Слово чушпана: conspiracy theory
Let's imagine, for a moment, that the late Soviet KGB was not simply a group of bureaucratic careerists, resembling characters from "Our Man in Havana." Instead, consider it as an omnipresent and possibly self proclaimed benevolent force that started working to counter the inevitable collapse of the Soviet Union.
They recognized that the traditional institutions, such as the Army, the Communist Party, the Police, and even the KGB itself, were all corroded and incapable of withstanding the impending collapse. However, they were well aware of how the Cultural Revolution in China and death squads in Latin America operated to alter the course of complex social dynamics.
It's widely believed that the "Kazan phenomenon" was inspired and/or guided by the KGB, which could explain why it took the police so many years to develop effective countermeasures. Additionally, the complex and effective social norms and language exhibited by these gangs could not have emerged overnight in Kazan, Naberezhnye Chelny, Cheboksary, and later Ulyanovsk. For such a grassroots movement, it would have taken years, if not decades, for these dynamics to flourish. I remember the rituals, language, written and unwritten social norms of the Soviet young pioneer organisation, and the gangs were comparable in complexity and far surpassing in pervasiveness.
But what if there was a long-term, intricate KGB operation to prepare a social cadre movement that could be used to counter the violence that would inevitably erupt during the Soviet Union's collapse? This theory could explain everything:
A whole generation of young males, starting as young as 10 or 12 years old, were placed in extreme settings and closely monitored by a hierarchy of higher-ups. This served as an effective HR sieve and a totalitarian indoctrination system simultaneously. In some districts, nearly 100% of males were recruited into the gangs (I take this opportunity to send regards to the "Психквадрат" and "Поселок"). The slight differences in gang organizations and traditions among the three main cities could be attributed to variations in the experimental parameters. Ultimately, instead of the late Soviet Union's formal "dossier," every male could have had a comprehensive psychological profile collected, identifying natural leaders, potential grey eminences, and obedient foot soldiers accurately.
By the way, I've always been intrigued by the size of the KGB building (and the apparent large number of personnel there) in the center of Cheboksary in the 1980s. It always seemed like an overkill for such a small city.
Hypothesis: Perhaps this intricate KGB operation didn't achieve its intended results because the collapse of the Soviet Union started just 1-2 years earlier than the KGB operation was nearing completion. The timing might have been a critical factor in the success or failure of this ambitious endeavor.
They recognized that the traditional institutions, such as the Army, the Communist Party, the Police, and even the KGB itself, were all corroded and incapable of withstanding the impending collapse. However, they were well aware of how the Cultural Revolution in China and death squads in Latin America operated to alter the course of complex social dynamics.
It's widely believed that the "Kazan phenomenon" was inspired and/or guided by the KGB, which could explain why it took the police so many years to develop effective countermeasures. Additionally, the complex and effective social norms and language exhibited by these gangs could not have emerged overnight in Kazan, Naberezhnye Chelny, Cheboksary, and later Ulyanovsk. For such a grassroots movement, it would have taken years, if not decades, for these dynamics to flourish. I remember the rituals, language, written and unwritten social norms of the Soviet young pioneer organisation, and the gangs were comparable in complexity and far surpassing in pervasiveness.
But what if there was a long-term, intricate KGB operation to prepare a social cadre movement that could be used to counter the violence that would inevitably erupt during the Soviet Union's collapse? This theory could explain everything:
A whole generation of young males, starting as young as 10 or 12 years old, were placed in extreme settings and closely monitored by a hierarchy of higher-ups. This served as an effective HR sieve and a totalitarian indoctrination system simultaneously. In some districts, nearly 100% of males were recruited into the gangs (I take this opportunity to send regards to the "Психквадрат" and "Поселок"). The slight differences in gang organizations and traditions among the three main cities could be attributed to variations in the experimental parameters. Ultimately, instead of the late Soviet Union's formal "dossier," every male could have had a comprehensive psychological profile collected, identifying natural leaders, potential grey eminences, and obedient foot soldiers accurately.
By the way, I've always been intrigued by the size of the KGB building (and the apparent large number of personnel there) in the center of Cheboksary in the 1980s. It always seemed like an overkill for such a small city.
Hypothesis: Perhaps this intricate KGB operation didn't achieve its intended results because the collapse of the Soviet Union started just 1-2 years earlier than the KGB operation was nearing completion. The timing might have been a critical factor in the success or failure of this ambitious endeavor.