Cold War Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Decommunization=== [[Stephen Holmes (political scientist)|Stephen Holmes]] of the [[University of Chicago]] argued in 1996 that decommunization, after a brief active period, quickly ended in near-universal failure. After the introduction of [[lustration]], demand for scapegoats has become relatively low, and former communists have been elected for high governmental and other administrative positions. Holmes notes that the only real exception was former [[East Germany]], where thousands of former [[Stasi]] informers have been fired from public positions.<ref name=mandelbaum>Michael Mandelbaum (Ed., 1996) "Post-Communism: Four Perspectives", ''Council on Foreign Relations'' {{ISBN|0-87609-186-9}}</ref> Holmes suggests the following reasons for the failure of decommunization:<ref name=mandelbaum/> *After 45–70 years of communist rule, nearly every family has members associated with the state. After the initial desire "to root out the reds" came a realization that massive punishment is wrong and finding only some guilty is hardly justice. *The urgency of the current economic problems of postcommunism makes the crimes of the communist past "old news" for many citizens. *Decommunization is believed to be a power game of elites. *The difficulty of dislodging the social elite makes it require a [[totalitarian state]] to disenfranchise the "[[enemies of the people]]" quickly and efficiently and a desire for normalcy overcomes the desire for punitive justice. *Very few people have a perfectly clean slate and so are available to fill the positions that require significant expertise. Compared with the [[decommunization]] efforts of the other former constituents of the [[Eastern Bloc]] and the [[Soviet Union]], decommunization in Russia has been restricted to half-measures, if conducted at all.<ref>Karl W. Ryavec. ''Russian Bureaucracy: Power and Pathology'', 2003, Rowman & Littlefield, {{ISBN|0-8476-9503-4}}, page 13</ref> Notable anti-communist measures in the Russian Federation include the banning of the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union]] (and the creation of the [[Communist Party of the Russian Federation]]) as well as changing the names of some Russian cities back to what they were before the 1917 [[October Revolution]] (Leningrad to [[Saint Petersburg]], Sverdlovsk to [[Yekaterinburg]] and Gorky to [[Nizhny Novgorod]]),<ref name="Goodbye, Lenin: Ukraine moves to ban communist symbols"/> though others were maintained, with [[Ulyanovsk]] (former Simbirsk), [[Tolyatti]] (former Stavropol) and [[Kirov, Kirov Oblast|Kirov]] (former Vyatka) being examples. Even though Leningrad and Sverdlovsk were renamed, regions that were named after them are still officially called Leningrad and Sverdlovsk oblasts. [[File:The Spasskaya Tower, photographed in 1883, published 1884 (Saviour Tower - Спасская башня), Moscow Kremlin, Red Square.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Spasskaya Tower]] had kept its red star and did not restore the two-headed eagle present before communist takeover.]] [[Nostalgia for the Soviet Union]] is gradually on the rise in Russia.<ref name="The Russians with fond memories of the USSR">{{citation|title = The Russians with fond memories of the USSR|url = https://www.bbc.com/news/video_and_audio/headlines/37130143|publisher = BBC News|author = Steve Rosenberg|date = 19 Aug 2016|accessdate = 20 Aug 2016|archive-date = 21 August 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160821111034/http://www.bbc.com/news/video_and_audio/headlines/37130143|url-status = dead}}</ref> Communist symbols continue to form an important part of the rhetoric used in [[Media of Russia|state-controlled media]], as banning on them in other countries is seen by the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia)|Russian foreign ministry]] as "sacrilege" and "a perverse idea of good and evil".<ref name="Goodbye, Lenin: Ukraine moves to ban communist symbols">{{cite news|url= https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32267075 |first= Vitaly |last= Shevchenko |title= Goodbye, Lenin: Ukraine moves to ban communist symbols |work= [[BBC News]] |date=14 April 2015 |accessdate= 1 June 2016}}</ref> The process of [[decommunization in Ukraine]], a neighbouring [[post-Soviet state]], was met with fierce criticism by Russia,<ref name="Goodbye, Lenin: Ukraine moves to ban communist symbols"/> who regularly dismisses [[Soviet war crimes]].<ref name="The rape of Berlin">{{citation|title = The rape of Berlin|url = https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32529679|publisher = BBC News|author = Lucy Ash|date = 1 May 2016|accessdate = 1 June 2016}}</ref> The [[State Anthem of the Russian Federation]], adopted in 2000 (the same year [[Vladimir Putin]] began his first term as president of Russia), uses the exact same music as the [[State Anthem of the Soviet Union]], but with new lyrics written by [[Sergey Mikhalkov]]. Conversely, decommunization in Ukraine started during and after the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]] in 1991<ref name="BBC8380433">{{cite news |author=Rostyslav Khotin |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8380433.stm |title=Ukraine tears down controversial statue |agency=[[BBC News]] |date=27 November 2009 |access-date=17 October 2017}}</ref> With the success of the [[Revolution of Dignity]] in 2014, the [[Ukrainian government]] approved [[Ukrainian decommunization laws|laws]] that outlawed [[communist symbol]]s.<ref name="ectniiU">{{cite magazine|url= https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/ukraine/2015-04-28/kievs-purge |title= Decommunizing Ukraine |first= Alexander J. |last= Motyl |author-link= Alexander J. Motyl |magazine= [[Foreign Affairs]] |date= 28 April 2015 |access-date= 19 May 2015}}</ref> On 15 May 2015, President of Ukraine [[Petro Poroshenko]] signed a set of laws that started a six-month period for the removal of communist monuments (excluding [[World War II]] monuments) and renaming of public places named after communist-related themes.<ref name="decommunizaion">[http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2015/05/15/7068057/ Poroshenko signed the laws about decomunization]. [[Ukrayinska Pravda]]. 15 May 2015<br />[http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/265988.html Poroshenko signs laws on denouncing Communist, Nazi regimes], [[Interfax-Ukraine]]. 15 May 2015</ref><ref name="bbc32267075">{{cite news|url= https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32267075 |first= Vitaly |last= Shevchenko |title= Goodbye, Lenin: Ukraine moves to ban communist symbols |work= [[BBC News]] |date=14 April 2015 |access-date= 17 May 2015}}</ref> At the time, this meant that 22 cities and 44 villages were set to get new names.<ref name="22 cities and 44 villages">{{in lang|uk}} [http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2015/06/4/7070191 In Ukraine rename 22 cities and 44 villages], [[Ukrayinska Pravda]] (4 June 2015)</ref> Until 21 November 2015, municipal governments had the authority to implement this;<ref name="depo.ua new names Ukraine"/> if they failed to do so, the [[Oblasts of Ukraine]] had until 21 May 2016 to change the names.<ref name="depo.ua new names Ukraine"/> If after that date the settlement had retained its old name, the [[Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine]] would wield authority to assign a new name to the settlement.<ref name="depo.ua new names Ukraine">{{in lang|uk}} [http://poltava.depo.ua/ukr/poltava/komsomolsk-u-bud-yakomu-vipadku-pereymenuyut-01102015183700 "Komsomolsk in any case be renamed"], ''[[depo.ua]]'' (1 October 2015)</ref> In 2016, 51,493 streets and 987 cities and villages were renamed, and 1,320 [[Lenin monuments]] and 1,069 monuments to other communist figures removed.<ref name="rdiU16">[https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-society_and_culture/2147127-decommunization-reform-25-districts-and-987-populated-areas-in-ukraine-renamed-in-2016.html "Decommunization reform: 25 districts and 987 populated areas in Ukraine renamed in 2016"], ''[[Ukrinform]]'' (27 December 2016)</ref> Violation of the law carries a penalty of a potential media ban and prison sentences of up to five years.<ref name="dwdc9415">[http://www.dw.de/ukraine-lawmakers-ban-communist-and-nazi-propaganda/a-18372853 "Ukraine lawmakers ban 'Communist and Nazi propaganda{{'"}}], ''[[Deutsche Welle]]'' (9 April 2015)</ref><ref name="oscedc18515">[http://www.osce.org/fom/158581 "New laws in Ukraine potential threat to free expression and free media, OSCE Representative says"], ''[[OSCE]]'' (18 May 2015)</ref> On 24 July 2015, the [[Ministry of the Interior (Ukraine)|Ministry of the Interior]] stripped the [[Communist Party of Ukraine]], the [[Communist Party of Ukraine (renewed)]], and the [[Communist Party of Workers and Peasants]] of their right to participate in elections and stated it was continuing the court actions that started in July 2014 to end the registration of [[w:Category:Communist parties in Ukraine|communist parties in Ukraine]].<ref name="Banukcom24715">{{cite news |url=http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/ukraines-justice-ministry-outlaws-communists-from-elections-394217.html |title=Ukraine's Justice Ministry outlaws Communists from elections |work=[[Kyiv Post]] |date=24 July 2015}}</ref> By 16 December 2015, these three parties had been banned in Ukraine; the Communist Party of Ukraine appealed the ban to the [[European Court of Human Rights]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 December 2016 |title=The European Court has begun consideration of a complaint against the KPU's ban |url=http://pda.pravda.com.ua/news/id_7131315/ |access-date= |website=[[Ukrayinska Pravda]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ishchenko |first=Volodymyr |date=2015-12-18 |title=Kiev has a nasty case of anti-communist hysteria |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/18/ukraine-communist-party-ban-hysteria |access-date= |website=[[The Guardian]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=17 December 2015 |title=Ukraine court bans Communist Party |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/world/report-ukraine-court-bans-communist-party-2157044 |access-date= |website=[[Daily News & Analysis]] |language=en}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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