Russian authorities are systematically shaping a favorable portrayal of the USSR’s totalitarian leader, Joseph Stalin, as a strong leader and victor over fascism. Between 2021 and 2023, these efforts culminated in liquidating the historical-educational and human rights organization “Memorial,” which had been dedicated to restoring names of Soviet-era political prisoners and preserving the memory of Stalin’s mass terror. Simultaneously, monuments of Stalin started to appear in various Russian cities.
Restoring Dictatorship: Stalin Monuments Comeback in Russia
Russian authorities are systematically shaping a favorable portrayal of the USSR's totalitarian leader, Joseph Stalin, as a strong leader and victor over fascism. Between 2021 and 2023, these efforts culminated in liquidating the historical-educational and human rights organization "Memorial," which had been dedicated to restoring names of Soviet-era political prisoners and preserving the memory of Stalin's mass terror. Simultaneously, monuments of Stalin started to appear in various Russian cities.
March 5, 2023, marked 70 years since the death of Joseph Stalin, the de facto leader of the USSR until his passing in 1953. Russians, to this day, remain divided in their evaluation of Stalin’s role in the nation’s history. Some hail him as a robust leader who rapidly industrialized the USSR and triumphed over fascism during the Great Patriotic War. Others see him as a totalitarian tyrant responsible for the deaths of millions, either executed on trumped-up charges or tortured in prison camps. It’s as if these two sections of Russian society recall entirely different countries. Yet, in Russia, arguably, no family remains untouched by Stalin’s purges. To this day, debates not only revolve around the moral and legal assessment of the scale of Stalin’s political purges, but some even doubt the existence of mass repressions.
Sociological studies from the Levada Center demonstrate that Russian sentiments toward Stalin have consistently improved over 23 years in the 21st century (see the graph below). For instance, in 2001, only 27% of Russians regarded Stalin respectfully, while 43% viewed him with disgust, fear, or aversion. By 2023, 47% of respondents expressed respect for Stalin, while just 8% reported hate or fear. Furthermore, 15% of Russians said they admired and sympathized with Stalin.
Russian state propagandists have sculpted an image of Stalin as a formidable leader capable of tackling challenging tasks and winning wars. Monuments to Stalin have emerged in Russian cities. About ten statues exist throughout the nation, including new additions in 2023 located in Volgograd and Velikie Luki in the Pskov region.
In Volgograd, formerly named Stalingrad in honor of the leader from 1925 to 1961, a bust of Stalin stands just 120 meters from a monument to the victims of political repressions during the Stalinist terror.
In Velikie Luki, a 26-foot statue of Stalin has become the first full-length monument of the leader. During the grand unveiling, Russian actress Maria Shukshina delivered a speech. Stalin’s purges had impacted her family – in 1933, her grandfather was executed for participating in an “anti-collective farm conspiracy.” Yet, this did not deter the actress from proclaiming Stalin as Russia’s “God-given” leader.
“I regard Joseph Vissarionovich with respect and reverence as an Orthodox believer. Many church servants call Stalinism the ‘providence of God.’ Such Moscow patriarchs as Sergius and Alexy, as well as the highly venerated Saint Luke Voyno-Yasenetsky, referred to Stalin as the ‘God-given,’ ‘God-granted’ leader of Russia,” Shukshina explained in an interview with MK.RU.
“My grandfather was executed in 1933. And the families of some who attended the monument’s unveiling also suffered — I know… The moral dilemma is clear. However, for my grandfather’s execution, I cannot hate the man who preserved the country and the church,” the actress stated.
The words of actress Maria Shukshina seem all the more striking against the backdrop of numerous documented and published accounts of persecution against the church and the execution of clergy during the years of Stalin’s terror. Nonetheless, the actress vocalized the state’s propagandistic agenda of “Stalin’s return,” linking the Great Patriotic War with contemporary events, urging Russians to “align with the rails of patriotism” to triumph in war.
“Now that we’ve aligned ourselves with the tracks of patriotism, as in the 1930s under Stalin’s rule, everyone wants to stay on them. When it became clear that there would be a world war instead of a world revolution, Stalin understood that he could only win with the support of Russian culture, history, and the Russian people,” she said.
