The Burning Archive

Part Two of this extended episode on Russian history in the global 19th century examines the debate between Westerners and Slavophiles, the divide between peasant serfs and urban commerical intelligentsia, and the complex relationship between empire and nations in the Russian empire. And we briefly examine the true history of Russia's defeat of Napoleon and liberation of Europe, that contains lessons for security in Europe today.

Tolstoy's War and Peace is a symbol, a reflection and an expression of a Russian Golden Age in the 19th century. Its story of the events of Russia's defeat of Napoleon's invasion of 1812 is well-known, and this great novel is one of many great cultural artefacts of an extraordinary cultural flowering of the Russian Empire. Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Pushkin, Tchaikovsky, Mendel and so many more. The real history of Russia in the nineteenth century is even more intriguing than Tolstoy's novel, and far richer than the autocratic black legend of Russian history. This two-episode discussion explains the big events from the assassination of Emperor Paul I in 1801 to the ascension of the last Romanov, Nicholas II. And it presents both the myths and the truths of Tolstoy's War and Peace, as empire, nation, conservatism, liberalism, intelligentsia and serfs struggle for the spirit of the Russian people.

This episode of the Burning Archive reports on the results of all the 2022 Nobel Prize, but most of all on the wonderful choice to award the medal for Literature to Annie Ernaux. I read a short section from Annie Ernaux, The Years, and stay tuned to the end when you will hear briefly from Annie Ernaux herself reading from the same text in French.

The Burning Archive looks ahead to Nobel Prize week, and reviews predictions and the odds of who will win the 2022 Nobel Prize for Literature. I also take a brief look at the controversy behind the Nobel Peace Prize.

Regular listeners, please note the Burning Archive will be taking a one month release break until early November when the podcast will review the 2022 Winners of the Nobel Prize, and will resume the series of podcasts on Russian history.

The experience of the Russian world in the 20th century was extraordinary human drama. Imperial Russia, then the Soviet Union, and then the post-Soviet states of the Russian world defined the writing of history and the world shaking events of the twentieth century. Tragedy, comedy, horror and farce intertwined. Dignity, heroism, treachery, survival and humiliation coexisted. Russia's twentieth century made unforgettable history and exquisite art from five revolutions and four great wars. What did the twentieth century look like from the Russian world? That is the question for this Burning Archive.

Part Two of this extended episode on Mikhail Gorbachev's significance in world history begins with one of Gorbachev's favourite old Soviet songs - Tyomnaya noch'/ Темная ночь/  Dark is the night  (1942). It continues with a discussion of Gorbachev's legacy to the world with each of his key ideas - glasnost, perestroika and peace. The episode includes a section of the fateful press conference in 1991 when the USA recommitted to the Cold War and concludes with Gorbachev himself singing a beautiful old Soviet ballad.

### Dear Listeners - My apologies. THere was a glitch in my audio editing of this episode so there are many words and syllables that were clipped. This had made the sound quality not as good as I would like. I will replace in time but will need to re-record the whole episode. In the meantime, do please listen despite the flaws.

Mikhail Gorbachev was one of the most important and the most tragic figures of 20th century history. He has largely been presented in media obituaries as helping end the Cold War. In truth, he sued for peace and a world free of nuclear weapons, while liberating his society to pursue its own forms of democracy. But he was betrayed abroad by the USA, whose leaders were convinced they had ended history, and who engineered the collapse and looting of the Soviet world. That betrayal remains at the heart of the conflict in Ukraine and the difficult birth of a New Russia and the multipolar world. How does the tragedy of Mikhail Gorbachev - a man of peace - help us understand the world crisis today? 

Listen to the end of the show and hear Gorbachev in his own voice, giving his resignation speech on 25 December 1991 (with English translation voiceover).

We cannot hope to find peace with Russia unless we seek to understand Russian history in all its complexity, its highs and lows, its tragedies and its farces, its inspirations and its horrors. To understand that rich history, we need to confront the Black Legend of Russian History, which tells a story of a benighted people, cursed to poverty, despotism and the dark strivings of the Russian soul. What is the black legend of Russian history? That is the question on the Burning Archive.

Vale Mikhail Gorbachev.

Credits:

- Mark B. Smith The Russia Anixiety (2019) - Do buy this book - it is essential to understanding Russia and the world today.

- Leonid Kharitonov and The Russian Red Army Choir - "Song of the Volga Boatmen" ("Yo, Heave Ho!",  "Ej, Uhnem!") The concert in Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow, 1965 via Youtube

History can be an aid to making good decisions - in government, in any walk of life, in your personal life. History is not only useful for leaders of governments and professors. It helps us all make sense of the events around us, and free us from false narratives and misleading comparisons that we all fall prey to from time to time. History can even be an antidote to doom-scrolling. Find out how on this episode of the Burning Archive.

The Burning Archive podcast explores how the past is not dead, the past is not even past. But if that is so, what are the uses and lessons of history? How can history be used for guidance in our lives, and to advise governments on the big decisions that shape our fates. A recent Australian book, Lessons from History: Leading Historians Tackle Australia's Greatest Challenges, eds, Holbrook, Megarrity and Lowe (NewSouth, 2022) explores this question. In this podcast Jeff Rich explores how the authors seek to cross the bridge between policy and history, and reflects upon how he has stood on that bridge in his career as a very minor government official.