Ivan the Great and Peter the Terrible or Peter tne Great and Ivan the Terrible

Reading through some scholarly book reviews in the American Historical review and Russian Review, when I came comments on a recent book by Kevin Platt, Terror & Greatness: Ivan and Peter as Russian Myths. From what I could gather, and I don't intend reading the entire book, the argument was about how Ivan has evolved through Russian history as "the terrible" while Peter has come through as "the Great" even though both expanded the territory of Russia, both killed their sons, both came up with alternative internal regimes, both spent a lot of money, and so forth.
You can look at Russian intellectual developments, really since the reign of Aleksandr I, and trace how the outlook towards these two tsars evolved through to the Soviet Union (I think that the book ends with the films by Sergei Eisenstein), and I am guessing that one is trying to explain why Peter is positive (the great) while Ivan is negative (the terrible).
It is kind of interesting, but first you should remember that there already was an Ivan the Great (Ivan number 3). So you really can't have two Ivan the Greats; much too confusing.  You should also realize that I avoided the course on medieval Russian history when I was in grad school--too much Church Slavonic--so I am not as familiar with the reign of Ivan IV.
Second, you will also recall that Pushkin, Russia's poetic soul, did not have an altogether positive outlook on the achievements of Peter.  He was far more ambiguous in assessing Peter's legacy.
Third, it would be interesting to apply some modern technology tools, such as content modeling, to examine attitudes towards these two rulers in contemporary Russia.

What's New in Russian history

Just finished browsing through my new issue of Slavic Review (summer 2012).  It is amazing how very little of academic writing I bother to read any more.  Of the issues articles, I glanced at"Swarm Life and the Biology of War and Peace."  Really, did we need to read that?  Then there are the pages of reviews of the newest books in the profession.  Does anyone really buy books like:  Last Judgment Iconography in the Carpathians?  Is there really something new and important to be told in The Socialist Alternative to Bolshevism:  The Socialist Revolutionary Party, 1921-1939?  It is not hard to understand the challenges faced by the academic publishing industry these days.  Most of this should just be in eformat.

Russia defends weapons sales to Syria, says U.S. arming rebels

Reuters.  Evidence that Putin's leadership is still struggling with trying to understand the realities of a new world out there.  There is no zero-sum game anymore.

More Protests in Russia June 2012

There were again large protests in Russia directed against the authoritarian regime of Vladimir Putin.  It is tough to make out what exactly direction Russia will be taking with respect to liberalizing the political regime in the years ahead.  Seems as if the oil economy boomlet is still providing enough in the way of money to fuel a middle class upgrade in living standards, and there is definite signs of improved living conditions for a lot of people in Moscow and St. Petersburg (that is debatable elsewhere in Russia).  There is also entrenched corruption at all levels of the regime to provide enough coercive force to keep things in order, and much of that force is now in the hands of pretty professional people. Change will not come easily in Russia.

Protests Continue in Russia

President Putin continues to suppress protests in Russia (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2018224752_russia17.html), no matter how minor.  Former chess champion continues to try and lead an opposition.  It is not clear where this is heading.  Putin is firmly in control and has now been in a position of power long enough to have been able to establish a new class (these is past significance to that phrase) that has also been brought into the power structure.

What Happens Next in Russia?

See Jeff Tayler's article in The Atlantic, Russia's Protest Movement: Big, Angry, and Preparing for the Worst. Not sure what to make of this or the earlier demonstrations in December, but given the previous prevention of such outbursts by the Putin-Medvedev governments, one can only wonder what is up.  The elections this spring will certainly be interesting, but don't expect the unexpected.


Having just celebrated, in our own modest way, Russian Christmas, I found this article very interesting, Over 2 million Russians visit churches on Christmas.

Krokodil and Drug use in Russia

Shaun Walker, Krokodil:  The Drug That Eats Junkies
I will have to do some more research on drug use around the world when I get a chance to put this in proper perspective.

Nicholas Riasanovsky in memoriam

Professor Nicholas Riasanovsky (1923-2011), long time professor of Russian history at the University of California, Berekey, died earlier this year--yes, I agree, that sometimes it takes news a long time to reach me.  He was one of the key figures in the development of Russian history studies in the US, as his graduate students filled positions everywhere in American universities, and everyone used his popular History of Russia, now in its eighth or ninth edition.  Here is the link to the New York Times obituary and one from UC Berkely.  I met him once in the 1980s when he visited the University of Virginia.  I do not recall really speaking with him at all; what I do recall was that he was a passionate sports fan and insisted that he attend a UVa soccer game while he was there.  He later wrote up some notes for me about how he got interested in Russian history as a field of study.

The Return of Putin

There are headlines everywhere about the decision of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Russian President Dmitrii Medvedev to flip-flop positions.  That means that Putin would again become president, and then Medvedev would become prime minister when their current terms are up.  See for example,
Putin to Run for Presidency in 2012.  There is also a lot commentary, for example, Analysts' View:  Putin to Return to the Kremlin.  Again, this is not really surprising, since Putin is the real force in Russian politics, and he is going to stay the main force; whatever formal political position he holds.  It is also clear that there is currently no one who has any sort of mandate to challenge him--that person would also have to be especially brave.  This also means that Russia, much like the US, is kind of stuck in a holding pattern--although for different reasons that what is happening in the US--and that critical socio-economic challenges to both societies are not going to be resolved in the upcoming next few years.

Russia, Exxon and the Arctic

The NPR headline reads
Exxon In Multibillion-Dollar Russian Arctic Deal.  I wonder if Exxon studied the experiences that Shell had in working with the Russians on the huge Sakhalin Island project.