Stalin monument to be built??

Giancarlo · January 19, 2005, 12:22

He's back...

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...dc_2&printer=1

"MOSCOW (Reuters) - Moscow plans to erect a new statue of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, returning his once-ubiquitous image to its streets after an absence of four decades, a top city official said Wednesday.

Since President Vladimir Putin (news - web sites) was elected in 2000, a number of Soviet symbols -- including the national anthem and an army flag -- have been restored to use, reflecting widespread nostalgia for Russia's communist years.

But rehabilitation of Stalin, who was denounced after his death in 1953 by the Soviet leadership for encouraging a cult of personality and killing millions of real and imagined opponents, has previously been out of bounds. Statues of Stalin were removed from Moscow's public spaces in the 1960s.

"A monument will be erected to those who took part in (leading the war against Adolf Hitler), including Stalin," Oleg Tolkachev, Moscow's senator in the upper house of parliament, told Ekho Moskvy radio.

Interfax news agency reported earlier that a Stalin monument would also be built in the Belgorod region near the Ukrainian border to mark the Soviet victory against Nazi Germany 60 years ago -- seen as the country's greatest military triumph.

In another sign of Stalin's growing appeal, state television channels have shown a number of prime-time television shows in recent months depicting him in a positive light."

St Leo · January 19, 2005, 12:30

This is somewhat foolish.

Spiffor · January 19, 2005, 12:30

I wonder if it is an organized attempt at rehabilitating him, and making authoritarianism* more fashionable than it already is.

Or maybe (hopefully), it is Russians trying to make peace with their past and their rather extreme opinions about Stalin (both positive and negative).

*I know Stalin was far worse than merely authoritarian. He is among the worst totalitarian slaughterers this planet has known. But if there indeed is an organized attempt at rehabilitating him, the message will probably not be about the horrors he wrought to his own people, but about how a "leader with resolve" can "overcome the greatest odds" or some crap like that - hence, such rehabilitation would be aimed at raising the acceptance of authoritarianism, rather than of totalitarian slaughter.

Giancarlo · January 19, 2005, 12:32

I think Putin is trying to revitalize him and strengthen his own hold on the state. Putin is no Stalin, but Putin is appearing to be more authoritarian by the way. Stalin was totally totalitarian like Kim Jong Il but worse. Putin will use Stalin's legacy for his advantage.. even though I can't see how this is possible.

General Ludd · January 19, 2005, 12:33

~~Mario~~ Stalin.

Sava · January 19, 2005, 13:17

helping to defeat Hitler was a GOOD thing... but I don't think Stalin should have a monument... that's despicable.

OOOOH WAIT I'M A COMMIE LOVING JOHN KERRY VOTER!!@! THAT MEANS I LIKE TEH STALIN

next thing you know the Spanish will want to build monuments of Franco, the butcher.

Giancarlo · January 19, 2005, 13:20

Originally posted by Sava
helping to defeat Hitler was a GOOD thing... but I don't think Stalin should have a monument... that's despicable.

OOOOH WAIT I'M A COMMIE LOVING JOHN KERRY VOTER!!@! THAT MEANS I LIKE TEH STALIN

next thing you know the Spanish will want to build monuments of Franco, the butcher.

Sava you are tasteless, stop ruining my threads.

Sava · January 19, 2005, 13:20

Originally posted by Giancarlo

Sava you are tasteless, stop ruining my threads.

as soon as you stop ruining everyone else's threads.

Giancarlo · January 19, 2005, 13:22

Originally posted by Sava
as soon as you stop ruining everyone else's threads.

Stop talking about yourself. Every thread that has Sava in it is a troll thread.

chequita guevara · January 19, 2005, 13:22

Totally totalitarian? What a wonderful phrase for the tongue.

Arrian · January 19, 2005, 13:23

Shall we warn the folks down in hell to start looking for their ice skates, boys?

-Arrian

Giancarlo · January 19, 2005, 13:25

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Totally totalitarian? What a wonderful phrase for the tongue.

Have a mic? Say that twenty times and record it for me.

Ah, look at my new avatar...

BeBro · January 19, 2005, 13:39

I wonder if Stalin's policies also become en vogue again

chequita guevara · January 19, 2005, 13:40

Putin is brilliant. I'm glad I'm not up against him.

Nubclear · January 19, 2005, 13:42

A moment to Teh Stalin

Giancarlo · January 19, 2005, 13:44

Originally posted by Comrade Tassadar
A moment to Teh Stalin

... Not.

Somehow you never surprise me.

Nubclear · January 19, 2005, 13:47

Why, some might say that Stalin is the Franco of Russia

Totalitarianism

Saras · January 19, 2005, 13:49

Russia not acnowledging the bad parts of its history

Beating Fascists

Gulag

Oppressing neighbors

Stalin

Putin

Saras · January 19, 2005, 13:50

Originally posted by Comrade Tassadar
Totalitarianism

Idiots

Nubclear · January 19, 2005, 13:51

Oppressing neighbors

Racist neighbors that like blaming everything from poor crop yields to failed dates on evil evil Russia

Lithuania and Poland

The LORD God Putin

Thinking I'm posting seriously in a FEZ Thread

Giancarlo · January 19, 2005, 13:53

Originally posted by Comrade Tassadar
Racist neighbors that like blaming everything from poor crop yields to failed dates on evil evil Russia

Dude, Stalin was responsible for some of the most horrific famines ever to hit.... especially the Ukraine. I bet many Ukraineans are fuming over this intention of putting up a Stalin statue.

Long live Ukrainean nationalism!

Nubclear · January 19, 2005, 13:55

Ukraine, aka Russia with the "i" inserted into the Cyrillic alphabet

And a horrible flag.

Giancarlo · January 19, 2005, 13:55

Originally posted by Comrade Tassadar
Ukraine, aka Russia with the "i" inserted into the Cyrillic alphabet

And a horrible flag.

As seen with the recent election in Ukraine, the Ukraineans rejected Putin and Russia.

Nubclear · January 19, 2005, 13:57

They cannot escape. Russia, in its evilness, one day entered glorious Catholic Polish German French Ukraine and, with the wave of a magic wand, turned them into evil slavs (who, btw, arent even human).
Their attempts at running from their heritage are laughable

Saras · January 19, 2005, 15:02

Thinking I'm posting seriously in a FEZ Thread

It started with a statement of a factual event, and provided a link. not a typical fezbottroll.

chequita guevara · January 19, 2005, 15:28

Originally posted by Giancarlo
Dude, Stalin was responsible for some of the most horrific famines ever to hit.... especially the Ukraine.

Some of?

There was only one famine under Stalin, unless you count the starvation of Leningrad, which had, as a proximate cause, the German and Finnish armies surrounding it.

Gangerolf · January 19, 2005, 15:40

Originally posted by chegitz guevara

Some of?

There was only one famine under Stalin, unless you count the starvation of Leningrad, which had, as a proximate cause, the German and Finnish armies surrounding it.

Pekka is gonna have your ass for that one

Myrddin · January 19, 2005, 15:40

Originally posted by chegitz guevara

Some of?

There was only one famine under Stalin .

How do you count famines?

Over several years, in many regions or countries; I make it more than one

I have also been to a Stalin monument - called Norilsk

chequita guevara · January 19, 2005, 16:02

Originally posted by Gangerolf
Pekka is gonna have your ass for that one

Why. Don't Finn's like remembering their part in starving Leningrad?

Kidicious · January 19, 2005, 16:04

Russia is nothing compared to the USSR under Stalin. Some people don't really care about the horrors of the past. They just remember how great their nation was.