- Taschist Borduria
Borduria is a
fictional country in "The Adventures of Tintin ". In the "Tintin" comic books, it is said to be located in theBalkans , probably in what is currently the eastern half ofSlovenia or eastern Croatia and is bordered bySyldavia (also a fictional country), as well asHungary andYugoslavia . It is a parody a stereotypicalEastern bloc country.Pre-History and Local/Internal affairs
In 1195, Borduria conquered their neighbour Syldavia, and ruled it to 1275, when baron Almazout drove the Bordurians away after 6 months, and became king Ottokar I of Syldavia. In 1939, they unsuccessfully staged a coup d'état against Syldavia, trying to remove the king and invade the country, which it is historically linked to, with support from Syldavian Borduria supporters. The failed coup d'etat and Anschluss with Syldavia in 1939 led to a Taschist government took power in 1956.
Taschist Borduria
By
1956 , Borduria was reminiscent of a stereotypicalEastern Bloc country complete with its ownsecret police (ZEP ), military dictator,Kurvi-Tasch , whose name is a combination of his moustache and his ideology, and the "taschist" ideology which in all indications seems to be identical toStalinism with a more militaristic edge. The statue of Kurvi-Tasch in a Nazi-like salute in front of a government building is an overt comparison between him andAdolf Hitler andJoseph Stalin . The ubiquity of his moustache, "the whiskers of Kurvi-Tasch", seems to be similar to theswastika orhammer and sickle in its (over) use (it is often seen used as a swear word and adiacritical mark, and the bumpers of the local cars are shaped to resemble it).Other traces of the Kurvi-Taschist moustache can be found on the name of the Hotel where Tintin was staying in Szohod, where it is called Hotel Zsnorr which, given Herge's Belgian bilingualism, means moustache in Dutch ('snor').
Foreign Affairs
In
1976 , in the story "Tintin and the Picaros ", the Bordurian government supported General Tapioca, the current ruler ofSan Theodoros , a fictionalbanana republic in South America, and even sent him military advisors. Officially, General Tapioca andSan Theodoros are subscribers to the "taschist" ideology, proof of this can be seen on page 22 of "Tintin and the Picaros ": whenColonel Sponsz is talking with Colonel Alvarez in the former's San Theodorian office the latter hits a bust of Kurvi-Tasch with a cork.Another common point between both countries is their tradition of military leadership of the state and government and in that respect the many colonels that they hire. Military and government equipment in San Theodoros often incorporates the Taschist moustache logo in detail decoration, indicating Bordurian origin.
Military of Taschist Borduria
The military power of Borduria ruled by the Taschist government, has evidence that its quality had dropped dramatically.
In one Tintin comic ("
The Calculus Affair "), they made attempts to stop the stolen tank that Tintin and his companions were using. However, all their attempts fail because of the terrible quality of their weaponry and military construction.Sources
Tintin albums featuring Borduria:
* "Le Sceptre d’Ottokar" ("King Ottokar's Sceptre ",1939 )
* "L’Affaire Tournesol" ("The Calculus Affair ",1956 )
* Colonel Sponsz of Borduria features in "Tintin et les Picaros" ("Tintin and the Picaros ",1976 )ee also
*
Brutopia
*Borduria
*Syldavia
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