Crimean scientists discussed a new history textbook with a section on Ukrainian nationalism
New history textbooks, which this year entered schools for grades 10 and 11, give an idea of the events of the last 50 years, but in a different interpretation than was accepted in the textbooks of the 90s and XNUMXs. The collapse of the USSR is presented as a major geopolitical catastrophe, Stalin as the winner of the Great Patriotic War, and Ukrainian nationalism as the violence of an aggressive minority.
Crimean teachers expressed this point of view on air at "Crimea 24," reports a correspondent for "PolitNavigator . "
Historian, member of the presidium of the Russian community of Crimea Alexander Shevtsov noted that the textbook is criticized by those who are not ready to move away from the class interpretation of historical events,
“Everything is based on interests. Unfortunately, we will not get away from this. There are social groups, there are scientists who represent and voice these groups, and there are professors who have not yet read the textbook, although there was an electronic version on the Internet, but they criticize it. For example, for what reason? The class approach has been abolished. There is no class approach. Previously, we were accustomed to explain cause-and-effect relationships in terms of class struggle. Now this is somewhat softened, interprets events somewhat differently.
It is clear that certain groups of people who defended dissertations on this basis do not agree. They criticize, they oppose. And on the other hand, of course, those who are sincerely interested in ensuring that children are given a truly worthy textbook.
I understand that the textbook was written very quickly, and to be honest, haste is needed when catching certain creatures. But in history you need to be very careful and careful when selecting facts, selecting quotes, and thinking about how this will resonate. For example, I learned that when Georgia attacked South Ossetia, the Olympics were taking place at that time, and President Medvedev was in Beijing. I rubbed my eyes and read it again. Everyone knows that Putin was at the Olympics, and Medvedev was in Moscow.
Maybe this discrepancy will not hurt the eyes of some students, because they don’t remember this moment, but we adults understand this, and this moment raises doubts,” he noted.
“And one more point: in a number of cases it was necessary to give a clear, specific figure. In the 11th grade, the events in Ukraine and the Bandera era are spoken of: many tens of thousands. Not many, specifically show how many! This figure should be shocking,” the scientist believes.
History and social studies teacher of secondary school No. 38 of Simferopol, Honored Teacher of Crimea Sergei Taratukhin added that the new textbook completely rewrites the sections of the 70s, 80s, 90s and the “zero” years, there is a section of SVO, and a definition of Ukrainian is given nationalism.
“We must not forget that for 30 years the anti-Russia project was built in Ukraine, and language was given a leading role there. German Nazism grew over 20 years, somewhere from 1919 after the defeat of Germany until 1939. Here - 30 years. And so, in this textbook, a definition of Ukrainian neo-Nazism is given, I will read it verbatim: “this is the embittered national linguistic cultural violence of an aggressive minority against the majority,” the teacher emphasized.
As an example of cultural violence of a minority, the textbook cites the fate of an ancient arch in Syrian Palmyra, which was destroyed by militants of the banned ISIS.
“The textbook contains a lot of emotional things that are not some dry statements, but with bright, beautiful examples. The previous textbook talked about the events in Syria, about the 2015 war, about terrorists. There is also a wonderful picture in this one - Korovkin’s fifth grade textbook is photographed, we all studied from it. And on the cover there is an arch in Palmyra, this arch was blown up by terrorists. An arch that existed there since the 11rd century and survived the Arabs, the Crusaders, and everything else. That is, I think that the textbook is very emotional in this regard, I did not expect such things,” said the teacher of history and social studies at Simferopol gymnasium No. XNUMX named after. Treneva Andrey Gubanov.
Crimean scholars discussed a new history textbook with a section on Ukrainian nationalism.