Russian Prime Minister Critical of Modern History Textbooks

[mastodon]

Russian Prime Minister Critical of Modern History Textbooks

Interfax - At a Thursday cabinet meeting Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov said that he had found ''a lot of surprising things'' in the school textbooks on modern history. The cabinet meeting is expected to discuss, among others, the issue of modern history textbooks’ content.

Kasyanov said he found it surprising that the textbooks were allowed for use by the Education Ministry. He criticized the use of old-school terms (such as ''working class'') and also modern slang in these books. He also said that the government had not paid proper attention to the problem of textbooks and ordered to consider the question in detail so that the mistakes could be corrected as quickly as possible.

[mastodon]

Russia Wants Rosier History in Textbooks

Reuters - Russia's government ordered a makeover of modern history textbooks on Thursday after Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov said current volumes made light of the gains and values of post-communist society.

Sceptical television commentators suggested he wanted more references to President Vladimir Putin – elected only a year and a half ago.

"I had a good look at some excerpts and will say that I found many surprising things," Kasyanov told a government meeting.

His comments were broadcast on television.

"I believe it is incorrect that there is no reference to the values of a democratic society, the necessity of changing the economy or to the people's choice of market reform. All this occurred through the process of free direct elections....".

Kasyanov said he was particularly shocked by references, 10 years after the collapse of Soviet rule, to communist-era notions such as "working class" and "working intelligentsia". He was also shocked by post-Soviet terms such as "unbridled crime".

But NTV television said ministers might have been moved more by insufficient references to Putin in most textbooks and none at all in books intended for ninth-year pupils.

The television suggested that praise for former prime minister Yevgeny Primakov, who led Russia's recovery from its 1998 financial collapse, might also have proved irritating. Primakov was considered a contender for president for a time before Putin's rise to power.

News reports also said ministers were unhappy with long descriptions of the hardships of reforms introduced in the period of turmoil following the collapse of Soviet rule.

Academics said it would take time – at least one school year – to remove inappropriate references.

The overhaul of textbooks was a major task in realigning education after the 1991 downfall of communism.

Soviet books taught Marxist-Leninist ideology, lionised the country's leaders and blatantly gave the communist version of events throughout the world. Like all documents at the time, they were larded with ideological phrases.

At least one post-Communist textbook came under criticism as a shadow of the past – a first-grade volume distributed in Putin's home town of St Petersburg last year praised Putin as fearless and a protector of the nation.