Paul
Goble
Staunton, April 29 – Vladimir Putin
wants to convince Russians that they have always lived under despotism and that
therefore they should accept his latest version as entirely consistent with
Russian tradition, Dmitry Milin says. But in fact, Putin’s claims are not true.
Russia has an ancient democratic tradition and it needs to remember it in order
to revive it.
That tradition rests in the Republic
of Novgorod the Great, the Russian commentator says. It is republican and
democratic and its existed for hundreds of years until Muscovy conquered and
suppressed it, something the supporters of despotism now would like to “white
out” of the history of the country (kasparov.ru/material.php?id=5CC6963749B83).
Indeed, Milin continues, “anyone who
speaks about ‘the eternal slavery of the Russians’ is playing into the hands of
despotism and Putin.” Those who support democracy and a republic form of
government must remind everyone that “the history of Rus (both Muscovite and
Kievan) is not only the history of despotism and monarchy.”
It also includes “the history of the
greatest trade and manufacturing republic which existed 342 years while
surrounded by stronger despotisms.”
Those who want to keep democracy in Russia suppressed want everyone to
forget about that part of the nation’s history and celebrate only the despots
like Putin.
“Our duty,” Milin says, “is to
oppose that.”
“Genuine Russian traditions are the
traditions of the democracy of the veche,
and NOT of despotism. Do not forget about this however difficult it sometimes
seems to be.” If one forgets this for even a minute, he suggests, one is
unwittingly helping those who insist that “’Russians need a tsar’ or a supreme
leader or a dictator.”
In fact, in Russian history and
Russia today, there are many people committed to freedom and equal treatment of
all peoples; and they do not need to survive “any tsar, supreme leader,
dictator or a president with dictatorial authority.”
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