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What is a "Potemkin Village"?

a. any fake display to fool onlookers
b. a village with its own church
b. the type of village built in Siberia
c. a new type of suburb community

1 Answer

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Final answer:

A "Potemkin Village" refers to any fake display constructed to deceive others into thinking a situation is better than it truly is, stemming from a historical ruse by Russian nobleman Grigory Potemkin.

Step-by-step explanation:

A "Potemkin Village" is a term originating from a historical anecdote involving Grigory Potemkin, a Russian nobleman, who allegedly constructed attractive but fake façades of villages along the Dnieper River to impress Empress Catherine II during her visit to Crimea in 1787. The essence of a Potemkin Village is an attempt to make something that is otherwise unsightly or not up to standards, appear significantly better than it is, typically for propaganda purposes or to deceive others. It is any fake display created to fool onlookers into believing that a situation is better than it actually is.

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