A Split in the Family
By Sean at 21 August, 2007, 5:59 pm
Russia’s consolidation into a two party system took a small step this weekend when the Communist Youth League (Союз коммунистической молодежи, СКМ) voted 98-1 to support Just Russia at its 6th Congress. Constantine Zhukov, SKM’s leader, told Congress delegates that the decision was because the Communist Party was “in stagnation.” “The Party has degenerated, there is no genuine Communist Party in the county that we can orientate ourselves toward.” Just Russia, Zhukov explained, “doesn’t practice demagoguery, but real politics. In the upcoming elections we will work with Just Russia.”
SKM’s moved quickly gained the support of Just Russia and its youth wing, “Ura!“. “I’m glad that Zhukov had enough courage and wisdom to understand the political situation. Unfortunately, there is nothing except for empty rhetoric and political speculation remaining in the KPRF. It’s an organization which forgot about the interests of the people,” Ura! leader Sergei Shargunov said in his speech at the Congress.
SKM’s announcement to support Just Russia is yet another chapter in the drama of infighting and splits of the Russian communist youth movement. The SKM, which hails itself as the successor to the Soviet era Komsomol, became the youth wing of the Russian Communist Party in 1999. But splits within the youth wing and then between it and the Party quickly erupted. The KRPF moved against Zhukov, replacing him with Iuri Afonin in October 2003. A month later, the All-Russian Leninist Communist Youth League (VLKSM) was formed, formerly splitting it from the KPRF, with Zhukov at its head. The new communist youth group changed its name to SKM shortly thereafter and pledged its allegiance to the All-Russian Communist Party of the Future, which was liquidated in 2005. As of now there are at least three organizations claiming to be the true successor to the Soviet Komsomol. The Communist Youth League, SKM, the Communist Youth League of the Russian Federation, SKM RF, and a small splinter group called the Revolutionary Communist Youth League (Bolshevik), RKSM(b). The only ones that matter in communist political circles are the dueling SKM and SKM RF. The former claims a membership of 10,000, while the latter posts a number of 26,000. It’s enough to make your head spin.
Iuri Afonin, who leads the SKM RF and still supports the KPRF, saw the move as illegitimate and that it would have no real political impact. He told Kommersant that “nothing was lost” with the SKM’s defection. “This congress is illegitimate because the regional leaders of the organization weren’t present . . . All the regions work with us and all headquarters are registered as members of the KPRF.” The Moscow Times quoted Afonin calling the whole move a “farce” and suggested that Just Russia simply bought off Zhukov for “30 pieces of silver.”
Claims that the KPRF are out of touch with young Russians are understatements. Its constituency remains mostly among pensioners, which it rallies support with nostalgia for a Soviet past that could never be reclaimed. Judging from the organization’s rhetoric, it appears unwilling to accept that a new generation of post-Soviet youth has now been born, who have little knowledge of or interest in the past outside of vague feelings of national pride. Unfortunately, for the Communists this pride appears impossible to transform into real political capital.
The generational divide isn’t just between the Communists and potential new supporters, but as the statements from sympathetic communist youth attest, the generation gap is internal. But it seems that the reality is slowly setting in on some level. Gennady Zuganov recently announced that the KPRF will use the images of Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, and Alexandr Lukashenko as its main propaganda symbols during the upcoming election. The move is certainly a scheme to attract left wing youth who hold up these four as symbols of a global leftism and defiance to U.S. hegemony. The KPRF thinks that it can conquer cool. Good luck.
Popularity: 11% [?]
Trackbacks & Pingbacks
- Pingback by Global Voices Online » Russia: Communist Youth League and Just Russia on August 23, 2007 @ 8:40 pm
Comments
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
I saw Natalia Narochnitskaya of Just Russia stand up to Eliot Engel and Tom Lantos during a recent gathering of American and US law makers in DC. She comes across as a charasmatic sort who speaks her mind. She’s affiliated with one global political left movement, while being known for championing traditional Russian causes like pro-Russian Orthodox Church activity, as well as support for Serbia and Pridnestrovie.
Not much apparent interest in a non-United Russia Russian political grouping that concerns itself with mainstream Russian views unlike the Kasparovs, Bukovskys….
BTW Sean, you have a misspelling in the post headline.
(Also, there is a serious mistranslation of one of the banned books’s titles in the relevant post — it should be “The SS will break down YOUR door, not “OUR door.” Which is a major difference given the context
)
(Sorry to be anal, but I AM an editor.)
Isn’t that spelling correction a bit like…crying over spilt milk? Sorry, I couldn’t resist. And I understand the compulsion – once you have marked up documents, you never look at text the same way again.
Thanks for the corrections, which I always welcome. Even though the misspellings can be embarrassing. Mistranslations, well, those I can live with . . .I’ll make the correction on that too. Thanks!
Slightly off topic perhaps, but still related to youth on the left, I think.
Two days ago on the Moscow metro I saw a sticker with the unmistakable IWW logo. Unfortunately, the part of the sticker with text was torn away, with only hints of a website left behind, but nothing I could make out. The logo, for those unfamiliar with it, is viewable at:
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Goldman/Documents/fx-2i.jpg
Any ideas, please leave a comment here or over at my blog! I’m so curious about the prospect of Wobblies, or relateds, in Moscow.
Well there used to be a pretty strong anarchist movement during the 1980s. I don’t know about now.
I spent a few days in a cabin several years ago with the former head of the Union of Anarchists. They used to heckle Gorbachev. Now he just writes good books.
(Actually he was an advisor to Nemtsov for a while, maybe still is.)
On further reflection, you might be interested in his book on the neformalny movement. It’s A. Shubin, I think the title is just Neformalnye. The photos of the young Kagarlitsky are priceless (he hasn’t changed his hairstyle in 20 years!).
Slightly off topic, but related to a youthful like political analysis:
Doodle Discussion Group on Russia – Hosted by Dieter Labelle and Chris Moss
James Beadie: Dieter, you’ve me on here as a punching bag.
Dieter Labelle: No I don’t.
Other Participants to Themselves: He’s full of shit.
Ethan Frankfurter: Greetings. Today I want to document how Russia doesn’t legally exist as a nation. Reference my recent appearance at LR, which is an excellent source.
Dale Pursestring: I find Anatol’s views on Chechnya to be incoherent.
Anatol Brevin: I will not participate al this level of intellectual discourse.
Dieter Labelle: Oh Anatol, please come back Anatol.
Vlad Gogol: I don’t see what’s the problem. Where’s Ira Kraus. I’ve a sudden urge to smack him around.
Jordan John: I get no respect. Condi is SOS and the BBC puts that **** on.
Ira Kraus: Here’s my presentation on Ukraine.
Chris Moss: Boo! We met once and I can kick your ass.
Trot Myers: I saw David Duke. Most Russians are unaware of him.
Cory Morrison: This is a fascinating discussion.
Karen Hennessy: I’ve some hot info. I want to share. Saying to herself: I won’t reveal the source since it will upset Dieter.
Dieter Labelle: IMHO Paul Noble is nuts.
Boris Damon: Too many egos here for me. I’m done.
Eugene Kournakov: This is a nest of Russia haters and wishy washy flacks.
NOTE: THE HIGH INTELLECTUAL CALIBER OF THE ABOVE EXCERPTED DISCUSSION CAN BE CONFUSING TO MANY. IT’S THEREFORE NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR OPEN VIEWING.
See? Madness. PS. a caliber cannot be confusing. The “note” therefore makes no sense. You should have written “a source of confusion.” That would be English. Part of your problem is that you have little idea of how to write, and so your attempts at being witty just look silly.
Anyway, Buster and assorted other nondemented people — I really do recommend the Shubin book. Given Sean’ interest in youth movements, I really should have mentioned it before.
His books Paradoksy Perestroiky and 10 Myfov Sovetskoi Strany are quite good too.
“See? Madness. PS. a caliber cannot be confusing. The “note” therefore makes no sense. You should have written ‘a source of confusion.’ That would be English. Part of your problem is that you have little idea of how to write, and so your attempts at being witty just look silly.”
****
Much more witty than your grammer Naziing attempts to cover-up your own lack of wit.
Mike, we’re talking about the Wobblies. This is not a venue for you to defend your bad writing. Please go away before Sean locks the thread. It’s “grammar,” not “grammer,” by the way. And there should be no hyphen in “cover up,” as it is being employed as a verb, not a noun.
Chris:
By all means, please leave. This venue is meant to deal with FSU related matter and not to nitpick over how one writes at an informal discussion.
You’re the “editor” in need of editing, as per your belief that “there’re” isn’t valid shorthand for “there are”.
You’re the one with the poor analytical skills, as shown by how you cited a recent article of mine which blows away anything that Dieter has written or said on the subject of Russia’s policy on Kosovo.
I have never cited an article of yours in my life. I don’t think you know what “to cite” means. Moreover, I have never even read an article of yours in my life, nor do I intend to.
Who the hell is Dieter?
Now, back to Wobblies!
(PS. it’s “FSU-related.” Hyphen trouble again!)
Sure you did “Russia’s Sane Position on Kosovo”.
Your grammar Nazi interruptions are an attempt to cover-up the intellectually challenged state of yourself.
Like how you claimed that Vlasov was gay and a pogromist. Upon asking for documentation, you diverted with some apparent reference to a comic book character.
After insisting differently, do you now acknowledge that “there’re” is valid shorthand for “there are”?
“Sure you did “Russia’s Sane Position on Kosovo”.”
No, I didn’t, you dim bulb. You don’t know what “to cite” means.
You made reference to that article freak. You don’t know the meaning of the word “cite,” in addition to being weak on a number of Russia related topics. Kosovo, Vlasov and Suvorov being among them.
“Cite” does not mean “make reference to.” Sticking the title “Russia’s Sane Position on Kosovo” on top of the text of a short story for comic effect is not citing it. It boggles the mind that you try to pass yourself off as a writer.
Anyway, once again, I recommend to Buster and Sean that they check out the Shubin.
You once gain butcher the English language.
Qualitatively speaking, you’re no pundit, writer or editor.
The real comic relief is the now barred from open viewing Doodle Discussion Group on Russia.
Its like this madness only happens when I’m asleep. Anyway, back to Wobblies. I’d be interested to know about a IWW presence in Russia. After all Big Bill Hayward is buried in the Kremlin wall!
The only anarchists I met in Moscow were anarchist/autonomous Marxist intellectuals, who been greatly influences by the flood of Foucault, Deleuze, and Negri into Russia. You can find them here
A friend of mine was telling me about this group of victor Serge lovers in Moscow that she met at the US Social Forum in Atlanta. They are called Praxis.
I will look into Shubin’s books Chris. Thanks!
“The only anarchists I met in Moscow were anarchist/autonomous Marxist intellectuals, who been greatly influences by the flood of Foucault, Deleuze, and Negri into Russia”
And Chomsky! Can’t forget the Noamster!
Shubin’s Neformalny book is a history of the mainly youth political movements in the Gorbachev era — anarchist, socialist, democratic, “liberal.” Back when Zhirinovsky had a full head of hair. Kagarlitsky, Novo-whatever-her-name-is-I-always-forget-it and Pavlovsky are major there. It’s a good book.
Will definitely look at the Shubin, CM, though my real, albeit narrow, interest was in an actual Wobbly link, rather than the present anarchist tradition/movement generally speaking.
If anyone hears anything of specific IWW links (or the actual group that was using the Wobbly logo), do let me know. In the meantime I’ll keep scouring the streets and subway cars for another sticker.
Buster, why don’t you write the IWW?
CM, I’ll give it a go, though I’m skeptical that the Russian people are actually tied to the IWW (no listing for Russian branches at iww.org) and due to the decentralized nature of Wobblies, I’m not sure that the folks at HQ would know of Russian allies or not. Also checked indymedia sites, but no luck there. I talked to a couple US-based Wobblies (friends of mine) but they were stumped; though, like me, they were excited by the possibility of home-grown Russian anarchists taking up the Wobbly banner.
I’ll keep at it, though I suppose I do have other real research priorities I should be addressing.
Oh, I found some of Shubin’s writings online: http://old.russ.ru/authors/shubin.html
From Today’s (Friday’s) TMT:
Communists Facing Youth Group Exodus
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2007/09/07/003.html
See, this is why I visit Sean’s blog! All the porn pointers.
The closest Chris gets to getting some.
Wow, 13-year-old wit. Impressive.
I did that so you could better understand.