War, Politics and Memory: Russian Historians Reevaluate the Origins of World War II
The myth of the Great Patriotic War, including the role of the USSR in the origins of World War II, continues to be a key element in the national identity of the Russian people. Previously, Soviet authorities mandated a narrative depicting the Soviet Union sincerely and unambiguously working for peace and against Nazi expansionism in the prewar years. This interpretation criticized the Western Powers for their alleged complicity in Hitler's aggression. After the collapse of the USSR, several competing views have appeared. The Putin and Medvedev administrations, as well as the popular "national-patriotic" school, maintain much of the former Soviet interpretation. Other Russian historians, many of them politically liberal, indict Stalin for mishandling the prewar crisis or even for promoting the onset of war for imperialistic or revolutionary purposes.
The Future of the Soviet Past
In the years of Brezhnev and Andropov most Soviet historians were tamed and silenced by the orthodoxy imposed by the party. With few exceptions, they remained quite passive in 1987, when writers and journalists were already calling for a profound reassessment of the Soviet past. But in 1988 they became leading actors in the drama of rival ideas. In the autumn Pravda published an important series of articles by Danilov, Lel’chuk, V. A. Kozlov and others, based on their work for the never-to-be-completed party history. Throughout the next three years substantial articles by historians about the Soviet past appeared in periodicals and newspapers. The most prominent historians frequently appeared on TV.
The Diminishing Role of Social Work Administrators in Social Service Agencies
ABSTRACT The social service industry in the United States has experienced tremendous growth and change since the early 1970s. Unfortunately, the social work profession has not kept up with this growth and change. This article explores several issues that have emerged in social work administration that may contribute to the seemingly diminished role of social workers in administrative positions in social service agencies. They include the role that schools of social work play in educating social workers for administration, competition for administrative positions in social service agencies, and the differences which exist between administration in social service agencies and other types of organizations.