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#13 - JRL 2007-14 - JRL Home
From: "Michael Herzen" mh@4herzen.net
Subject: RE: 2007-#13-Johnson's Russia List [Re: "Russia's Managed Democracy"]
Date: Thu, 18 Jan 2007

Re #13, of today - #33 "Russia's Managed Democracy" By Perry Anderson

While there is much positive to say about this article, I was struck early on by comments regarding the varying mastery of Russian as an explanation for Putin's popularity, and in particular the author's reference to Lenin's Russian. It is not true that Lenin's oral Russian was, in any sense, exemplary. If you have listened to recordings of his speech, you will detect the fact that he has a very significant tongue tie. The Russians would say "on kartavil", ie he was unable to roll his "r"s, but rather swallowed them, giving a French sound to the letter. Rightly or wrongly, this is commonly attributed to Jews in Russia, as some sort of national impairment. I cannot say whether this speech defect actually appears more commonly in this ethnic group, but we now know that Lenin did have a Jewish grandfather - something carefully hidden for nearly 80 years of Soviet rule. And, it is also a fact that, for all his brilliance in polemics (especially written polemics), Lenin did not enjoy public speaking. He forced himself to do it, knowing that, in his profession, it was crucial. Whenever he had a chance, though, he preferred to delegate this responsibility to someone else. In particular, he relied on Lev Davidovich (Bronstein-Trotski) whenever possible (who did not 'kartavit'). Though this is difficult, perhaps impossible, to prove, I believe Lenin's innate aversion to speech was due to this impediment, and, most likely, its ethnic identification.

As for Putin's Russian, while it is fluent with no obvious defects of accent or physiology, it is hardly the form of his speech that is attractive. Rather, it is the content. As, the author pointed out, Putin is a master of detail. His annual, often 4-hour, telethon at the end of the year is unprecedented - anywhere. He would put to shame, in this regard, virtually any other leader on earth. His mastery of facts and figures is something to behold, and something that anyone, in any of our presidential debates, would envy. It is this world-class nature of the content of Putin's speech that sets him apart, and is thus a matter of considerable pride to a great mass of the Russian populace. One can disagree with his politics, as I do, but of this virtue there can be no doubt.