Email Interview with Adam Hochschild
Lecturer at the University of California- Berkeley
Author of The Unquiet Ghost: Russians Remember Stalin
March 5, 2015
Were many foreigners and international leaders aware of the events that occurred during the Stalin era at the time while they were taking place? If so, did they turn a blind eye, or did they assist or intervene in any manner?
Yes, I think many people outside the USSR were, to a greater or lesser degree, aware of the horrendous scale of death during the Stalin years. But to intervene effectively in the affairs of a powerful country with a huge military and a long tradition of suspicion towards foreigners was, and is, close to impossible.
What are some notable impacts of Joseph Stalin’s leadership?
He made people terrified of speaking out in opposition in any way—and that fear lingered, with some reason, long after his death. He did effectively win World War II for the Allies in Europe, and he did preside over the industrialization of the USSR, but it is possible to imagine both things happening with far less loss of life.
Overall, do you believe that the atrocities committed during the leadership of Joseph Stalin are adequately justified by the successes achieved as a result of this leadership?
No.
Do you believe that the leadership and legacy of Joseph Stalin is still highly significant in Russia and other former Soviet states, and why?
Yes. When you create a regime of such terror, it takes decades for the fear to go away. Or for later leaders to stop copying aspects of it, as Putin has done.
Why do so many people in Russia, including some of those who you interviewed, still continue to view Joseph Stalin as a positive leader, despite being aware of all of the horrible things he did while in power?
Because he was a powerful authority figure, and tens of millions of Russians want a strong, confident leader. And, in the latter part of his reign, the Soviet Union was one of two superpowers, which Russia no longer is today.
Yes, I think many people outside the USSR were, to a greater or lesser degree, aware of the horrendous scale of death during the Stalin years. But to intervene effectively in the affairs of a powerful country with a huge military and a long tradition of suspicion towards foreigners was, and is, close to impossible.
What are some notable impacts of Joseph Stalin’s leadership?
He made people terrified of speaking out in opposition in any way—and that fear lingered, with some reason, long after his death. He did effectively win World War II for the Allies in Europe, and he did preside over the industrialization of the USSR, but it is possible to imagine both things happening with far less loss of life.
Overall, do you believe that the atrocities committed during the leadership of Joseph Stalin are adequately justified by the successes achieved as a result of this leadership?
No.
Do you believe that the leadership and legacy of Joseph Stalin is still highly significant in Russia and other former Soviet states, and why?
Yes. When you create a regime of such terror, it takes decades for the fear to go away. Or for later leaders to stop copying aspects of it, as Putin has done.
Why do so many people in Russia, including some of those who you interviewed, still continue to view Joseph Stalin as a positive leader, despite being aware of all of the horrible things he did while in power?
Because he was a powerful authority figure, and tens of millions of Russians want a strong, confident leader. And, in the latter part of his reign, the Soviet Union was one of two superpowers, which Russia no longer is today.