Forgiving Uncle Joe

I do agree with this author that it is particularly surprising how un-surprised everyone is that such as astoundingly large portion of the Russian population voted to forgive “Uncle Joe” Stalin and elect him as country’s most popular historical figure. (read more on the subject here.)

What would we think if Germans voted Adolf Hitler one of the most popular leaders in its history? We might wonder about its implications; a German move to the extreme Right, and the failure of all the educational efforts made since the end of World War II to educate the current generation about Germany’s dismal past. We would despair over what it might mean for minorities in Germany, especially the many new Jewish residents from the former Soviet Union who migrated to Germany in hopes of starting a new life.

Certainly, we would be shocked. But few of us are surprised when we learn that the Russian people, in a national poll,have voted Josef Stalin as the third most popular historical figure inRussia’s past. At least he wasn’t number 1! Stalin lost to AlexanderNevsky, who defeated German invaders in the 13^th century,and whom the Russians know, was one of Stalin’s favorites. The secondcontender to beat Uncle Joe- as he was called in America during thewar- was Prime Minister Stolypin, who cracked down on revolutionariesin the early years of the 20^th Century. All were tough men, who knew how to use an iron fist.

The resurrection of Stalin comes at a time when historicalbacksliding is being encouraged by the Putin regime. Under hisleadership, the old Soviet national anthem was restored, with new wordscomposed by the same man who wrote the old anthem for Stalin when heruled Russia. The dictator’s body still lies for exhibit in Red Square,and no plans have been made to close the mausoleum down. And the newRussian textbooks ordered by the government for schoolchildren allpraise Stalin as one of the great wartime leaders who defeated theNazis and made old Russia a strong and modern state.