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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
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The Future Is History summary
How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia
25 mins
Brief summary
The Future Is History by Masha Gessen sheds light on the last four decades of Russia's history through the stories of four individuals, exposing the country's political, cultural, and social transformations, and what it means to be Russian in a post-Soviet world.
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The Future Is History
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Key idea 1 of 10
Russia’s lack of self-reflection put the nation at a disadvantage when society began to change in the late 1980s.
Marina Arutyunyan was a rarity in Russia. In the 1970s, she studied psychology at Moscow University and went on to start her own practice. It was extremely rare to find a female psychoanalyst in Russia given that hardly anyone was practicing psychology, sociology or anything of the sort.
To understand why, we need to go back in time to the period after the Bolshevik Revolution in the 1920s.
This revolution was fueled by Marxism, which promoted a new kind of ideal man – one who had no use for the kind self-reflection which is at the heart of these disciplines, since individuality was seen as insignificant. The new man found sufficient pride and purpose in life by being a cog in the Soviet machine.
This is why, in 1925, Moscow University’s Psychological Society was dissolved, and the work of leading thinkers like Sigmund Freud was placed in the restricted area of the library. By 1931, all social sciences and humanities had been censored from Russian universities.
But the tide began to turn in the 1960s, and, by 1968, psychology and the humanities were making a comeback at Moscow University. However, since materials had been very hard to come by for the past few decades, most Russian professors were woefully out of touch and unaware of the progress that had been made.
This lack of knowledge contributed to the mess that followed in the late 1980s and 1990s when the rules of society drastically changed.
Most governments value sociology, especially in the form of polls that are conducted in an effort to understand what people want and how they may react to certain policies.
But, remarkably, the Soviet Union had not conducted any research polls before 1987, and even when they began, it was a rough start since there wasn’t any data to compare it against or even an understanding of how to write useful questions.
This lack of sociological understanding was especially unfortunate in the mid-1980s when General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev began a series of reforms aimed at opening up Russia and moving away from the terror of previous regimes. These reforms would set off decades of psychological and political consequences for a citizenship little understood by the country’s leaders.
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What is The Future Is History about?
The Future Is History (2017) tackles the complex issue of Russia’s love/hate relationship with democracy. By looking at the lives of a select few, Masha Gessen takes us from the collapse of the Communist Party to deep within the activism of the Putin era – all in an attempt to show us how and why Russia’s modern brand of totalitarianism came about.
The Future Is History Review
The Future Is History (2017) by Masha Gessen is a thought-provoking exploration of modern Russia and the challenges it faces in its journey towards democracy. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- Through in-depth interviews with ordinary Russians, Gessen provides a nuanced understanding of the country's complex political landscape.
- This book offers a compelling narrative that interweaves historical analysis, personal stories, and social commentary, painting a vivid picture of contemporary Russia.
- Gessen's examination of the psychological impacts of living in an authoritarian regime adds a captivating layer of insight to the book, ensuring it is anything but boring.
Best quote from The Future Is History
Homo sovieticus was caught in an infinite spiral of lies: pretending to be, pretending to have, pretending to believe, and pretending not to.
—Masha Gessen
Who should read The Future Is History?
- Readers curious about Russian politics
- Students of sociology and world politics
- History buffs
Categories with The Future Is History
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The Future Is History FAQs
What is the main message of The Future Is History?
The main message of The Future Is History is the disintegration of democracy in post-Soviet Russia.
How long does it take to read The Future Is History?
The reading time for The Future Is History varies depending on your reading speed. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is The Future Is History a good book? Is it worth reading?
The Future Is History is worth reading for its insightful exploration of Russia's political landscape. It provides a valuable perspective on the country's complex history and current challenges.
Who is the author of The Future Is History?
The author of The Future Is History is Masha Gessen.
What to read after The Future Is History?
If you're wondering what to read next after The Future Is History, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Russian Roulette by Michael Isikoff and David Corn
- Navalny by Jan Matti Dollbaum
- The Technological Republic by Alexander C. Karp
- Secondhand Time by Svetlana Alexievich
- Supremacy by Parmy Olson
- The Purposeful Decision Maker by Pádraig Ó Céidigh
- The Road to Unfreedom by Timothy Snyder
- Invention and Innovation by Vaclav Smil
- Trust Yourself by Melody Wilding
- The Pause Principle by Cynthia Kane