BROADENING THE
CURRICULUM
Putin and Ukraine
Is Putinās interpretation of history wrong?
Under Putinās rule, Stalin has gradually been rehabilitated. This has entailed a rewriting of Russian history emphasising Stalinās role in defending the ancient territories of the Russian speaking world, and Putinās role as his spiritual successor. It is this re-envisioning of Putin as ‘Putin the Protector’ which drives the narrative he uses to try to explain and justify the war in Ukraine to the world.
Parallel Histories has produced a set of resources that allow your students to debate Putinās claims and analyse how his historical narrative has been constructed. By doing this, pupils get an insight into how historical events are being used in Russian propaganda to justify the war in Ukraine.
You can also read our blog post about Russia’s parallel histories here, and Putin’s past relationship with NATO here.
Further reading:
Timothy Snyder, The Making of Modern UkraineĀ video lecture seriesĀ (2022)
Andrew Wilson The Ukrainians: An Unexpected Nation (2000)
Shaun Walker The Long Hangover: Putin’s New Russia and the Ghosts of the Past (2018)
M.E. Sarotte, Not One Inch: America, Russia, and the Making of Post-Cold War Stalemate (2021)
Tim Galen Carpenter, Beyond NATO: Staying Out of Europe’s Wars A New European Policy for America (1994)