Do you feel there is nostalgia for the Soviet period? How much sovietism is left in contemporary Georgia?

No, there is no nostalgia for Soviet times. Of course, it is not possible to go back. But the Soviet mentality left deep marks, in particular with the idea that the government should be responsible for everything.

There is little push for spontaneous collective action, in particular out of Tbilisi. Also, in regards to our business community, Soviet teachings and education left a clear impression, starting in the 1990s. People think they are going towards the West, but their picture of the West is painted by Marxism-Leninism.

From their Marxist-Leninist education, they know that doing business is an absolutely cynical exercise. You have to exploit the workers, kill your competitors, and so on, because that's the West as it was described in Soviet times. So this is what they feel they should do, now that Georgia should be "Western".

So in spite of all the effort dedicated to getting rid of Soviet symbols and leaving behind the Soviet past, Soviet mentality and teachings are still very ... more.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.