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During his leadership of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin manipulated his power to crush dissent, wielding an influential propaganda machine to promote his positions. Though many of these positions negatively impacted Soviet society and industry, it was not until after his death that the destructive nature of Stalin’s atrocities came to light. Despite a legacy of tyranny and repression, many Russians admire Stalin for the control and stability his leadership offered.
"Never in history since the times of ancient barbarism during the earliest Middle Ages has there been such absolute contempt, such total disregard for the value of human life and human freedom, and such deification of the state. The state in the middle of the 20th century in our country ceased even to feign public service. The state became the metaphysical purpose of the society and of each of its citizens, the ultimate metaphysical value. We are suffering the traces of this even now. It's a very strong legacy. We found ourselves in an atmosphere of former officially accepted values. We are constantly told that we need to remember the heroic triumphs of our history and to quietly forget the filth and moral depravity of that history. This has become the official line, and it's no accident that our contemporary sensibility reproduces the basic values of the Stalinist epoch in a different, somewhat evolved, more sanctimonious form." |
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