Victory Day Research Articles

Victory Day in Russia: Performative patriotism and state discourse

Victory Day celebrations in Russia have frequently been characterized as a vehicle for state militarism, particularly in the context of the full‐scale invasion of Ukraine. This article challenges the notion that the state is the sole proprietor of this national holiday. Drawing on recent ethnographies of Victory Day, the article argues that a trend towards patriotic performativity increasingly defines public celebrations. This trend has two outcomes: strengthening participants’ sense of national community while reinforcing statist discourse – even among the holiday's critics. By examining the relationship between the Russian state and Victory Day, the article illuminates the crucial distinction between a reiterated, performative victory and the realities of actual warfare. This analysis contributes to broader discussions on collective memory, state power and the role of public celebrations in shaping national identity in post‐Soviet contexts.

A New ‘Stockholm Syndrome’: Physical Impairment and Hospital Confinement as Post-Holocaust Sequelae in Ilona Karmel’s Stephania

Ilona Karmel was a Holocaust victim. She endured diseases, Nazi ‘madness’, and imprisonment in the Krakow Ghetto and in concentration camps in Poland and Germany. At the end of World War II, she was abandoned to die by the retreating German enemy. Nevertheless, Victory Day in 1945 saw the beginning of another period of infirmity and confinement for Karmel, who was hospitalized in Sweden to treat leg injuries she had suffered by the Nazis. This essay, bringing together disability and Holocaust studies, explores harrowing post-Shoah sequelae in Karmel’s life, as reflected in Stephania (1953). To recover her sense of self after the bloodletting and to make visible physical impairment in her novel, Karmel creates the fictional Stephania: A Polish patient with spinal curvature worsened during wartime captivity who seeks medical treatment in Stockholm, all the while refusing to accept her body’s disfigurement. This article examines how disability and voluntary hospital confinement are portrayed in the novel Stephania and connected with Holocaust trauma. Despite memories of pain and incarceration invading their minds as survivors, Karmel and her creation Stephania inescapably must come to terms with their respective postwar impairments, heal from their emotional wounds, and cling to life during and beyond their convalescences.

Space of perception of holidays by Ukrainians: towards the possibilities of conceptualization

The article is devoted to the study of the perceptual space of the functioning of the holiday in Ukrainian society. The authors refer to the materials of the multi-year survey-omnibus KІIS with the aim of analyzing the differentiation of distances and relationships between a number of religious, secular, and state holidays in Ukrainian society using the method of multidimensional scaling. The article proposes its own conception of the space of perception, built on a number of known concepts of social perception. Proposing hypotheses regarding the potential axes of spatial structuring is carried out using the work of such sociologists and anthropologists as representatives of the College of Sociology (J. Bataille, R. Caillois), classical sociology (E. Durkheim) and carnival theory (M. Bakhtin). At the conceptual level, the authors take into account the dialectic of unity and struggle of individual and collective, sacred and profane, rational and irrational, public and intimate, etc. in the holiday. Within the framework of the analysis, the authors identified and described the axes that are stable and reproduced in all years of the KІIS omnibus survey, which the authors designate as "rational modernity - irrational archaic" and "publicity - privacy". The authors pay special attention to the dynamics of the holidays selected for analysis; they refer to the holidays that demonstrate the greatest "movements" in space over the years. Considerable attention is paid to attempts to explain the reasons for such dynamics, which the authors look for in externalities relative to public awareness of holidays (political events, pandemic (self) isolation, cultural processes, social phenomena, etc.). Among the holidays, the authors receive special attention Trinity, Victory Day (May 9), Independence Day of Ukraine, Defender's Day, New Year, Christmas, International Women's Day, which, firstly, turned out to be the most sensitive to the factors of dynamics specified by the authors, and - the second - the most dynamic and sociologically demonstrative. A number of prospects for further research of this topic are proposed, starting from what the authors have already achieved in this article.

The Motherland and the Fight with Fascism: War Cult and War Film under Brezhnev (1965–82)

AbstractThis article, based on extensive archival documentation, newspapers, and periodicals, examines the impact upon the Soviet film industry of shifts in top‐level policy relating to representation of the war. It contends that Leonid Brezhnev’s May 8, 1965, speech on the eve of Victory Day propounded an inclusive vision of the war (later sections of the speech comprise an exhaustive inventory of different representatives of military and civilian society who had been responsible for victory). Yet, in lending encouragement to participants of all kinds to consider their experience valid, the speech opened up a discursive space in which validity might be contested. Further, the emphasis in the film industry upon innovation and the need to avoid predictability ran directly against the requirement that commemoration of the war should fit highly ritualized and easily recognizable patterns. The article traces the results of these overall contradictions in the arguments about overall policy on the war film between representatives of the High Command, film managers at Goskino, cinema’s central bureaucracy, and filmmakers themselves, and the controversies around individual films, including Iurii Ozerov’s Liberation (1968–72), Andrei Smirnov’s The Belorussian Station (1970), Aleksei German’s Operation “New Year” (1971, released as Checkpoint, 1985), and Larisa Shepit'ko’s Ascent (1977).

Pengajaran Tentang Hari Penghakiman (Amos 5:18—20)

Judgment is the process of assessing a person's wrongdoing and determining an appropriate punishment, both in worldly and spiritual contexts. In Christianity, the Day of Judgment is when God fully reveals the truth and gives the final verdict on each individual's fate based on their deeds. The Book of Amos, written around the 750s BC by the prophet Amos, warns Israel that the "Day of the Lord," which they anticipated as a day of victory, would actually be a day of darkness and judgment because of their sins. This study examines the relevance of the teachings about the Day of Judgment in the Book of Amos (Amos 5:18-20) to contemporary Christian life. Amos' message emphasizes the importance of living righteously, avoiding sin, and treating others with justice and love. These teachings serve as a guide for Christians to live meaningful and responsible lives before God and others

On Victory Day and the 80th Anniversary of the Lifting of the Siege of Leningrad. Review of the Archives of the Pathological Anatomy Laboratory of the Oncology Institute

On Victory Day and the 80th Anniversary of the Lifting of the Siege of Leningrad. Review of the Archives of the Pathological Anatomy Laboratory of the Oncology Institute

Monumental minnepolitikk: Russlands bruk av sovjetiske og russiske krigsminnesmerker i Nord-Norge 2014–2023

Abstract: Monumental Memory Politics: Russia’s Utilization of Soviet and Russian War Memorials in Northern Norway 2014–2023This article explores how changes and developments of Kremlin’s WWII memory politics has impacted the use of Soviet and Russian war memorials by Russian diplomats in Northern Norway between 2014 and 2023. It examines the growing interest of Russia’s consulate general in Kirkenes in organizing joint commemorative events with local Norwegian politicians, notably on Russia’s Victory Day on May 9th. Since 2014, memory policy has increasingly become a constituent of security policy in Russia, and challenges to the official narrative of World War II are viewed as threats to national identity and integrity. How has Russia’s utilization of Soviet and Russian WWII memorials in Northern Norway changed between 2014–2023? This article demonstrates how the Consulate General has promoted the official Russian narrative of the Soviet Victory to memorials in Northern Norway and incorporated the use Russian military-patriotic symbols like St. George ribbons during its commemorations. Through its progressively assertive memory policy, the Consulate General has worked to inscribe Norway as an ally in Russia’s ongoing memory wars in Europe.

VICTORY DAY OR EUROPE DAY? THE POLITICS OF MEMORY IN MOLDOVA IN THE SHADOW OF RUSSIA'S WAR IN UKRAINE

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 had a profound impact on the Republic of Moldova. The aftermath witnessed an unprecedented influx of Ukrainian refugees, a significant rise in inflation, a decline in political stability, and a deepening energy crisis. The root causes of political instability in Moldova are diverse, with issues of identity and memory playing a central role in the nation-building process since the Soviet Union's collapse. Moldova, situated between its Romanian roots and Russian- Soviet heritage, confronts numerous challenges in reconciling its past and navigating its future. The Russian occupation of its neighboring country has accentuated these challenges, serving as a crucial test for Moldova's European-oriented government. The response to this new geopolitical reality, however, has led to some measures that intensified ideological divisions within the population, particularly regarding matters of memory and identity. The contested memorial heritage in Moldova was notably evident during the May 9 celebrations, coinciding with Europe Day and Victory Day. While many European Union countries consider Europe Day a peripheral holiday promoting European values, Moldovan politicians and the public are increasingly giving it attention, with a growing belief that it should replace the Soviet-style Victory Day. Using the "struggle" over the significance of May 9 as a case study, this article explores contemporary Moldovan memory politics influenced by the realities of war.

President Vladimir Putin’s speech at the Victoria Day parade in the light of some Ciceronian rhetorical principles

The purpose of this article is to examine the manner in which three of the principles of Ciceronian rhetoric and oratory are used in the speech of President V. Putin on the occasion of the Victory Day parade. The first of them, regarding the auditor’s information, is partially respected by the Russian president, in that he presents too little data intended to provide a somewhat concrete picture of how Western countries have reported, over time, to Russia’s defense requirements. Next, we bring enough examples to demonstrate the orator’s preference for the principle that consists in convincing the audience by appealing to arguments of an affective nature. The third, convincing the public through ethical arguments, strictly depends on the achievement of the previous ones. The degree of respect for each one emerges from the specific quotes in the content. The natural conclusion of the approach is that the Russian president prefers only one of them, failing, in our opinion, to effectively capitalize on the other two, a fact that has (or should have) repercussions on the persuasion of the audience.

The role of "Hail" by M.I. Glinka in the music of the parades of the second half of the XX – beginning of the XXI century

The article is devoted to the study of the problems of adapting the works of the academic tradition to the conditions of military practice of the XX century. The creation of adapted versions of famous works of classical music by domestic and foreign composers intended for performance in conditions of military ceremonies, parade grounds concerts, festivals and competitions has significantly expanded the scope of the sphere of academic musical culture. The article focuses on the academic music of Russian composers in the repertoire of military orchestras. The subject of the work is E. P. Makarov's arrangement of the final chorus "Hail" from M. I. Glinka's opera "Life for the Tsar" ("Ivan Susanin"). The purpose of the work is to study the changes Makarov made to Glinka's work and their impact on the perception of "Glory" in the context of the 1945 Victory Day Parade. The study of the arrangements of the "Glory" choir, adapted to performance by military orchestras, required the use of general scientific and special methods. To study the materials related to the activities of Russian military musicians, the methods of source studies and textual criticism, cultural-historical and comparative were used. The scientific novelty of the work is determined by the fact that for the first time it provides a detailed comparative analysis of Glinka's scores and Makarov's processing, which made it possible to identify the principles of adapting works of academic music for performance in conditions of military rituals. The study of the issues raised in the study allows us to develop an original concept of the formation and development of the arranging activities of military conductors, considered in the context of the change of cultural paradigms of the XIX – early XXI century. In conclusion, the author notes that a comparative analysis of the scores of Glinka and Makarov showed that Makarov not only shortened the work, but also rethought it, creating a new musical form corresponding to the military ritual. As a result of these changes, "Hail" turned into a concise and dynamic march that became a symbol of patriotism and the strength of the Russian people.

ОДИЧЕСКАЯ ТРАДИЦИЯ И «МИСТЕРИАЛЬНАЯ» ПОЭТИКА В СТИХОТВОРЕНИИ М. ЗЕНКЕВИЧА «РОЖДЕНИЕ ПУШКИНА»ПОЭТИКА

The article examines the poetics of M.A. Zenkevich’s poem “The Birth of Pushkin”, which reveals the semantic attitudes of the poet’s author’s consciousness in the mature (Soviet) period of his work. The analysis of the poem shows that in its structural-semantic organization, on the one hand, the odic traditions of the chanting of “the great man” (Poet), designed to transform existence, are actualized, and on the other hand, it reveals the features of the “mystery” act of overcoming the boundaries of time and translating a historical event (the biographical birth of the poet) into a metaphysical plan for the affirmation of the eternity of the Russian cultural awareness. The “mystery” orientation of Zenkevich’s reception of A.S. Pushkin’s creative gift is extrapolated to the eventful achievements of modernity. Therefore, in the poet’s mind, Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War turns out to be a day of glorification of Pushkin’s genius, as evidenced by the date of creation of the poem - May 12, 1949.

З історії участі волинських студентів у масових гімнастичних виступах

Topicality. Mass gymnastics performances are a powerful spectacle that can significantly influence a person, his or her spiritual world, in particular, the world of emotions, aesthetic tastes, ethical and worldview ideas. Students have always been participants in these mass sporting events held in Volyn, and studying the experience of the past will help to find new opportunities and forms of gymnastic performances of our time. The Purpose of the Work is to highlight information about the organization and content of students` mass gymnastic performances of Lesya Ukrainka Lutsk State Pedagogical Institute (LULSPI) in the 80s of the XXth century. Research Methods: analysis and generalization of scientific, methodical and special literature; analysis of materials from the State Archive of Volyn Region; interviews and conversations with teachers (former students of LULSPI) who were involved in the organization of mass gymnastic performances at that time; analysis of individual mass gymnastic performances` scenarios preserved on paper media. Results of the Reserch. Organizing and conducting various mass gymnastic performances and sports festivals is just one of the ways to increase the physical activity of citizens. The article collects and analyzes information about the experience of holding mass gymnastic performances at parades and sports festivals, in which students of all existing faculties, as well as boys and girls of the Faculty of Physical Education of LULSPI took part. Particular attention is paid to the organization of preparation and conducting of performances, their chronology is highlighted, scenarios of mass sports performances are presented (description of the performance, musical accompaniment, performance time, schemes of movement and rearrangements, thematic inscriptions) of 1980, 1982, 1983. Conclusions. Since 1970, Lutsk has established a tradition of holding artistic and sports festivals, which included mass gymnastic performances. These events were mainly dedicated to Victory Day. LULSPI students were their constant participants. They demonstrated the scenario of mass gymnastic performances developed by the teachers not only for the audience, but also acquired the appropriate motor and creative skills.

In the Traps of the Soviets

The myth of the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945) lost its power and significance in Lithuania shortly after the restoration of the country’s independence in 1990. The concept of the Great Patriotic War was hastily abandoned, with part of the Soviet monuments meant to promote this myth being dismantled and Victory Day (May 9) no longer being celebrated. However, the Soviet military cemeteries remained. Being behind the horizons of the great Lithuanian narratives, they did not attract much attention until the 21st century, when the neighbouring state began taking an interest in them and using them for their benefit. They started getting suspicious looks from Lithuanians after the beginning of the Russian invasions of Ukraine in 2014 and 2022. Then, the cemeteries began to be seen as relics of the Soviet occupation regime and exposed as instruments of Russia’s current soft power. So they are not the past. These are places that have not lost their ideological charge and potential, spreading stories that are inconsistent with national Lithuanian narratives, masking the occupation, and suggesting that we remember the liberation.
 The publication looks back at the origins of the Soviet Great Patriotic War military cemeteries and the main moments of their formation, first and foremost perceiving them from the perspectives of politics of memory and using appropriate research instruments. These sites have little in common with the original burial sites and were essentially created as propaganda tools in keeping with best practices in memorial design. In addition to being burial sites, they were constructed to spread the myth of the Great Patriotic War and other great Soviet narratives. The work examines what makes these places so special and convenient, and what meanings and narratives they were created to convey.

Osmanlı belgelerinde Kırım hanlığı / Крымское ханство в записях Османских документов (часть 2)

In 2013, in Istanbul (Turkey), with the assistance of the General Directorate of State Archives of the Republic of Turkey’s Prime Ministry, the book “Osmanlı belgelerinde Kırım hanlığı” (“The Crimean Khanate in the Records of the Ottoman Documents”) was published. The coordinator of the publishing project is the General Director of the State Archives, Professor Ughur Unal. The book is a collection of Ottoman documents, the content of which covers the Ottoman-Crimean relations. The number of documents is 112 units. Types of records include: imperial decrees (fermans) and imperial letters (name-i humayuns) prepared by the Imperial Council (Diwan-y Humayun) and its offices on behalf of the sultan; decrees (berats) of khans and kalgays; imperial orders (hatt-y humayun), containing the opinions and approvals of the sultans in connection with the proposals and decisions of the grand viziers; expenditure documents of the Ottoman finances for the Crimean khans, sultans and ambassadors; “news papers” (“khavadis kyagytlary”), allowing you to find out information from the Crimea. Correspondence topics: military cooperation in the capture of fugitive criminals and rebels; regulation of maritime trade; strengthening places that have suffered from food shortages; construction and repair of fortresses and other fortifications to ensure coastal security. Imperial letters (name-i humayun) are of great importance as signs of mutual intentions. They give privileges to the Crimean Khanate from the Ottoman state. The main themes of the imperial letters (name-i humayun): celebrations on the occasion of the accession to the throne of a new sultan or the birth of a sultan (shahzade) in the Crimea; mutual congratulations on the day of victory in the war; an expression of the shakh’s praise of the sultans after sending the text of the berat to the khanate and kalgay. The documents contain information about the requirements of the Crimean Khanate, which were submitted for approval by Istanbul: an increase in income for the performance of certain tasks, the appointment of chief military judges (kazasker), spiritual leaders (imams), preachers (khatips), and the provision of salaries to them. According to the documents, appointments to some positions of beyler beys and command over fortresses, which were of strategic importance for the region, were carried out by Istanbul in accordance with the advice of the khans.

The politics of collective memory and intergenerational transmission: Victory Day in Ural Newspaper coverage

The politics of collective memory and intergenerational transmission: Victory Day in Ural Newspaper coverage

Communist Holiday Greetings as the Soviet Press Ritual in the 1960s – 1980s (On the Example of “Nauka v Sibiri” Newspaper)

The article examines the late-Soviet phenomenon of the official Communist holiday greetings on the pages of the newspaper “Nauka v Sibiri” (‘Science in Siberia’). In the 1960s – 1980s, the main public holidays in the Soviet Union were November 7th, May Day, and the day of the Soviet Constitution. Victory Day was a memorial day for a long time in this span of time. Printed congratulations on the anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution and May Day were heavily ritualized, while a text of the printed address contained the realities of the current socio-economic policy of the CPSU. Constitution Day, until the mid-1980s, was holiday number three according to newspaper editorial policy. The greetings dedicated to this public holiday usually emphasized the importance of socio-economic goods and social benefits for the Soviet people guaranteed by the Constitution. Perestroika in the USSR drastically changed the editorial policy of “Nauka v Sibiri”. The well-established tradition of holiday greetings was revisited in 1986– 1988. In 1988–1989 “Nauka v Sibiri” ceased to print ritual congratulations on Soviet holidays, following the general political sentiments in the USSR at the age of Gorbachev.

Rhythms of the past: the first anniversaries of the Great Patriotic War in Soviet memory politics (1945-1965)

The article describes the first anniversaries of the events of the Great Patriotic War (first of all, Victory Day) from the point of view of the Soviet policy of memory, which is interpreted by the authors as part of a symbolic policy representing the production and maintenance of certain social ideas about the past in order to achieve the stability of the ruling political regime. Special emphasis is placed on the comparative analysis of official programs of events related to the Victory Day in 1945-1965, the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War (1961), the first "round" anniversaries of the Battle of Moscow, the Stalingrad and Kursk battles, taking into account ideological, mobilization, status, geopolitical, organizational factors. Based on a significant number of archival and published sources, it is shown how, as we move away from military events for 10-20 years, the instrumental role of anniversaries of key events of the Great Patriotic War has increased, aimed at solving not only domestic political, but also foreign policy tasks. By the mid-1960s, such anniversaries were finally fixed in the memorial calendar and served to consolidate and mobilize Soviet society, contributed to the concentration of symbolic resources at the central and in some cases regional authorities (for example, the case of Stalingrad/Volgograd), and were also used to strengthen the positive image of the USSR abroad.

Perception of August 30 Victory Day during in the Democrat Party Period (1950 - 1960)

Mustafa Kemal Paşa’nın Başkomutanlık görev süresi 20 Temmuz 1922’de Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi tarafından süresiz şekilde uzatılmıştır. Taarruz hazırlıkları büyük bir gizlilik içerisinde sürdürülmüş ve 26 Ağustos 1922’de kesin taarruz emri verilmiştir. Türk Birlikleri ile Yunan birlikleri arasında 28 Ağustos - 30 Ağustos arası şiddetli çatışmalar meydana gelmiştir. 30 Ağustos’a kadar devam eden mücadelede Yunan kuvvetleri Dumlupınar’ın kuzeyinde Aslıhanlar bölgesinde yok edilmiştir. Mustafa Kemal Paşa’nın yönettiği bu muharebeye Başkomutanlık Meydan Muharebesi denilmiştir. Yunan Ordusu bu savaş sonucunda büyük oranda kayıp vermiş ve çok sayıda Yunan askeri esir düşmüştür. Türkiye tarihinin önemli dönüm noktalarından birisi olan 30 Ağustos zaferi her dönem olduğu üzere Demokrat Parti döneminde de çeşitli etkinliklerle kutlanmıştır. Bu çalışmada, 30 Ağustos zafer bayramı yıldönümü kutlamaları çerçevesinde Demokrat Parti dönemi 30 Ağustos zafer bayramı algısı değerlendirilmiştir. 
 Demokrat Parti dönemi 30 Ağustos zafer bayramı yıldönümlerinde başta İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir olmak üzere yurdun her yerinde şehirler bayraklarla süslenmiş, gecede şehirler elektrikle aydınlatılmıştır. Törenlerde günün anlam ve önemini belirten konuşmalar yapılmış, gazetelerde yer bulan haberlerde ya da gönderilen tebrik mesajlarında Büyük Taarruzla ilgili bilgiler verilmiş ve zaferin önemi vurgulanmıştır. Öğrenciler, askeri birlikler ve halk tarafından törenlere büyük bir katılım sağlanmış kamuoyunda bu tarihi gün saygı, takdir ve büyük bir minnetle kutlanmıştır. Başta Mustafa Kemal Atatürk olmak üzere Milli Mücadelenin kahramanlarına duyulan saygı ve Türk milletinin elde ettiği kazanımlar merasimlerde sıklıkla vurgulanan hususlar olmuştur. Yapılan konuşmalar ve basında yer alan haberlerde 30 Ağustos zaferinin Türk milletine layık olduğu hürriyet ve egemenliği kazandırmış olduğu vurgulanmıştır.

День Победы как платформа реализации политики памяти и глобального позиционирования России в мире в комплексной стратегии российского национального брендинга

The article is devoted to the study of Victory Day Parade as a historical and promising platform initiated by Russia for the consolidation of the Russian people on the base of the implementation of memory policy and combating falsification of history. The author investigates the phenomenon of memory policy as an active strategy for consolidating significant historical events in the mass consciousness of the population and external target audiences, including through commemorative practices in order to realize Russia's national interests in domestic and foreign policy. The article considers the role of the Victory Day Parade as a symbolic message to external audiences about the historical and promising geopolitical role of Russia against the background of unprecedented information pressure from the West and a special military operation on the territory of Ukraine. The author studies the effectiveness and limitations of such important promotional movements as the Immortal Regiment (Bessmertniy Polk) and the St. George Ribbon (Georgievskaya Lentochka) as significant soft power tools in the strategy of Russian national branding both within the country and abroad. The article analyzes the Victory Day Parade as an instrument in the comprehensive strategy of national branding of the Russian Federation based on the innovative competencies of the military-industrial complex. The author concludes that in the structure of the Russian national brand there is the brand in the field of defense industry that can play the role of both the bonds of Russian society and the intensification of the pro-Russian principle abroad, as well as restraint and counterbalance in the international arena.

The History of one Song: Concerning Study of the Musical Heritage of the Soviet Period

The article is devoted to David Tukhmanov’s song Victory Day set to Vladimir Kharitonov’s text, which became a symbol of the momentous victory of 1945 in the Great Patriotic War. Reconstructing the history of the development of this song, the author examines the mechanisms of the formation of the genre of the mass song. The article raises the problem range of applying various scholarly approaches for studying the musical heritage of the Soviet period. Examination is made of the sociocultural context of creating the song, as well as the performance aspect of its existence in the political and ideological discourse which formed in the 1960s and 1970s in Soviet society. Analysis is applied to the composition’s musical and poetic text and the peculiarities of the genre-related features. The leading tendencies of the musical text are traced out: the interpenetration of the genres in the form of synthesis of the march and the tango; a rejection of the established canons of the mass song. It is highlighted that the poetic text corresponds to the conceptions of the composer and the poet: to create an artistic image which simultaneously combines in itself social cohesion and humanism in correspondence with the demand of society’s movement towards civil consolidation. In his conclusions arrived upon in his article the author discloses the nature of the mechanism of the birth of the mass song and the means of its functioning and also outlines the facts which shows the topicality of the given type of mass culture at its present stage.