Don’t Create Idols for Yourself

The Russian TV channel, "Rossiya," led by Nikita Mikhalkov, is airing a project called "The Main Elections." I find myself perplexed by these elections. They showcase 12 individuals who, according to the project leaders, have brought the most glory to Russia, with their names synonymous with the nation itself. How can a person's name be equated with that of a state? Perhaps there is some wise intent here that we ordinary mortals cannot grasp.

What struck me is that among the 12 truly worthy sons of Russia is Stalin, who occupies a distinguished third place. After the XX Congress of the Communist Party, following the publication of numerous documents since the 1990s that expose the mass repressions Stalin inflicted upon our people, it’s astonishing that he ranks third among the selected best of the best.

Generational Perspectives

Considering that many Russians under 40 likely don’t even know who Stalin is, and probably did not vote for him, it seems only the older generation—those over 60 and 70—are casting votes for him. This leads me to question: why? Why does a certain segment of the older generation still feel nostalgia for the years of Stalin’s rule? I don’t need to rely on stories or books; as an ordinary Soviet citizen, I experienced the “blessings of a happy childhood” that the Stalin era supposedly offered firsthand.

Unfortunately, the media often fails to provide an objective portrayal of Soviet rule, especially during Stalin’s time. They focus on either the repressions of 1937 or highlight the achievements of the Five-Year Plans and the victory in the Great Patriotic War. Little is said about the daily lives of workers and peasants in a country where power was said to belong to them. Growing up in a working-class neighborhood in Tbilisi, I witnessed firsthand how this so-called “heroic” working class lived in absolute poverty and constant fear of arrest. Workers were tied to their factories like serfs; they couldn’t resign or switch jobs at will.

Hardships of the Working Class

If someone was five minutes late for work, they faced administrative penalties; repeated offenses could lead to criminal charges. If a factory failed to meet production quotas, the director and chief engineer were held criminally responsible, often resulting in execution. The workers primarily resided on the outskirts of the city, and in Tbilisi, many lived in small houses without basic conveniences. The idea of a hallway, kitchen, bathroom, or toilet was beyond their imagination. It wasn’t until around 1948 that we even had a radio in our tiny home.

Every summer, we would visit my father's relatives in the village. He had been arrested in 1930 and exiled for seven years to Central Asia. We went to the village mainly to gather food for the summer. I spent nearly every summer in the village until I was drafted into the Soviet army, working in the collective farm and earning labor days. I know from personal experience what life in a Soviet-era village was like.

The Reality of Collective Farms

Collective farmers worked six days a week, producing goods for the state for a pittance. In addition, each farmer had to provide meat, oil, wool, and other agricultural products to the government. Taxes were levied even on the number of eggs produced by chickens. The collective farm in our village was established in 1937. I vividly remember before then, the village was filled with livestock: cows, horses, sheep, pigs, and countless chickens and turkeys. However, as the collective farm took hold, conditions worsened, and by 1972, the village had disappeared. The youth left, and the elderly… well, we know where they ended up. During Stalin’s time, working on a collective farm did not count as state labor, and no pensions were granted. Villagers couldn’t leave as they were not issued passports—sounds like serfdom, doesn’t it?

A Complex Legacy

I could go on about our “happy” lives under Stalin, but let’s pause. The real question is: why does the generation that endured all the “charms” of Stalin’s socialism still vote for him and yearn for those harsh times?

I believe the answer lies in the political climate of the 1930s and 1940s in the Soviet Union. Those decades were marked by incredible labor feats by the Soviet people and the simultaneous terror of repression and deification of Stalin. They were years of creating giants of the national economy, all while living in fear of the NKVD. It was during this time that the slogan "dictatorship of the proletariat" transformed into the dictatorship of one man, where the fate of hundreds of thousands hinged on his whims.

As children of the 30s, we were led to believe that Stalin cared for us. We were convinced he was a genius and the greatest scholar, smarter than anyone else. Books, media, poets, writers, and renowned composers praised him endlessly, creating a mass ideological wave that we, as impressionable children, could not help but believe.

The Weight of History

Today, my generation votes for Stalin, a testament to the lasting impact of that ideological manipulation. History, it seems, teaches us nothing. We are again creating idols, this time in the form of Putin or the "United Russia" party. These are seen as the benefactors of the country, doing everything right for it. Previously, there was the Communist Party, and now there’s United Russia—no real change, just a repetition of the past.

We must not impose ideological pressure on the younger generation. They need to discern for themselves who is who and what is what. Yes, Stalin led the country during the war, and under his leadership, we achieved victory. He deserves recognition for that. However, it was his political blunders and misjudgments regarding the military-political situation in Europe that placed our army and nation in catastrophic circumstances. We paid dearly for these mistakes with millions of lives and the loss of vast territories.

Yes, we triumphed, but has anyone analyzed how many soldiers died unnecessarily due to poor military leadership, especially in the early years of the war? We often attribute our victory to the mass heroism of Soviet people. While I agree, I must ask: why did our soldiers need to display such heroism? They were compensating for the reckless and ignorant decisions made by commanders, including Stalin himself. Those voting for him today seem to forget this.

It may sound harsh, but we defeated the German army at the cost of countless lives, and that is how we emerged victorious. So when I hear triumphant speeches on Victory Day, especially from war veterans, I feel uneasy, and the urge to celebrate Stalin dissipates. I constantly think of the millions who died needlessly, lives that could have been saved if our government, particularly Stalin, had respected and cared for the preservation of Soviet citizens.

Stalin did much to strengthen and develop the Soviet state, and he played a significant role in the victory over fascist Germany. However, he is also responsible for the tragic loss of tens of millions of Soviet lives. Therefore, it is hard to equate his name with that of Russia.