Comrade Hitler. Hang Churchill’. This is the title of a book out of print in Russia in which it is narrated how Hitler, thanks to a time traveler who has taken over his mind, allies with Stalin, in such a way that the armies of both nations manage to conquer England. and execute the British Prime Minister as a ‘warmonger’.
Another book by the same author, ‘Crusader from the future’, a current Russian soldier travels back in time to confront the Arabs, who have managed to take over all of Europe. In «Russia America SL», the plot, for example, is a time traveler who manages to travel to the 18th century, destroy the British presence, free the redskins and save the world. In ‘The Calm After the Storm’ – another best-seller – the Russian Navy travels back to the 19th century to help the Confederates win the American Civil War.
Comrade Hitler Hang Churchill
In this book, the Nazi and Red armies unite to invade England, conquer it, and execute Churchill as a warmonger.
Since 2010, a type of literature called ‘Popadantsy’ has triumphed in Russia, a term that could be translated as time travel. But, these books are not the science fiction of a lifetime, but rather have a devastating nationalist charge. For the most part, its content is military and its plot is based on a hero from Moscow who manages to travel to another era to apply his knowledge and change history, in such a way that Russia dominates the world.
Russian America Corporation
A time traveler manages to defeat the English in their North American colonies, frees the redskins and seizes power.
To realize the popularity of this genre, there is an enlightening fact. In 2012, barely a hundred books with this content had been published. As of 2022, the genre ‘popadantsy’ has 2,507 entries. According to the Russian researcher Nicholai Kubalka, who has carried out this study, there are some common characteristics in these books and one of them is the fixation with considering Great Britain the enemy. That context helps to understand, for example, that the Russian hawks who appear on television repeat over and over again that nuclear weapons should be used against London.
the tsar of the future
A young man travels back in time and is reincarnated as Tsar Nicholas II. He manages to stop the Russian revolution and, with weapons from the future, conquers England and Istanbul.
But the ‘popadantsy’ literature has other factors that help to understand its success. In one of the collections, for example, imaginary wars in Ukraine are recreated. One of its titles, published in 2014 during the Donbas war, tells how the Defense Minister himself, Serguei Shoigu, is like, who leads an elite commando in Kiev to stop the politicians who in those years opposed Moscow. “These books are bought by the Kremlin and sent to schools, libraries and youth centers so that they can be read,” said the political scientist, author in ‘El archivo’ and expert in Russian culture, Daniel Villalón.
The lieutenant of the future
Putin’s own defense minister, Sergei Shugoi, leads a commando that captures Ukrainian leaders – who appear dressed as Nazis – during the 2014 Donbas war.
The author, in statements to this newspaper, explains that these books are written by authors “with something technical but with a doubtful future, who are offered money to produce commissioned works.” They are artists who, in addition, are protected by the Government. «One of them would be Vladimir Skvortsov. With only a handful of books he has up to 13 decorations awarded by the Government ».
Come on Russia!
Travelers in time are reincarnated in the bodies of the tsars Nicholas II and Alexander III and manage to put an end to the revolution.
In this type of books, some themes are repeated, such as the man from the future who manages to reincarnate in the body of one of the Russian tsars. These leaders, with the mentality of someone from the 20th century and their knowledge of technology, manage to change history. For example, in ‘The Czar of the Future’ he is even able to defeat the communist revolutionaries and spread across Europe after defeating the British empire and taking Istanbul. According to Villalón, the recovery of tsarism has been one of President Putin’s initiatives. In 2015, he even organized a public event to bury with full honors the tsarevich -heir- Alexey and his sister Maria, Grand Duchess, assassinated in 1918, during the revolution. The dating of these bodies, found in a common grave, was doubtful and even the Orthodox Church opposed burial. However, pressure from the Kremlin made religious leaders change their minds. “What underlies is the obsession to compare Putin with Czar Peter the Great,” adds the expert.
Medal for the city of Washington
A unit of Russian marines arrives at the American capital and destroys it with an atomic bomb.
But the ‘popadantsy’ genre has other constants. The most important, according to Villalón, is revenge. The thesis would be that the fall of the Soviet Union was yet another humiliation for a country that had already been betrayed by the nations of the world throughout its history. For the country, therefore, the time would have come to take revenge and begin to recover everything lost after years of Western cheating. “There is tremendous confusion in the West. One tends to think that in Russia Tolstoy or Gogol is read, but the popular readings are different. The invasion of Ukraine was seen coming with the proliferation of these titles, “says the analyst.
Call sign ‘Kolorad’
A young man is reincarnated in the body of Stalin’s son -who appears on the cover taking a selfie- and manages to defeat the Germans in WWII.
For Villalón, another disturbing genre that triumphs in Russia is the revisionism of Stalinist characters. An example is that the book ‘Beria, the best administrator of the 20th century’ is a best seller. Beria is one of the most abject characters in the Stalinist purges and is considered responsible for the main massacres committed in Russia. After Stalin’s death in 1953, Beria was executed by communist leaders who wanted regime change. Now, in the new Russian literature, he has become a hero. “It must be taken into account that for years there has been a current of thought that what it wants is to recover the figure of Stalin and defend everything that was committed during his tenure,” explains the expert.
But now he has become a hero. How is it understood that he praises both the tsars and the revolution that overthrew them? “Very easy. What fascinates is authoritarianism”, sums up Villalón.
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