The lack of a reckoning with the KGB and Soviet history in 1991 (unlike Nuremberg trials after WWII) allowed Putin, a KGB officer, to rehabilitate Soviet narratives and blame the West for Russia's difficulties, preventing a clean institutional break from authoritarianism.
causalpending
Speaker
Michael McFaulEvidence Quote
“they didn't have the heartbreak in 1991 with their Soviet history... we had Nuremberg trials and we said Nazis are not going to be part of the future.”
Source
“They’re Not Like Us”: Michael McFaul on Autocrats vs. Democrats and the Fight for the 21st Century— Hoover InstitutionCreated: 8/11/2026, 7:32:51 AM
My Notes
Loading notes...