Many specialists say that Putin dreams of rebuilding the USSR, but isn't Putin's dream rather to rebuild the Russian empire of Pierre the Great?

[Julie4]

[nightdrot]

This is a pretty quick answer. It has been well said that Vladimir Putin is a Russian nationalist with the sensibility of a KGB agent.

Mr. Putin is not a communist. Communism being a transnational philosophy that postulates class warfare as the driving force in History - with a capital "H." Communism, in fact, opposed nationalism and a sense of national identity, which it defined as a symptom of the "false consciousness" of the capitalist order designed to foster divisions and splits among the working class.

To be sure, as communism provided the philosophy of government for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, it became intertwined with the Russian nationalism that came before it. Thus a conflation of the two was born.

However, as General Jack Keene (ret.), head of the Institute for the Study of War has noted, Putin believed that communism failed Russia. He does not subscribe to it as an ideology.

That said, Putin was a KGB agent. The methods of the KGB are deeply woven within his mind and training and so he applies its totalitarian methods to Russian nationalism. Thus while making a significant difference in goals - Russian nationalism seeks a Russian empire, whereas communism seeks class warfare and the dictatorship of the nation-less proletariat - making for an unfortunate identity and conflation of methods.

[nightdrot]

P. S. By the way, your French is showing. Pierre the Great? Have to say, that gives it a certain continental elegance.

Kidding. Though usually, in English, it is Peter the Great or - rarely Piotr the Great to make it sound "Russified."

Hope you are well.

[Julie4]

Thanks again for this great answer.

Haha, to be honest I didn't know how to say it in English so I tried a mixture, I wrote in French the first name and I added the "Great" in English 🤣

But thanks for the correction, I will know for next time. 😊

I'm fine thank you and you? and how going is your family? 😊

P. S. In French one says " Pierre le Grand " .

[nightdrot]

We're doing "le grande!!" Gettin' ready for the weekend. My second oldest is on a little league team so we have some baseball to watch tomorrow - weather permitting. Take care and great hearing from you.

[Julie4]

Well I wish your son and his team good luck , I hope they win 😊 Take care of yourself and your family 😊

[NamerOfStars]

Near as I can tell, Putin's dream is to restore Russia as a world power. Tardly condemnable in itself, but you don't build lasting glory on a mountain of skulls. The Mongols learned that the hard way, and you'd think a RUSSIAN, of all people, weuld know- but apparently not.

In the run-up to the American revolution, the cause of independence was fairly unpopular; most colonists saw themselves as loyal Englishmen, who just wanted a voice in their governance, and if the king had just made ' few more seats in Parliament, the whole crisis might've fizzled away.

But the German hold on the English throne was weak, and his peers Catherine (the German on the Russian throne) and Frederick (the German on the Prussian throne) would've laughed themselves silly at the idea of negotiating with an armed mob, and sent in the army. But what if he hadn't? Oh, it would hawe been a blow to royal prestige and power, sure, but this was centuries after the Magna Carta; he didn't have absolete pomer anyway. He could've gone down in history as the first real Enlightenment ruler.

Putin's much the same. The land between Warsaw and Saint Petersburg is basically an uniefensible plain; geographic realities mean that Russian leadership basically HAS to be somewhat militaristic. But if, before invading Georgia, Putin had said "Many of these people are culturally Russian, and want to be under our leadership. Let's hold a conference to discuss how borders might be redrawn without spilling blood.". Would that have changed things? Probably not. But would Putin be better received as a failed diplomat or a bullying warlord?

[Adaeva]

Of course not. Putin is the world's best leader. The USA doesn't have any politician approaching his ability and haven't had since JFK. Obviously Putin wants what is best for the people of Russia.

[Bluemax]

I think he wants to rebuild the *borders* of the Soviet Union, but doesn't necessarily want to reestablish the communist government. Poland and the Ukraine are wide open spaces that make it easy for armies to cross (going east or west). That's why Poland historically hasn't fared so well. It's why Putin wants the Ukraine. To prevent any future army from just rolling to Moscow. Also, traditionally there's been antagonism between Russia and the Ukraine. When Hitler invaded, many German troops were greeted by the Ukrainians with flowers. That's how much the Ukrainians didn't like Stalin... or Russia for that matter. The flowers of course stopped when the Germans showed their true colors.

But Putin doesn't want a Ukraine that is sympathetic to NATO... or worse, a member.

[TheFlak38]

The entire Russian government is one gigantic soviet mafia. Every town and every village in Ukraine conquered by now by the Red Army literally has a communist flag flying. Russia is a communist shit hole and their army is not much different that what it was back in 1945. It is not a coincidence that no shit skins support Ukraine because they're all too busy supporting russia. Bolshevik murdering fucks plundering villages and murdering unarmed civilians. I even saw a wash machine in a video of an abandoned russian trench for fucks sake.

[Sun_Kim-Ai]

Exactly.
He does not aim to restore the Soviet Union or Communism itself, but the power and hegemony that Russia had both in the golden years of the Empire, and during the height of the Soviet Union.
After all, one of his most well-known quotes is "Anyone who doesn't regret the passing of the Soviet Union has no heart. Anyone who wants it restored has no brains".

[Cubus]

There's not a real difference, when it comes to territory. USSR also consisted of Lithuania, Latvia and Belarus, which Peter the Great's Russia didn't. And Belarus is already a Russia's puppet.

by the way. Putin is a big fan of USSR, he used to be a KGB agent, and he hates Lenin for leaving an option for Soviet Republics to secceed (which happened in 90s)

[Julie4]

The USSR supposes the communist ideology which itself exceeds the nationalistic feelings since it is an ideology which wants to be universalist.

Putin is a nationalist who does not adhere to the communist ideology

[Cubus]

You know there were communist-nationalists too?

Besides communism is about economy and nationalism is about world-view. These two things can be put together.

And Putin is not really a nationalist, he just wants to restore former borders. It doesn't make him a nationalist yet.

[normalice]

Putin doesn't give a damn about the USSR. What the wants is to control all the oil. Russia is just cold Texas and Putin is the oil baron in chief. Ukraine has lots of oil under it, especially in the east, and a pipeline that runs through it as well.

[Whatever2929292]

Check this out

https://banned.video/watch?id=62a2c5d25e42770ee1da4388

[007kingifrit]

neither, it's to establishing a buffering zone to secure the russian heartland. it just so happens this is exactly why all other russian empires were built

"only war can maintain the borders of russia" -catherine the great

[maximumpower]

would venture to say that only putin knows his vision for future.
might be a good idea to look some of this up so that you can develop an informed opinion ahead of time.
(and... while you're at it, look up peter the great.)

[Sixgunsound]

That’s what I thought too, the Russian empire not the USSR.

[BillyBalls]

https://www.youtube.com/embed/nS5_EQgbuLc

Them Moscow girls make me sing and shout!!!

[RobEurope]

He just wants more territory like those before him.

[-Asca-]

You are absolutely correct.

[OddBeMe]

Pierre is a russian name?

[fireforeffect]

no, Putin wishers to rebuild the Soviet Union,.