Russians are driven by fear: says the German writer T. Franke
The achievement of the Putin era in Russia is widespread fear - a product of authoritarianism, says Thomas Franke, a writer from Germany, who has lived in Moscow for several years. In his opinion, Russians who have strong historical memory, they again live under authoritarianism and again fear reprisals, and therefore are “cautious” in their statements on political topics.
People in Russia are drawn back to private communication, says Thomas Franke. He told about this in his book “Russian Fear”. In it, he describes how the country has changed in recent years. Fear has become a new topic in Russia, journalist Frederic Rother notes on the site "Deutschlandfunk", the author of the review of the book Franke.
Kitchens - these are the places in Russia where you can talk “in private”. Here sit acquaintances, friends, families, you can talk openly with each other. That was the case in the Soviet Union, and this is often the case in Russia today.
Franke is sure: fear has returned to Russia. The return of fear is the main theme of his new book. The author shows how Russian society has changed in recent years. It was saturated with “nationalism and authoritarianism”, which appeared because of “new guidelines in politics”. In the third term of Vladimir Putin’s rule, the West was appointed by the enemy, and people, as before, followed the “old Soviet defensive reflexes”.
According to the German writer, the Russians began to be “cautious” and “return to the kitchen” when it comes to political issues. People are not for Putin at all, but they believe that they cannot change anything. People in Russia are experiencing "a certain disappointment."
Franke is familiar with Russia firsthand: he has known this country as a journalist and publicist since the early nineties of the last century. He lives in Moscow for the past five years. His observations began with mass protests in 2011-2012, when tens of thousands of citizens took to the streets protesting against election fraud and the election of Putin.
Franke is not familiar with Moscow alone, he was also “in the former Stalingrad”. He visited the places where the "Cossacks" live, who, according to them, are "in the service of the Russian people." He "molested on the streets" to traders from Central Asia. Finally, he was interested in the fate of gay activists, as well as the activities of those who are eager to "liberate" Russia "from foreign influence." Regarding the latter, he writes with irony: “This is a new mantra: all problems are caused by external enemies ...”
“Russian fear,” the writer believes, clearly shows that the country has experienced major political and social changes since 2012. Little remained of the former optimism of citizens. Society in Russia is "polarized." Fear returning to the country will hardly go away in the coming years.
Franke would like to be an optimist in this matter, but, by his own admission, he cannot be.
Among the topics raised in the book of Herr Franck, we add, there is also a mandatory "annexation of the Crimea", "escalation in eastern Ukraine", which arose "because of Russia", and, of course, "cyber attack" and "interference with elections". All these events are associated with the German Putin's rule. It is in these events that Franke discovers the essence of political change. Apparently, he does not believe that someone else could be elected in 2018 in Russia, not Putin. And in his pessimistic unbelief, the publicist relies on the opinion of "afraid" Russians.
The bricks displayed: Angst ("fear" in German). Photo: dpa picture alliance / Wolfram Steinberg
People in Russia are drawn back to private communication, says Thomas Franke. He told about this in his book “Russian Fear”. In it, he describes how the country has changed in recent years. Fear has become a new topic in Russia, journalist Frederic Rother notes on the site "Deutschlandfunk", the author of the review of the book Franke.
Kitchens - these are the places in Russia where you can talk “in private”. Here sit acquaintances, friends, families, you can talk openly with each other. That was the case in the Soviet Union, and this is often the case in Russia today.
Franke is sure: fear has returned to Russia. The return of fear is the main theme of his new book. The author shows how Russian society has changed in recent years. It was saturated with “nationalism and authoritarianism”, which appeared because of “new guidelines in politics”. In the third term of Vladimir Putin’s rule, the West was appointed by the enemy, and people, as before, followed the “old Soviet defensive reflexes”.
According to the German writer, the Russians began to be “cautious” and “return to the kitchen” when it comes to political issues. People are not for Putin at all, but they believe that they cannot change anything. People in Russia are experiencing "a certain disappointment."
Franke is familiar with Russia firsthand: he has known this country as a journalist and publicist since the early nineties of the last century. He lives in Moscow for the past five years. His observations began with mass protests in 2011-2012, when tens of thousands of citizens took to the streets protesting against election fraud and the election of Putin.
Franke is not familiar with Moscow alone, he was also “in the former Stalingrad”. He visited the places where the "Cossacks" live, who, according to them, are "in the service of the Russian people." He "molested on the streets" to traders from Central Asia. Finally, he was interested in the fate of gay activists, as well as the activities of those who are eager to "liberate" Russia "from foreign influence." Regarding the latter, he writes with irony: “This is a new mantra: all problems are caused by external enemies ...”
“Russian fear,” the writer believes, clearly shows that the country has experienced major political and social changes since 2012. Little remained of the former optimism of citizens. Society in Russia is "polarized." Fear returning to the country will hardly go away in the coming years.
Franke would like to be an optimist in this matter, but, by his own admission, he cannot be.
Among the topics raised in the book of Herr Franck, we add, there is also a mandatory "annexation of the Crimea", "escalation in eastern Ukraine", which arose "because of Russia", and, of course, "cyber attack" and "interference with elections". All these events are associated with the German Putin's rule. It is in these events that Franke discovers the essence of political change. Apparently, he does not believe that someone else could be elected in 2018 in Russia, not Putin. And in his pessimistic unbelief, the publicist relies on the opinion of "afraid" Russians.
Observed and commented on Oleg Chuvakin
- especially for topwar.ru
- especially for topwar.ru
Information