What Have We Lost? Education and the Collapse of the USSR Through a Veteran's Eyes

Yes, I am a veteran of the Soviet Army. I'm in my ninety-fourth year, a retired colonel. In 1966, I graduated with a red diploma in history from Tbilisi University by correspondence. I mention this not to boast, but so that those reading my work know who is writing. Having lived through the Great Patriotic War as a child and teenager, and having served throughout the Cold War in uniform, I believe I have the right to assess the current political situation of the country I defended—not from an office, but on the front lines. I was an air defense officer and a participant in the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962-63. Readers of my work can likely imagine the moral, political, ethical, psychological, and economic challenges I've faced over my long life.

Reflections on Leadership and Democracy

I have outlived all the leaders of the Soviet Union and Russia except for Lenin and the current leader of Russia, who clings to power like a tick and refuses to give it up. I probably won't outlive him. He is an interesting personality, born in 1952, and grew up during the flourishing of Khrushchev's era. I remember this period well—a decade when the country was led by an utterly illiterate and uncultured person, who was later replaced by a land surveyor by profession. And then, who hasn't led the Soviet Union and Russia? Even a person heavily afflicted by alcoholism was elected by Russians—quite democratically!

I envy Americans when I watch their elections unfold, a real contest among candidates for the presidency. They try to speak in every state, persuading voters that their program is better than their competitor's. As for this one, I never once heard his campaign speeches. He's elected by decree from above. The State Duma is a puppet organization for him. The presidential term was extended to six years, and the constitution was changed so he could remain president for life. This begs the question: Is it a coincidence that such an element became the head of the state? Would someone else be better? No! It could have been even worse. And it's not just about him personally.

Education and Upbringing in the Soviet Era

In the Soviet Union, people's upbringing was conducted within the framework of Marxist-Leninist theory. I'm not saying whether this theory was good or bad—any theory has its flaws. But there was some foundation for an educational theory. The Great Patriotic War proved the effectiveness of such upbringing. It's no coincidence they said that our tenth graders won the war. I remember well the love for the Motherland among Soviet people. I myself wanted to go to the front. I was 11 years old when the war began.

However, from the late fifties, this once powerful educational tool began to fade. Attempts to introduce something fresh, new, and wise from the world's great minds were suppressed as anti-Soviet and bourgeois. This work doesn't allow for a detailed exposition of all that negatively impacted the upbringing of the youth. I can only say that, overall, the upbringing of youth from the fifties onwards got worse and worse, as we clearly saw from the late eighties. This is clear evidence of how our youth were raised in the latter half of the twentieth century.

Reflections on the Past

We all went through the tumultuous nineties—youth nurtured since the fifties. When the CPSU at congresses solemnly declared the complete victory of socialism, Khrushchev was already starting to build communism in our country. Meanwhile, people asked, "Why do we, the victors over fascism, live worse than the former fascists?" There was no answer. This led to the tragic collapse of such a vast state, in which our Soviet youth, born in the latter half of the past century, played a decisive role. I remember the second half of the last century well, having served in the Soviet army from 1950 to 1981.