As one of the last correspondents still living in Moscow, Michael Thumann described the radicalization of Putin and the fall into a dictatorship in "Revanche".
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Times have changed and turned into the worst. In 1999, foreign policy correspondent Michael Thumann met Vladimir Putin for an interview for the first time. At that time, Putin pretended to establish good relations with the West. Clumsy and a little shy seemed this man, who expressed himself in a complicated way and would turn the country into a dictatorship a few years later.
Michael Thumann "Revenge": That's what the political non-fiction book is about
+Michael Thumann "Revenge" – How Putin created the most threatening regime in the world.
© teutopress/Imago/C.H. Beck (Montage)
Under Vladimir Putin, Russia, actually the largest European country, is saying goodbye to Europe. Once again, an Iron Curtain is falling across the continent. If I travel to this country, I am usually stopped at the airport. The border guard holds my passport and makes a long phone call to his superiors. ... I have to answer questions: Where do they live? What do they think about the military operation? What are they planning to do in Russia? I answer curtly and ask myself: Will I still be able to enter the country at all? And will I come out again?
Michael Thumann
Michael Thumann describes in his convincingly argued and brilliantly written book how this came about. He analyzes the different stages that have led to the current war. Thumann derives three basic conclusions in his book:
- Putin is taking revenge for the collapse of the Soviet Union.
- Russia does not respond to the West.
- Putin is playing with a new nationalism that also dominates Turkey, Hungary, Poland, Italy and China.
For Michael Thumann, Putin was not an advocate of the new nationalism from the beginning.
If someone wants to destroy Russia, we have the right to answer. That would be a catastrophe for humanity and the world. But as a citizen of Russia and as a Russian president, I ask: why do we need a world in which there is no Russia?
Excerpt from TV interview with Vladimir Putin on 18.3.2018
It is Putin's calculation to use the new nationalism and cement his hold on power. With his soulmate "brothers", such as Erdoğan, Trump or Orban, his nationalism leads bit by bit into war.
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In his almost 300-page book, Michael Thumann describes Russia's fall into a totalitarian dictatorship. He identifies various stages along the way, including the pervasive propaganda, the misuse of Russian history, the isolation of the country, and alienation from the West.
Michael Thumann "Revenge": Conclusion
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Despite the complexity of the topic and the abundance of facts, the book is easy and understandable to read. It provides a well-structured insight into Putin's approach, which led to the attack on Ukraine. The reports from the country itself, the conversations with people from politics and society should be emphasized. The book is recommended to anyone who wants to deal with the background of the current developments in Russia.
Michael Thumann "Revenge"
2023 C.H. Beck, ISBN-13 978-3-406-79935-8
Price: Hardcover €25, e-book €18.99, 278 pages (different from format)
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Michael Thumann
Michael Thumann, who lives in Moscow, is a foreign policy correspondent for Die Zeit. Since the 1990s, he has reported for Die Zeit from Russia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Through his articles, podcasts and books about Russia as a multi-ethnic state and the rise of nationalism under Putin, he has helped to broaden our view of this country. He got to know Russia during his studies and studied at the Lomonosov University in Moscow, among other places.
Category list image: © teutopress/Imago/C.H. Beck (montage)
