Title variants
Views on Stalin in Cultural Memory of the Young Generation of Russians
Languages of publication
Abstracts
The article presents views on Stalin among the present generation of young Russians, factors affecting the evaluation of the Soviet leader, areas of popular culture, in which interest in Generalissimo is manifested and the problem of cultural transmission between generations. Among young Russians the figure of Stalin and the period of his rule undergo amythologizing process; he becomes asymbol of nonconformity to the surrounding world, he is contrasted with contemporary culture and political regime of the state. Generalissimo is better perceived mainly due to comparisons to full of contradictions, weak and often funny president Boris Yeltsin. Results of apoll taken in 2011 among the Russian youth have shown that the overwhelming majority of them (72%) judges Stalin’s role in history positively. Some handbooks in history also strengthen the positive image of Stalin among the young generation of Russians. Young Russians are engaging in initiatives seeking to change the perception of Stalin in Russian society which are undertaken by various organizations and associations. Apopular source of knowledge about Stalin and the era during which he ruled are serials, comedy sketch-show, songs of the counter-culture music (rock, rap, punk, etc.), anecdotes, demotivators and computer games. In these areas of popular culture Stalin is presented in two ways: as asymbol of criticism of contemporaneity and as acruel tyrant who can be ridiculed and parodied. Stalin’s popularity among the young generation of Russians reflects social mood and sentiment affecting the whole society. As aresult of amythologizing process in cultural memory of young Russians Stalin’s name is usually associated not with mass repressions, but the period of Soviet power
Journal
Year
Volume
Issue
Pages
93-107
Physical description
Contributors
author
- Uniwersytet Jagielloński, Instytut Rosji i Europy Wschodniej, Al. Mickiewicza 3, 31-120 Kraków, Poland
References
Document Type
Publication order reference
Identifiers
YADDA identifier
bwmeta1.element.cejsh-2f43228a-bc0f-4e98-a86d-79b5b4e5349a
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