Really now. Tell the truth. How bad was Stalin? And did you know the Soviet gulags were just a figament of some westerner's imagination?Vladimir Putin is making sure that Russian students learn only "patriotic" history - and let the truth be damned: Now, the Kremlin claims it wants to change that situation and a recommissioning of Russia's history textbooks is under way. A handbook for teachers, on the basis of which a future textbook for students could be written, is called The Modern History of Russia, 1945-2006. Only one of the authors is a professional historian. The book calls Joseph Stalin a "contradictory" figure, and states that while some people consider him evil, others recognise him as a "hero" for his role in the Great Patriotic War (the Second World War) and his territorial expansion."Learning history should make people feel part of the nation, but it depends on how it's done," said one history teacher from Moscow. "If the idea...(Read Full Post)