New Russian history textbook includes war in Ukraine, foretells Russia’s victory against the ‘united West’

MOSCOW: A new history textbook making its way into Russian high schools will address the country’s invasion of Ukraine for the first time. 

The syllabus, updated to reflect what has happened since Moscow sent its military on the offensive, tells students that Russia’s cause is just and that there will be victory against the “united West”.

It also draws parallels between the war in Ukraine and the historic fight against Nazi Germany.

While it does not contain references, the new resource has many conclusions about how this conflict is going to end.

CONCERNS THAT STUDENTS ARE OFFERED PROPAGANDA

However, there are concerns that young Russians are being offered propaganda instead of an education, especially after lessons with military themes were added to the curriculum last year.

The focus on the glory of the armed forces in some lessons, as well as presenting only the state’s version of history, is making some parents and teachers feel uneasy. 

Teacher Tatiana Chervenko, for instance, had tried to distinguish between what she felt was militarism from patriotism in her classes. 

“Real patriotism is the desire to make things better in your country,” she said. 

“One can make wonderful projects to improve the world around (us). That would be a great application and experience of real patriotism.”

Ms Chervenko had hoped to teach children about doing great deeds without implying the need for military service. 

“I changed the materials,” she said. “If the topic was ‘the Heroes of Russia’, where only military heroes were introduced, for instance, of the Chechen war... I replaced them with peaceful heroes – those who were surgeons, rescue workers.”

However, Ms Chervenko said she was sacked after doing so. A court upheld her dismissal last year.

RUSSIA’S VERSION OF HISTORY

Russia’s Education Ministry has said it hopes to inspire pride amongst the next generation of Russians, and introduce them to the country’s cultural heritage.

Russian historian Ivan Kurilla said it is tradition for history textbooks, from the Russian Empire to the Soviet Union, to emphasise the role of the state as the main source of reform and improvement of society.

“The state understands history as them telling you how it all happened, and they only want to have one version of history,” said Dr Kurilla, professor of history and international relations at the European University at St Petersburg.

“They want the students to understand that everything happening now was inevitable, that it's the only possible result of history. But historians understand that there are multiple ways to see the past.”

History in Russia is controversial, divisive and interpreted in vastly different ways, said observers. 

Dr Kurilla, whose primary research interest is the history of relations between Russia and the United States, believes children could learn history in a more balanced way.

“From my point of view, the ideal history textbook should include views on the past from several vantage points - like the view of the past by the government but also by the people who suffered from the government reforms, from the view of women, from the view of colonised people,” he said. 

“And they shouldn’t be combined. You cannot make it a compromise. You should just read how these events are viewed by the state, and in the next paragraph, learn how they are viewed by different people.”