THE REHABILITATION OF JOSEPH STALIN
Hundreds of thousands of Russians continue to queue up every year on Joseph Stalin’s birthday to pay their respects to a man they call their “Father.” Singing patriotic ballads and laying red roses at his grave, he is still honored and revered …. and even deemed a savior by some. His name is synonymous with “strength”, and no matter how many lives were sacrificed during his rule, many believe it was worth it in the end.
Stalin commanded with an “iron fist”, and it was during his reign of terror (1924-1953) that millions died of starvation, execution or hard labor. From peasants to doctors, no one was spared. Death was so far reaching that there is still debate as to the exact numbers of those who perished, with some historians estimating as low as 10 million … or as high as 60 million. Most agree that more than 5 million died from famine alone, while many million more were shot to death or imprisoned because of either their political or religious views, their ethnicity, their nationality, their profession or their socio-economic background. Almost the entire orthodox clergy in the country were annihilated during the Great Purge, with over 100,000 monks, priests and nuns murdered. Others were exiled to remote prison camps in god forsaken areas and suffered immeasurably through the interrogations, the transport in unheated cattle cars, the cruel separation of families, the harsh physical labor in below freezing temperatures, and the overcrowded living conditions with strict food rations and poor hygiene. It is estimated that over 30,000 Gulag camps existed at one time … with some containing as many as 25,000 prisoners each. On the day that Stalin died, over 5 million were still locked up in prison camps.
Although Stalin has been dead for more than 60 years, he is more popular than ever … with some of his supporters rehabilitating him now as if he was a popular cult figure. While Stalin’s death brought relief to millions, many still grieve for him today … and many have stood in long lines for upwards of 15 hours just to see his body. They have lost the Father of their country, a man who was attributed with god-like qualities and a charming and vibrant personality. Soviet children were actually taught to pray to him instead of to God … and although he was responsible for increasing the literacy rate of Russians, he has also been accused of doing this only to reach a larger audience with his propaganda. Referred to as “Uncle Joe” by Franklin Roosevelt, he was supposedly an expert at double-dealing and skillful negotiating.
What is not commonly known about Joseph Stalin is that he suffered severe abuse as a child from his alcoholic father and an overzealous religious mother who intended for him to be a priest instead. After he was expelled from theological seminary in 1899 for missing his final exams, his life took a dramatic turn when he started reading the works of Lenin. Deciding then to support the radical Bolsheviks, he became an expert at spreading propaganda and marketing his philosophy as if it was a religion. He was also quite adept at raising money for the revolution and did so through numerous bank robberies and ransom kidnappings. During this time, he was arrested and sent to Siberia seven times during the 14+ years leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917.
Like the Revolution itself, Stalin’s personal life was both disastrous and controversial. His son, Yakov, reportedly tried to commit suicide to escape his father’s abuse … but when he survived the gunshot wound, his father remarked with sarcasm: “He can’t even shoot straight”. Later, when Yakov was captured by the Germans and offered up to Stalin for ransom, his father refused to pay. It was reported later that Yakov eventually killed himself by running into an electric fence.
Stalin’s second marriage was also an abusive relationship. Marrying Nadezhda when she was only 16 years old, he reportedly physically battered and insulted her in drunken rages, had numerous affairs and fathered several illegitimate children. Seen many times flicking cigarette ashes at Nadezhda, it was rumored that Stalin (or one of his body doubles) murdered her.
For the pro-Stalinists, he was both a revolutionary strategic thinker and a hero. A man that won WWII for them, expanded the role of women and transformed the Soviet Union into one of the greatest industrial and military powers of that era. But to the rest of the world, he is most often categorized as one of the most inhumane (and murderous) dictators that has ever lived … and even worse than Hitler. A heartless executioner and hater of humanity who brainwashed his people … and that this “rehabilitation” of Stalin is simply to control and unite the current population and quash public outrage of any kind. A makeover so effective that some of the younger generation have actually been quoted as saying they believe some of the people killed were not good people … implying they may have actually deserved it.
In the Kurskaya Metro Station in Moscow, there is a tribute to Stalin inscribed in marble, which reads: “Stalin raised us to be loyal to the fatherland and inspired us to labor and great works.” No mention of the millions of people that died in the process.
Copyright © 2013 (Michelle Parsons, Getting Back on Your Path). All Rights Reserved.
