Of Victims and Victory: The Modern Memory of the Gulag and Joseph Stalin's Terror in Russia
Open Access
Author:
Felt, Katherine Emma
Area of Honors:
History
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Catherine Wanner, Thesis Supervisor Catherine Wanner, Thesis Supervisor Dr. Michael James Milligan, Faculty Reader Catherine Wanner, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Russia Gulag Stalin Memory
Abstract:
This thesis analyzes the modern memory of Joseph Stalin’s Great Terror and the Gulag in the Russian national consciousness. This is manifested in numerous arenas, including government policy, media outlets and individual opinions. Two decades have passed since the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics dissolved and information on these events was first made available. In that time, the first generation of post-Communist Russians has come of age. This study analyzes the views of Russian youth on Stalin, the Great Terror and the Gulag through primary research, public opinion polls and media-based competition. These reveal that while the older generation remains polarized in its opinions on Stalin’s era, the younger group is generally ambivalent. A new nostalgia for Soviet times has taken root as a reaction to the economic upheaval and political chaos of the first post-Communist decade. In addition, the recent efforts on the part of the Russian government to rehabilitate Stalin and capitalize on the newfound Soviet nostalgia are analyzed in the context of this shift. The future of Russian society is largely determined by the overall attitude about the past amongst Russians, and the recent shifts from near universal condemnation of Stalin to reemerging nostalgia for order and superpower status is indicative of a substantial change in political attitudes in Russian society.
