, автократіяto capture - зд. очолювати, взяти ініціативу на себеfateful - фатальний; важливий, доленоснийcollapse - крах, падінняto extricate - вивільнити (ся), виплутати (ся)grip - (Мертва) хваткаbe obliterated - бути викресленим, бути відданим забуттюto turn out to be - опинятисяcloak - маска, личинаbrutal - жорстокийallegiance - вірність, відданість; лояльністьto manifest - ясно показувати; робити очевиднимthat brings ... into alignment - який вирівняє, призведе до згодиresentment - образаcircumstance - обставинаsimultaneously - одночасноto reemerge - знову з'явитисяtransition - перехід; перехідний період

 Участь спеціаліста, перекладача, понятих у проведенні слідчих дій. |  Panacea for Society


 FOR YOU TO KNOW |  Text 3. History of Russia / Soviet Union |  LAND AND PEOPLE |  RESOURCES AND ECONOMY |  Russia - A Market-Oriented Economy |  Federal Assembly - Федеральних Зборів |  OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION |  Russia's Foreign Policy |  By the world created - by its beauty preserved. |  NAMED AFTER SAINT PETER |

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