VOA标准英语2009年-Russia Counters Criticism over World War I

By Anya Ardayeva
Moscow
17 September 2009

As the world marks the 70th anniversary this month of the start of World War II, there is a debate underway in Russia over the role the Soviet¹ Union played in the events leading up to the outbreak of the war. The Kremlin has created a presidential commission to examine and counteract² what it considers examples of "historical revisionism" that harm Russia's image. This has alarmed critics who view the move as a blatant³ throwback to Soviet methods of intellectual control.

 
Russian President Dmitri Medvedev (f) and Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (b)
Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met with the leaders of the countries that were Russia's enemies and allies during World War II .... at a gathering⁴ in Gdansk, Poland, September 1, to mark the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the war.

Despite the harmony at the ceremony, the way those countries view role of the Soviet Union in World War II is creating controversy⁵ in Russia today.

Some former Soviet Republics and Eastern European countries say the long years of Soviet domination was similar in nature to the Nazi⁶ occupation. For them, liberation arrived only when the USSR collapsed⁷.

In May, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev announced the creation of a special presidential commission to deal with what the Kremlin calls "attempts to falsify history." He also proposed legislation that would make such actions a crime, punishable by up to five years in prison.

Independent opposition⁸ politician Vladimir Ryzhkov says the initiative could lead to a ban on any criticism of the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. "I think the concrete task for this commission is to oppose those people in Russia and outside Russia who criticize Stalin and Stalinist Soviet Union for this strange period of war when Stalin was practically an ally of Nazi Germany," he said.

One point of disagreement is the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop pact⁹, signed by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany on the eve of war's outbreak. Under its secret provisions, Germany and the USSR agreed to divide up eastern Europe.

Russian historians recently published a book of declassified¹⁰ intelligence reports from that period in an effort to defend Stalin's role.

Alexander Dyukov is the director of the Historical Memory Foundation in Moscow - and the author of the book.

'It's impossible to separate Stalin from memories about World War II," Dyukov explains. "He's not the most pleasant figure but he can't be separated. And alongside his crimes, real crimes, he's also done a lot of things that our country is still based on, things that helped us in this war, saved our country and the nation."

Yet many Soviet archives are still classified, unavailable for students or teachers to study in history class. Teacher Elena Silkina says until all limitations are lifted, Russia - as well as the other former Soviet states and allies - will have a hard time coming to terms with the Soviet past.

"To accept, realize and pay for your mistakes, financially as well, is kind of a national heroic deed, not to hide anything," Silkina says. "It is clear that we have not processed the Stalin era - as well as the Soviet-era epoch¹¹ and the 1917 Revolution, because not all archives are accessible, not all documents, and it all is still alive and painful."

Russia has also taken issue with the July resolution by the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe, which said the countries of Europe suffered under two major totalitarian regimes during the 20th century - Nazism¹² and Stalinism.

There are numerous objections, Alexander Dyukov.

"The OSCE's resolution contains a call for all participating countries to refrain from holding events that are aimed at glorifying¹³ Stalin's regime. What does this mean for Russia? This resolution is demanding a ban on holding the Victory Parade. This resolution means a ban on our memory, the memory of our victory in the war, victory over Nazism. And of course Russia will never agree to that," said Dyukov.

Vladimir Ryzhkov says Russia's inability to simply renounce¹⁴ Soviet crimes and turn a fresh page is bound up with its self-image as a superpower, which was a key outcome of the Soviet victory over Germany.

"It's not only about history, it's about [the] current days of Russia and it's an attempt to legitimize the current authoritarian¹⁵ regime as the only choice and the only way for Russia to be strong and to be efficient and to be respected in the world," he said.

On May 9 this year, just like every year since the end of World War II, a grand Victory Day parade took place on Red Square - including tanks, flyovers¹⁶ by fighter jets, and nuclear missiles. It was meant both to commemorate¹⁷ Russia's victory over Nazi Germany - and to demonstrate Moscow's military might in the 21st century. Next year's parade, on the 65th anniversary of victory, is likely to be even bigger.

 

1 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

2 counteract   

vt.对…起反作用，对抗，抵消

参考例句：

• The doctor gave him some medicine to counteract the effect of the poison.医生给他些药解毒。
• Our work calls for mutual support.We shouldn't counteract each other's efforts.工作要互相支持，不要互相拆台。

3 blatant   

adj.厚颜无耻的；显眼的；炫耀的

参考例句：

• I cannot believe that so blatant a comedy can hoodwink anybody.我无法相信这么显眼的一出喜剧能够欺骗谁。
• His treatment of his secretary was a blatant example of managerial arrogance.他管理的傲慢作风在他对待秘书的态度上表露无遗。

4 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

5 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

6 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

7 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

8 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

9 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

10 declassified   

adj.解密的v.对（机密文件等）销密( declassify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Thousands of classified documents have now been declassified. 数以千计的保密文件现在被解密了。
• The software used for Siemens S7-300 encryption logic block declassified. 此软件用于对西门子S7-300加密逻辑块解密。

11 epoch   

n.(新)时代；历元

参考例句：

• The epoch of revolution creates great figures.革命时代造就伟大的人物。
• We're at the end of the historical epoch,and at the dawn of another.我们正处在一个历史时代的末期，另一个历史时代的开端。

12 Nazism   

n. 纳粹主义

参考例句：

• His philosophical eyes were obviously shortsighted by the evil influence of Nazism. 显然，他那双哲学家般的深邃的眼睛也被纳粹的妖氛所眩惑。 来自中国文学部分
• Nazism suppressed all three movements as degenerate. 纳粹把所有三个运动都作为颓废艺术而加以镇压。

13 glorifying   

赞美( glorify的现在分词 )； 颂扬； 美化； 使光荣

参考例句：

• I had no intention of either glorifying or belittling Christianity, merely the desire to understand it. 我并没有赞扬基督教或蔑视它的立意，我所想的只是了解它。
• You are glorifying a rather mediocre building. 你正在美化一栋普普通通的建筑。

14 renounce   

v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系

参考例句：

• She decided to renounce the world and enter a convent.她决定弃绝尘世去当修女。
• It was painful for him to renounce his son.宣布与儿子脱离关系对他来说是很痛苦的。

15 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

16 flyovers   

n.立交桥，高架公路( flyover的名词复数 )；（单机或编队）低空飞行

参考例句：

• Flyovers have changed the face of the city. 立交桥改变了城市的面貌。 来自辞典例句
• To a limited extent one can compare Beijing to Delhi. Wide roads, flyovers andand formal atmosphere. 在某种程度上，可以把北京与德里做个比较：宽阔的马路、立交桥、城市氛围等。 来自互联网

17 commemorate   

vt.纪念，庆祝

参考例句：

• This building was built to commemorate the Fire of London.这栋大楼是为纪念“伦敦大火”而兴建的。
• We commemorate the founding of our nation with a public holiday.我们放假一日以庆祝国庆。