Yegor Gaidar is dead … this was a schocking news. I was just planning to participate in his foundation conference in January and now such news. The health of Gaidar was after 2006 attempt to poison him of-cource not good, but his death was not expected. Gaidar was a man, who had enough courage to take in the first years of freedom decisive decisions to move Russia to the road of market economy. He knew that these steps are unpopular, but he was ready to pay the price. He was not politician, he was statesmen. To be the first is always difficult – all of us can do mistakes in this situation. But even from mistakes the next reformers could learn, when You are having no strength to pass decisions, it is even nothing to learn. Gaidar’s reforms had been clearly more succesful, when he had been not changed from his Prime Minister position on the decisive moment of reforms. This was not so much Russia’s decision, but advice from Western “friends” as from Strobe Talbott, declaring that “Russia needs more therapy and less schock”. Such of advice did not let Russia to pass J-curve of reforms and start develop normally. Unfortunately afterwards only Gaidar was blamed and nailed for the problems. Yegor Gaidar was a good friend and a brave man – he deserves all credit for this.
In my last writing, there was mention on study, made in Russia on history textbooks of neigbouring countries. As it had not opened correctly, I put this here again: http://www.nlvp.ru/reports/doclad_hist_02_light.pdf I suggest also to turn attention there on poll, made in all former Soviet republics on attitudes on historical events and heroes. It is clearly seen, that at least four countries – Georgia, Lithuania, Latvia and specially clearly Estonia had made so clear cut with the old Soviet mythology and also with the new myths , that even the authors of study must confess it. For Estonians not only Stalin but also Lenin are clearly negative figures, collectivization was a crime, MRP was criminal act and there was actually nothing good also in the former czarist empire. Good is also this, that the Russian official history theories are not working perfectly even in Russia – 38% of pupils against 34% by example still thinks that Stalin was negative, not positive figure in the Russian history. But even so is clear that the World and Russia must get more information about the crimes on communism. That is a work what is more and more developing in the World, just look on www.communistcrimes.org
Sorry, I am been duringlast year busy with Estonian economic crises, how to get out of this by cutting the budget. Next week this work looks positively to end and I can return more to my other hobbies – including blooging. But soon now I want to turn attention to one very interesting report – of course for these people who read Russian – where Russian current administration is attacking the history text books of its neighbouring countries, blaming them too be “anti-Russian”. In real meaning it mostly means that they just like too much like Germans – as Estonians are blamed that they did not liked to be swallowed by Russia soon in XIII century – or Swedes, because Estonians think, that the Swedish rule in XVII century, when the peasants got first time some freedoms from the Swedish kings, was better as Russian rule afterwards, when all these rights were taken from them. The reports of such kind are very illuminative on the thinking of current Russian rulers, encouraging is, that by the report, quite big part of Russians themselves are not believing the official version of history, presented by the Russian new official textbooks. This is of course sign of hope.