What the Russian Revolution would have looked like on social media | Mikhail Zygar

譯者: Helen Chang 審譯者: Tanjia Pon

What is history?

什麼是歷史？

It is something written by the winners.

是勝利者寫的東西。

There is a stereotype that history should be focused on the rulers,

有一種刻板印象， 歷史應該專注於統治者，

like Lenin or Trotsky.

像列寧或托洛斯基。

As a result, people in many countries, like mine, Russia,

因此，許多國家的人， 像是我國俄羅斯，

look at history as something that was predetermined

視歷史為預先確定

or determined by the leaders,

或由領導人所決定，

and common people could not influence it in any way.

普通人無法以任何方式影響歷史。

Many Russians today do not believe that Russia could ever have been

許多俄羅斯人至今都不相信

俄羅斯曾經是，或未來 可以是個真正民主的國家，

or ever will be a truly democratic nation,

and this is due to the way history has been framed

這正是歷史

呈現給俄羅斯公民的形象，

to the citizens of Russia.

And this is not true.

並不是真的。

To prove it, I spent two years of my life trying to go 100 years back,

為了證明這一點， 我花兩年時間試圖回到一百年前，

to the year 1917,

到 1917 年，

the year of the Russian Revolution.

即俄國革命那年。

I asked myself, what if the internet and Facebook existed 100 years ago?

我問自己，如果一百年前 有互聯網和臉書會怎樣？

So last year, we built a social network for dead people,

所以我們在去年建了 給逝者用的社交網路，

named Project1917.com.

名為 Project1917.com。

My team and I created our software,

我和團隊建了軟體，

digitized and uploaded all possible real diaries and letters

把找得到的真實日記和信件 全都數位化和上傳，

written by more than 3,000 people

那些是由三千多人

100 years ago.

於一百年前撰寫的。

So any user of our website or application

因此，任何我們網站或應用程式的用戶

can follow a news feed for each day of 1917

都能關注 1917 年裡 每一天的新聞，

and read what people like Stravinsky or Trotsky,

閱讀史特拉汶斯基或托洛斯基、

Lenin or Pavlova and others thought and felt.

列寧或帕夫洛娃等人的想法和感受。

We watch all those personalities being ordinary people like you and me,

這些人全都是像你我這樣的普通人，

not demigods,

而不是半神的人，

and we see that history consists of their mistakes, fears, weaknesses,

我們看到的歷史中 有他們的錯誤、恐懼和弱點，

not only their "genius ideas."

而不僅僅是他們的「天才想法」。

Our project was a shock for many Russians,

我們的專案震驚許多俄羅斯人，

who used to think that our country has always been an autocratic empire

過去他們認為 我國一直是個專制的帝國，

and the ideas of freedom and democracy could never have prevailed,

自由和民主的思想永遠不會佔上風，

just because democracy was not our destiny.

只因為我們註定不民主。

But if we take a broader look,

但如果我們把目光放寬放遠，

it's not that black and white.

它並不那麼涇渭分明。

Yes, 1917 led to 70 years of communist dictatorship.

跟隨著 1917 年的確是 70 年的 共產主義獨裁統治。

But with this project, we see that Russia could have had a different history

但是通過這個專案，我們看到

俄羅斯能有不同的歷史 和民主的未來，

and a democratic future, as any other country could or still can.

就像任何其他的國家能夠有， 仍然可以有那樣。

Reading the posts from 1917,

閱讀 1917 年的貼文，

you learn that Russia was the first country in the world

你會了解到俄羅斯是世界上

to abolish the death penalty,

第一個廢除死刑的國家，

or one of the first ones to grant women voting rights.

也是最早授予 女性投票權的國家之一。

Knowing history and understanding how ordinary people influenced history

了解歷史並了解普通人 如何影響歷史，

can help us create a better future,

可以幫助我們創造更美好的未來，

because history is just a rehearsal of what's happening right now.

因為歷史只是對現在 正在發生的事情的預演。

We do need new ways of telling history,

我們確實需要新的方式來講述歷史，

and this year, for example,

例如，今年我們開始新的線上專案，

we started a new online project that is called 1968Digital.com,

名為 1968Digital.com，

and that is an online documentary series

它是個線上紀錄片系列，

that gives you an impression of that year, 1968,

提供您 1968 那一年的印象，

a year marked by global social change

那是全球社會變革的一年，

that, in many ways, created the world as we know it now.

在許多方面塑造了我們現今的世界。

But we are making that history alive

我們讓那段歷史活躍起來，

by imagining what if all the main characters could use mobile phones ...

通過如果所有的主角 都能使用手機的想像，

just like that?

就那樣。

And we see that a lot of individuals

我們看到很多人

面臨同樣的挑戰，

were facing the same challenges and were fighting for the same values,

為同樣的價值觀在奮鬥，

no matter if they lived in the US or in USSR

無論他們是住在美國、蘇聯、

法國、中國還是捷克斯洛伐克。

or in France or in China or in Czechoslovakia.

By exposing history in such a democratic way,

以這種民主的方式揭露歷史，

through social media,

通過社交媒體，

we show that people in power are not the only ones making choices.

我們展現當權者 不是唯一掌握選擇權的人。

That gives any user a possibility of reclaiming history.

這使任何用戶都能糾正歷史。

Ordinary people matter.

普通人很重要。

They have an impact.

他們有影響力。

Ideas matter.

想法很重要。

Journalists, scientists, philosophers matter.

記者、科學家、哲學家很重要。

We shape society.

我們塑造社會。

We all make history.

我們都創造了歷史。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）