By: Jerry Wang

Recently, Russia’s government has begun bestowing strict values upon their new youth. They claim that this is in hopes of closing off future generations from amicable relations with the Western world.

Ideas that are being mandated in lessons include “traditional values,” the “geopolitical situation,” “the special military operation in Ukraine,” “Happiness is being happy at home,” and the “rebirth” of Russia into a great power under Putin’s rule. To achieve this, Russia has also begun spreading propaganda and arresting those who express opposing views. These conditions would assist in segregating Russian children from outsiders who, under these ideals, are inferior.

So far, the results have been staggering if nothing else. Irina Milyutina, a schoolteacher, mentioned how initially students would argue with alacrity about the rights and wrong of Russia’s invasion. However, now support is ubiquitous. When a fellow student, Irina, suggested adverse opinions on the ethics of Russia’s war, her classmates responded saying, “[i]t’s all propaganda.”

These ideals have even begun to creep into daily activities. During recess, when some of Ms. Milyutina’s students played as Russian soldiers “those whom they don’t like very much they call Ukrainians.”

With this, a larger issue has begun to arise. Russia’s goals and methods share striking similarities to the Nazis’. One could even say that Russia is currently mimicking the Nazis approach.

They both wanted to separate their people as better than others and conquer land to better improve their worsening situation. For the Nazis, they declared war and began to segregate “non-Germans” to better their financial state after losing a war and increase their citizens national pride. Russia, while to a lesser extent, have done the same thing with the same goal. Russia has even used specific tactics also deployed by the Nazis such as propaganda and school teachings.

With history threatening to repeat one of the world’s greatest catastrophes, Russia’s true motives may change the course of the world.

article: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/16/world/europe/russia-putin-schools-propaganda-indoctrination.html