I'm Back, and I'm Sorry for the Wait

It's been a crazy couple of months, but that's no excuse for my lack of blogging. I'm sorry.

As a special treat, however, you all will be first up to read an article that I wrote for my hometown newspaper on my recent trip to Russia!

When asked if I’d like to write up an article on my recent trip to Russia I had to jump at the chance. The ten day trek through Moscow and St. Petersburg was such a fascinating experience I was thrilled at the opportunity to share my adventures with everyone. When I first told my family and friends that I was going to Russia they all had the same question: “Why would you want to go there?”. The answer to this question is threefold: 1) As a government major in college, and a doctoral student of political communication Russia is prime study ground. 2) I had a friend from college who had been teaching and living in Moscow for about three years who could translate and guide me. 3) Why not?

Of course, like most Americans traveling to Russia, I had no idea what to expect. Many of us are still recovering from the communist paranoia from the Red Scare of our past, and even today Russians are all too often cast as the villains in our films. The Communist USSR hasn’t even been gone 20 years, and its political footprint is still in America’s history, memory, and imagination. I landed in Moscow the morning of May 1, 2008, and I flew out the 10th; I could not have picked a better time to experience Russian cultural, political, or military pride. May 9th is Victory day in Russia, and the whole time I was there the country was buzzing preparing for the inauguration of a new President, Prime Minister, and for Victory Day. While I was there I got to visit with a close friend; Veronica Armendariz went to Berry College with me, and she has been studying post-Soviet Russian politics in Moscow for the past few years. Considering our mutual interest in Soviet and Russian politics a lot of our trip was organized around the many military demonstrations, political party rallies, and political speeches that were scheduled for the week.

Victory Day is of course the celebration of the victory over the Nazis in WWII. (Think a celebration on the scale of Memorial Day and July 4th combined.) From an American perspective it can be easy to forget just how many Russians died in WWII (most estimates put the casualties at somewhere around 25 million Russians); not to mention the struggles of the Russian citizens on the Eastern Front, such as the siege of Leningrad (for you movie buffs, it’s the inspiration behind Enemy at the Gates, which is based on the book, War of the Rats). On V-Day each city celebrates its WWII veterans, most of which decked out in their old uniforms, and everyone remembers those who died during the war. This Veterans Day was also celebrated with the largest showing of military force since the fall of the Soviet Union. Veronica and I got to watch as tanks, missiles, and troops were paraded through Red Square in Moscow just as they were 20 years ago. We had a particularly surreal moment in St. Petersburg as we watched troops parade on the Winter Palace Square in preparation for the V-Day celebrations. Watching the formations one couldn’t help but parallel them to the old photos and footage of soviet troops from years ago. We were disappointed to hear that the inauguration ceremonies and celebrations were to be closed to the public. We did, however, watch Medvedev’s first speech as President on television. This was a historic moment for Russia, and for her people… it was an honor to get to experience it all in person.

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I definitely remain amazed at the Soviet propaganda that remains throughout the cities, but Moscow in particular. The hammer and sickle, wheat bundles, as well as the red star, are prominent fixtures and themes on buildings, in the metro tunnels, and as decorations on a variety of public monuments, bridges, and artifacts. The years under communism are still a source of pride for many, especially older, Russians. The fall has been particularly hard on the generation that we refer to as the baby boomers here in the US. This older Russian generation grew up in an all inclusive welfare system where the government provided everything. No one had a lot, but everyone had something. After the fall this all inclusive support system dissolved seemingly overnight leaving a ruined economy and a smaller social welfare program than we have here in the States. Incredibly many Russians adjusted well enough to the new system to get by, some well enough to start emerging as a middle class. One point of interest- Capitalism as a economic system is steadily being embraced across the country, however, the political system has, in the past few years, been centralizing political power under Putin which seems to be reflective of late soviet corruption and authoritarianism. Shockingly, however, there does not seem to be a public outcry. Although some criticism can be found in newspapers, and from ever dwindling opposition parties, most of the populace seems indifferent at best. Putin is a very popular political figure among most Russians, and the economic stability and monetary gains, as well as the reemergence of Russia as an international super-power, seem to pacify any unrest from lost political freedoms.

While I was there we also got to explore some the more famous and infamous landmarks of the two cities. In Moscow we of course explored the Kremlin, Red Square, St. Basil’s Cathedral, the buildings that held the KGB, the Church of Christ the Savior, and the All Russia Exhibition Center. The Exhibition Center was an incredible collection of buildings, fountains and monuments celebrating communism and various achievements of the USSR. We witnessed the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and I was able to tour a variety of Eastern Orthodox Cathedrals, all of which were breathtakingly beautiful. Moscow was nice, but St. Petersburg was built to be admired and stunning. Founded by Peter the Great, St. Petersburg became the residence of the czars and royalty of Russia. It is home to some of the more recognizable Russian landmarks such as the Winter Palace, now known as the Hermitage Museum, The Church of the Spilt Blood, the Bronze Horseman, The Peter and Paul Fortress, the Kazan Cathedral, the Aurora battleship, the Yusopov Palace (where Rasputin was poisoned, stabbed, shot, and drowned), St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the northernmost Mosque in the world, and it holds the distinction as the home of the Communist Revolution. While we were in St. Petersburg we were able to catch Swan Lake at the Hermitage Theater. To see a Russian ballet in Catherine the Great’s private theater was incredible! St. Petersburg is built on a collection of islands, thus it has canals throughout the city with Palaces built on what seems like every corner. Hundreds of years of royalty, admiralty, and aristocracy built palace after palace. During the revolution most were torched, gutted, and the shells of the grand estates were used to store grain and industrial goods. The Russian government has gone to great lengths in recent years to restore these architectural and historical wonders to their former glory and the effort is certainly not wasted on the millions that flock here during the summer to tour and take pictures.

Overall Veronica and I had an incredible trip, and the people, places, and cities that we discovered while we were there made an impression that will last a lifetime. I left Russia with a new respect for the determination of the Russian people, as well as for the love and pride that they have in their country and its history. As with most travel opportunities it is wonderful to meet the countries and people behind the stereotypes. Just as Georgia is more than peaches and Atlanta, Russia is more than Vodka, communists, and Matryoshka nesting dolls… it’s an impressive, beautiful, and strongly patriotic culture that I look forward to visiting again.