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IN THE SHADOW OF 1937
EDITORIAL
http://www.aravot.am/en/2012/12/19/142311/
DECEMBER 19, 2012 12:47
When it became clear after the famous recording that many politicians
and commentators are very excited about that eavesdropping, one of
my friends noted that it turned out the KGB had proponents and even
fans in the modern-day Armenia, and there were rather
young men among them. It is absolutely right; one should not
necessarily be a former teacher of the CPSU history on the wrong side
of 70 and an ardent fan of 1937. And perhaps, the very problem is that
we haven't understood, haven't assessed and are not even interested
in what happened exactly 75 years ago.
What do we really know about that period? Basically, what Stalin's
comrade-in-arms and accomplice to his crimes, Khrushchev, said in
1956. a cult of personality? Is it the main specificity of that
period? Now there is Gagik Tsarukyan's cult of personality in the
Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), there is Levon Ter-Petrossian's
cult of personality in the Armenian National Congress (ANC), there
is Artashes Geghamyan's cult of personality in the National Unity
Party etc., so what? Is it the characteristic of "1937," were the
Communists of the mid-1950s right about "criticizing" the Stalin
regime for that very thing? Rather, they should have talked about
another cult - the cult of violence - when both the leadership and
the people are convinced that the only motivation for organizing
people and achieving some result is violence, and the state's duty
is to create such a machine of violence that will keep a firm grip
on the people and will make them comply with some strict rules for
fear. And what is the engine of that machine? In the same period
(1933-1945), that institution in Germany was called Gestapo - Secret
State Police - and in the Soviet Union, it had many names, but the
most common one was KGB. The work style of that institution is,
for example, to persecute people based on anonymous denunciation,
to eavesdrop on political opponents and to blackmail using that. And
the main specificity of such a system is that the given institution
is beyond any control. I am convinced that we haven't comprehended,
denied the horrible things that existed in our past.
Certainly, we live in a whole different country today, the head of
state - take, for example, his speech - talked about whole different
values. But does the state, the government, work in a style different
from that of the KGB, are the majority of our citizens intolerant
toward that style? Haven't you met people who say, "This country
needs a Stalin who will enforce law and order"? And while it is so,
there will be fans and proponents of eavesdropping.
ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
EDITORIAL
http://www.aravot.am/en/2012/12/19/142311/
DECEMBER 19, 2012 12:47
When it became clear after the famous recording that many politicians
and commentators are very excited about that eavesdropping, one of
my friends noted that it turned out the KGB had proponents and even
fans in the modern-day Armenia, and there were rather
young men among them. It is absolutely right; one should not
necessarily be a former teacher of the CPSU history on the wrong side
of 70 and an ardent fan of 1937. And perhaps, the very problem is that
we haven't understood, haven't assessed and are not even interested
in what happened exactly 75 years ago.
What do we really know about that period? Basically, what Stalin's
comrade-in-arms and accomplice to his crimes, Khrushchev, said in
1956. a cult of personality? Is it the main specificity of that
period? Now there is Gagik Tsarukyan's cult of personality in the
Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), there is Levon Ter-Petrossian's
cult of personality in the Armenian National Congress (ANC), there
is Artashes Geghamyan's cult of personality in the National Unity
Party etc., so what? Is it the characteristic of "1937," were the
Communists of the mid-1950s right about "criticizing" the Stalin
regime for that very thing? Rather, they should have talked about
another cult - the cult of violence - when both the leadership and
the people are convinced that the only motivation for organizing
people and achieving some result is violence, and the state's duty
is to create such a machine of violence that will keep a firm grip
on the people and will make them comply with some strict rules for
fear. And what is the engine of that machine? In the same period
(1933-1945), that institution in Germany was called Gestapo - Secret
State Police - and in the Soviet Union, it had many names, but the
most common one was KGB. The work style of that institution is,
for example, to persecute people based on anonymous denunciation,
to eavesdrop on political opponents and to blackmail using that. And
the main specificity of such a system is that the given institution
is beyond any control. I am convinced that we haven't comprehended,
denied the horrible things that existed in our past.
Certainly, we live in a whole different country today, the head of
state - take, for example, his speech - talked about whole different
values. But does the state, the government, work in a style different
from that of the KGB, are the majority of our citizens intolerant
toward that style? Haven't you met people who say, "This country
needs a Stalin who will enforce law and order"? And while it is so,
there will be fans and proponents of eavesdropping.
ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress