Russian Communists want Stalin rehabilitated

The party believes the criticism of the notorious Soviet leader by his successor Nikita Khrushchev was politically motivated

The Russian Communist Party (CPRF) has set the goal of restoring the reputation of Joseph Stalin, adopting a resolution calling for “historical justice” for the one-time Soviet leader.

According to the document supported at a party convention held this week, the criticism of Stalin's era and his policies leveled by his successor, Nikita Khrushchev, was “misdirected” and “politically motivated.” In its resolution, the CPRF distanced itself from Khrushchev’s assessment of what he called Stalin’s “personality cult.”

In 1956, Khrushchev, who himself played a significant role in the political oppression of the Great Terror – a period of mass repressions in the USSR in the 1930s – denounced during a famous Communist Party congress the crimes of his former boss and the cult of personality he cultivated during his reign.

He also introduced a policy of “de-Stalinization,” removing memorials to his predecessor around the country.

Stalin’s legacy still divides opinion inside modern Russia. Some revere him for his leadership through World War II, while others view him as a tyrant responsible for the death and imprisonment of many.

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Russia’s modern Communist Party views Stalin in an increasingly positive light. In 2021, the Communists in Nizhny Novgorod Region announced their plans to construct a museum dedicated to him.

“Stalin is a symbol of victory, the commonwealth of fraternal nations, the power and greatness of the Power that ensured peace in the world and kept it from World War III,” the head of the local party branch, Vladislav Yegorov, said at the time.

Yegorov believes the Nizhny Novgorod Stalin Center should be the first step towards opening similar museums across Russia. The party also organized the erection of monuments to Stalin throughout the country.

At the latest convention, the CPRF also adopted another resolution calling on President Vladimir Putin to rename the city of Volgograd back to Stalingrad. Long-time CPRF party head Gennady Zyuganov has long advocated for such a step. He made a similar appeal ahead of the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War in May.

According to the CPRF resolution, Volgograd Region should revert to its “historical” name as well. The Kremlin has so far not commented on the initiatives.