Is Russia doomed to dictatorship?
Saturday 28. September at 19:00 - 22:00
Zuiderkerk • Zuiderkerkhof 72, 1011 WB Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Tamara Natanovna Eidelman, a historian, lecturer, writer, teacher, and author of a popular YouTube channel with an audience of over 1.5 million subscribers, will give a historical lecture titled "Is Russia Doomed to Dictatorship?" on September 28 at 7:00 PM in Amsterdam.
In this lecture, Tamara Eidelman will explore pressing issues regarding freedom and dictatorship in Russia. Recently, there have been frequent opinions suggesting that Russia has never experienced freedom and that Russian people are historically, and sometimes even biologically, inclined toward slavery or cruelty. From this, it is concluded that Russia will always have a dictatorship, and the people will accept it. Such claims are made by politicians and journalists, discussed on social media, and talked about on YouTube.
Tamara Natanovna will not claim that a democratic regime will be established in Russia in the coming years or that the current government is on the verge of collapse. Instead, she proposes to look at the accusations leveled against Russian history and attempt to understand them.
As far back as the 19th century, historians and philosophers—some with horror, others with satisfaction—emphasized that Russia's entire historical path led to autocracy. "Orthodoxy, autocracy, nationality" was the foundation of Russian life according to Count Uvarov, the Minister of Public Education. Orthodoxy, the Tatar-Mongol yoke, serfdom, and autocracy are what deprive Russia of both the present and the future, thought Chaadayev. Essentially the same statement, just with different evaluations.
Can centuries of history be considered definitive for our present? Did Ivan the Terrible really give rise to Stalin and Putin? Did today's reverence for the leader grow out of the relationships between Russian princes and the Horde?
However, Russian history can be viewed differently. It can be seen not only as a story of oppression and humiliation but also one of freedom, active citizens, and independent thinking. Yet again, the question arises: can the electoral institutions of the 17th century or the traditions of Russian entrepreneurship influence our lives today and ensure the creation of a happy future for Russia?
Perhaps the sources of our troubles and the foundations of our hope should be sought in more recent times—in the tragedies of the 20th century, in our own values, in functioning or non-functioning institutions. Then it may turn out that it is worth making another attempt.
The lecture will be held in Russian. After the lecture, attendees will have the opportunity to ask Tamara Natanovna questions, take photos with her, and get her book signed.
The lecture will take place on September 26 at 7:00 PM at the Tamara Natanovna Eidelman, a historian, lecturer, writer, teacher, and author of a popular YouTube channel with an audience of over 1.5 million subscribers, will give a historical lecture titled "Is Russia Doomed to Dictatorship?" on October 21 at 7:00 PM in Tel Aviv.
In this lecture, Tamara Eidelman will explore pressing issues regarding freedom and dictatorship in Russia. Recently, there have been frequent opinions suggesting that Russia has never experienced freedom and that Russian people are historically, and sometimes even biologically, inclined toward slavery or cruelty. From this, it is concluded that Russia will always have a dictatorship, and the people will accept it. Such claims are made by politicians and journalists, discussed on social media, and talked about on YouTube.
Tamara Natanovna will not claim that a democratic regime will be established in Russia in the coming years or that the current government is on the verge of collapse. Instead, she proposes to look at the accusations leveled against Russian history and attempt to understand them.
As far back as the 19th century, historians and philosophers—some with horror, others with satisfaction—emphasized that Russia's entire historical path led to autocracy. "Orthodoxy, autocracy, nationality" was the foundation of Russian life according to Count Uvarov, the Minister of Public Education. Orthodoxy, the Tatar-Mongol yoke, serfdom, and autocracy are what deprive Russia of both the present and the future, thought Chaadayev. Essentially the same statement, just with different evaluations.
Can centuries of history be considered definitive for our present? Did Ivan the Terrible really give rise to Stalin and Putin? Did today's reverence for the leader grow out of the relationships between Russian princes and the Horde?
However, Russian history can be viewed differently. It can be seen not only as a story of oppression and humiliation but also one of freedom, active citizens, and independent thinking. Yet again, the question arises: can the electoral institutions of the 17th century or the traditions of Russian entrepreneurship influence our lives today and ensure the creation of a happy future for Russia?
Perhaps the sources of our troubles and the foundations of our hope should be sought in more recent times—in the tragedies of the 20th century, in our own values, in functioning or non-functioning institutions. Then it may turn out that it is worth making another attempt.
The lecture will be held in Russian. After the lecture, attendees will have the opportunity to ask Tamara Natanovna questions, take photos with her, and get her book signed.
The lecture will take place on September 28 at 7:00 PM at Zuiderkerkhof 72, 1011 WB Amsterdam, Nederland
The doors will open at 6:30 PM.
Zuiderkerkhof 72, 1011 WB Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
