Today, when some Russian historians seriously call Stalin a statesman-creator, it should be admitted that the state of historical memory in Russia and the level of comprehension of the whole Lenin’s-Stalin’s epoch do not correspond to the scale of political repressions in the USSR at all (according to some estimates, they led to death of up to 60 mln. people). We had no radical de-Stalinization of the society like de-Nazification in Germany, and Lenin’s and Stalin’s regimes got no definition of unequivocally criminal ones.

Moreover, very few of today’s young people have even approximate understanding of the scale of political repressions during Soviet time. Stalin’s person and activity are treated as “contradictory”, and his services as Stalin-commander-in-chief, Stalin-industry captain are asseverated. Busts to Stalin are installed all round the country, underground stations with Stalin’s slogan are restored, and on the eve of 130th anniversary of birth of the “nation’s father’ banners with Stalin’s portraits and inscriptions “The victory will be ours!”, “Stalin is with us!” appeared in the streets of Voronezh and other Russian cities.

According of Levada-center interrogation, just a little more than 38% think that Iosif Stalin was a state criminal and 12% of the interrogated do not agree with this point absolutely. And finally, the project “Name of Russia” became the brightest indicator of perturbation of minds – Stalin occupied the third place in it and was very close to the first place.

Lack of historical memory is not just immoral but also dangerous – it is it that gives birth to the possibility of repeating the recurrences of the past and forms pro-Stalin moods of the youth being close to neo-Nazi ones. In Russia where the level of xenophobia, intolerance, political radicalism is high, such moods may provoke provocative actions with unpredictable consequences.

Stalinism is the decades of unprecedented state terror, total lack of freedom, fear, lie and snitching. Stalinism is the policy of mass liquidation of kulaks in the countryside that led to devastation of millions, hunger and death of hundred thousands people. Stalinism is the combat against any form of dissent that came to a simple and primitive formula: “the one who is not with us is against us”. Stalinism is the criminal practice of sticking the label of “enemy of the people” to the people of own country and ranging them according to extent of their loyalty. Stalinism is the innumerable number of trumped-up, forged proceedings against invented “wreckers”, “underground workers” and “counter-revolutionaries”. Stalinism is the incessant purges in Bolshevik party accompanied by cynical saying “you cannot make an omelet without breaking eggs”. Stalinism is the large-scale repressions in the army that weakened its ranks and broke the continuity and officer’s dignity that were established for centuries. Stalinism is the interminable persecutions of ethnic minorities and foreign subjects. Stalinism is the mass terror of 1937-1938 that was a symbol of culmination of actions of the punitive machine created by Stalin. Stalinism is the humiliations over members of families of the victims of political repressions (arrests, exiles, camps) authorized by the leader. Stalinism is the inhuman mass deportations of small nations in late 1930s – early 1950s. Stalinism is the state anti-Semitism; disbandment of the Jewish Anti-fascist committee and murder of Solomon Mikhoels, “case of the doctors” and preparation of deportation of Jews to the Far East were its apotheosis. Stalinism is the crushing of genetics, perversion of philosophy, falsification of history and apotheosis of militant Lysenko’s views. Stalinism is the medieval ideological dogmatism, extreme political narrow-mindedness, glaring intellectual ignorance and monstrous moral deafness of the regime adherents. Stalinism is the idolatry, fetishisizing, sacralization of bloody dictator that developed into the notorious “cult of personality” (that was exposed by Khrushchev as long ago as in 1956 but is still persistent to some extent). Stalinism is the undeclared war against own citizens of the country regardless of their ethnic or social belonging, sex, age, form of activity and status: both the persons invested with official authorities and large public figures and unremarkable private persons were included into the ranks of victims …

On November 7, 2009 the president of Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev made an unambiguous estimate of tragic events of Stalinist epoch in his interview to the German journal “Spiegel”: “The authority must be honest, and the honesty of authority also consists in the fact that certain historical events that were already profoundly analyzed are interpreted in clear legal language. From the legal point of view the elimination of a great number of compatriots basing upon political or farfetched economic reasons is the crime. Whatever economic successes we reached, however well the state mechanism was constructed, rehabilitation of persons involved into committing crimes is impossible”.