Text Book Bias

[russiankiss.livejournal.com]

I'm currently studying the Cold War in my history class. I've done quite a lot in the course but am very interested to know what it would be like learning this from a Russian point of view. I know this isn't strictly on topic but I'm hoping that some people here have some experience of the Russian education system.

Throughout the course, the West's actions are portrayed as defensive at worst. Whereas, the East is portrayed as scheming, vicious and ignorant (although maybe not so obviously as could be perceived). Obviously I don't want to take this as 100% true since I'm reading as part of the capitalist/West/NATO etc. But then, there can't be that much lying. So, really, has anyone studied such as this from the Soviet POV? If so, what is the way of teaching there and what is noticeable about either side? Maybe when I've been studying Russian for a few more years I'll be able to master a text book and learn first-hand.

Sometimes in class I just feel like asking my teacher what we're not being told.

(NB: I'm not looking for a comment on the British/biased education system, just a bit of an explanation from the other direction)

Comments

[vova-l.livejournal.com]

It's funny, but the Russian point of view is very similar: despite the great number of victims we withstood and finally were victorious in a fight with Nazis, the West was delaying the opening of the Second Front and actually the major part of hard job was done by the Soviet Union.
This viewpoint was and still is a dominat one.
Land-lease help (American canned meat and chocolate bars) was extremely popular in low clases but it was underestimated by propaganda.
Soviet POVs (let aside those who managed to escape from Nazi camps and came to Brittish/US zones, their number was quite small) went to Stalin's camps after Nazi camps. Very few of them were taken back to ranks of the army. They did not get status of POVs and did not get any compensation.

[noser.livejournal.com]

I remember myself, a little boy, crying after I've watched some soviet TV show on how evil the capitalists were and how they could start a nuclear war any second. It was around 1982, Moscow. I was really scared. I could not believe anyone could be so evil...

[svl.livejournal.com]

Well, we were being told that it is West who's "scheming, vicious and ignorant".
What seems funny is that more than 15 years later, i.e. now, after reading a lot of books on the topic (Western, Russian and Soviet) I feel that of two Empires both were in many things Evil Empires, but the Western one was more "scheming, vicious and ignorant" and guys like Bush or Blair make a lot of work now to make me believe that our teachers were not fully wrong.
It's just IMHO, of course.
P.S. When I was a child, we lived not far from the airport in some city in Western Siberia, where many military plants were built in Soviet times. This city was officialy on top priority list for bombing by USAF B-52s since 50s. Many times, when I heard a big airplane at night, I got up expecting to see a nuclear explosion as a last thing that I'll see in my life. I don't think I'll forget those nights, ever.
P.P.S. Try to find a magazine called "Otkuda ishodit ugroza miru" (Откуда исходит угроза миру). It represents a Soviet POV, true to some extent, of coure. The thing is from 1980s, I read it, when I was 10, may be.

MARS FOR MARTIANS!

[chubio.livejournal.com]

Russian site makes funny political statement about America!! Check it out!
http://onlife.ru/bb/viewtopic.php?t=318

Re:

[nymphatacita.livejournal.com]

Как сказать "угроза" по-английски? threat?

Re:

[svl.livejournal.com]

Yep. Threat is ok.