Memory and democracy center

We continue the publication of the cycle of a video presentation with experts in various fields and public figures about how, in their opinion, it is worth being the presidential center of Boris Yeltsin. The basis of the creation of the Center is the Federal Law “On the Center for the Historical Heritage of the Presidents of the Russian Federation, who has terminated the execution of their powers.” Place of creation - Yekaterinburg. The cycle is part of a wider discussion of the concept and tasks of the center. We publish a commentary on the historian and public figure, chairman of the International Society "Memorial" Arsenia Borisovich Roginsky .

There must be an exposition. I would allocate several topics in it. The first - as from the average seemingly ordinary for that era of the secretary of the regional committee, Boris Nikolaevich Yeltsin grew up. This is the topic of the secretary of the regional committee. His "everyday life." It is difficult to show this topic, because although there are a lot of photo and films in the Sverdlovsk film studio, they are all some others ... It is difficult to convert them.

The second topic is about the Yeltsin essence. Once in my life I saw Yeltsin. We had a meeting of the Public Council of the Memorial, and he was a member of this council. He was then expelled from there and had not yet become that. And they began to discuss what date for the day of memory of the victims. The case happens in the summer and autumn of 88 years. The writer Rybakov, who is also a member of the council, rises, and says: "December 1, 1934." Someone is terribly brave, I don’t remember who, but, for example, Yevtushenko says: “It should be September 5, 1918, Red Terror” and so on. And so they say, in this, invented, they say, they asked me a task, I have to answer. But then Boris Nikolaevich rose and says: "Actually August 7." All in bewilderment. August 7 is “seven eighths”, it is a “decree on spikelets”. In his generic memory, a decree on spikelets, which is essentially something completely different than remembering the rest of December 1 or September 5, it was the date of “anti -people” or something ... and then I felt that his idea “I am the people” is not false. Therefore, he made his way through his register. Although he did not make his way at all.

The third topic is perestroika. Thousands of newspapers, the entire informal press. I would arrange an exhibition of the Gorbachev era, because you need to show: Yeltsin is like hope, and he is as a myth. And finally, another topic is the 90s. It is very difficult because it is close. And the characters are all - here they are. If you extract a lesson for the future, then this is the drama of the 90s. Will the organizers of the Yeltsin Center go to the truthful exposition about the 90s? “I think it will not be easy for them.” The rest has some kind of shade of panegyric, they will go to it, and I don’t know the 90s ... maybe so far at least with strokes ...

In addition to the exposition, the center should have a good library in Russian history of the twentieth century. Better regional. You can, of course, understand the regional, but it’s a pity if the center of Yeltsin does not become the center of studying the Russian twentieth century. It should not be a "presidential library." It is for the Sverdlovsk land, generally for the Ural youth.

There must be a collection of perestroika "informal printing". We, in the Memorial, have such-in my opinion, the largest of the existing ones. She actually there is a place. These materials are necessary for anyone who will engage in the history of society in the era of perestroika.

Research Center in Russia of the XX century and in perestroika. Why not? This must be created. Those. This is an educational center in the sense of museum filling and at the same time a research center in the sense of different information related to the twentieth century.

But it should also be a sociocultural center. There should be something important all the time. M.B. We must think about this center as a house of democracy for Yekaterinburg. There is no such thing. And in general there are few where there is. This is a place where the halls are provided with any pro- and anti-government party, where people are interested in today's and tomorrow's Russia. The center itself is not party, but providing the hall. And there people will be sure that they will not be canceled this meeting. Let the creators decide with parties themselves. Of course, there should be just a lectureur with normal educational and political topics.

Yeltsin understood democracy simply: he did not understand it as a procedure, but understood as publicity and polyphony. Everyone has the right to express their opinion. Those. The center should become educational, research, scientific and resource, at the same time the center of memory and democracy. Here of these components, I would compose this building.