Russia to Erect Monument to WWII Figures

Associated Press Writer ^ | 31 March 05 | MARIA DANILOVA

[jb6]

MOSCOW - The city formerly known as Stalingrad will erect a monument to Josef Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill to honor their historic Yalta conference in 1945, the city's mayor said Thursday.

AP Photo

Volgograd Mayor Yevgeny Ishchenko also said his city is considering changing some street names in honor of the Battle of Stalingrad, which is widely considered a turning point in World War II.

"We are talking about eternalizing the leaders of world powers, the powers that won in that war, about eternalizing a historic event," Ishchenko said.

Zurab Tsereteli — a sculptor known for grandiose statues that many consider more kitsch than art — is donating the massive bronze statue to the city, located about 550 miles southeast of Moscow. Ishchenko said they hope to erect the monument in time for the 60th anniversary of the end of the war, on May 9.

Erecting monuments to Stalin remains a controversial issue for many Russians, who say the dictator was responsible for the deaths of millions of his own people. Other Russians revere him for the Soviet Union's rapid industrialization and his leadership during the fight against Nazi Germany in what is known here as the Great Patriotic War.

Ishchenko stressed the Yalta monument was not to honor Stalin, but to honor the Nazi defeat and the Yalta conference that charted the postwar world.

It is important "not to blacken our past too much," he said, and to love Russian history "the way it is."

Volgograd residents are also considering renaming some streets in honor of the Battle of Stalingrad, he said. The city's public council may rename the city's main street, Lenin Avenue, to Stalingrad Avenue. Other streets may be named after heroes of the battle.

Ishchenko said there is also talk of returning the city to its previous name of Stalingrad. The city was renamed Volgograd in 1961 after Soviet leaders denounced Stalin for promoting a cult of personality.

Ishchenko, however, said the city will not back the proposal unless it is endorsed by the majority of city residents. A recent opinion poll found only 15 percent of Volgograd residents in favor of renaming the city, he said.

[Stellar Dendrite]

"Yes, revionism of Nazi atrocities seems to be in these days"

Perhaps you're right but the more disturbing thing is the tendency for revisionism in that which deals with the atrocities of Communism. If you only read the NY Times, you'd think that Stalin never killed his own people, that Castro is a good man because he provides "Free Health Care", and on and on.....
This is the same crowd that tells us "communism hasnt *really* been tried".

[jb6]

That's funny, I haven't seen it and I've been there plenty of times. I know plenty of American businessmen and entrepreneurs who moved there and love it. No bigotry. Need to speak the language not to get screwed, but that's true in any country.

[dfwgator]

Most of the SA Brownshirts were Communists, but the Nazis had better beer.

[reagan_fanatic]

Judging by this 'sculpture', you would think Stalin stood 6'11" tall. And look at Roosevelt and Churchill...they both look like they're about to jump out of their seats to spit-shine Stalin's shoes.

Typical Soviet-style art.

[henkster]

Reading the posts about how many people these monsters killed reminds me of a quote from Stalin, of all people.

"One person killed is a tragedy. One million people killed is a statistic."

How ironic.

At a certain point, it makes no difference how many or how long; these three are still monsters.

[jb6]

The Germans had been fighting their own home brewed communist revolutions from 1917 on. Ever heard of the Bavarian People's Republic? Go read up on it.

[kms61]

Joseph Stilwell, the American General who worked most closely with Chiang, had a pretty low opinion of him and the KMT regime in general. The Nationalist troops only had success against the Japanes after they were put directly under American command.

[jb6]

Look how old the guy is who made it. What do you expect?

[Petronski]

Well, maybe I'm paranoid. Whatever.

[sasportas]

Ole' Vinegar Joe had pretty low opinion of just about everybody and everything.

[SaltyJoe]

You bring up some interesting points.

Stalin "purged" (murdered) most of his flag officers due to a successful German ruse. German spy masters convinced Stalin that Nazi's had infiltrated the Soviet Army before their gigantic invasion into Russian occupied territories (Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, etc.).

During Stalin's rise to absolute rule (sometimes called the "Great Terror"), he had successfully replaced (purged/murdered) anyone with charismatic and quality leadership traits with miniatures of himself. His underlings pretty much wet themselves whenever Stalin gave them a personal call on the phone.

That Stalin used other generals during the great patriotic war was a buffering tactic no different than what he used during his purges. Stalin always had a henchman do his bloody work. That's why millions cried out, "If Stalin only knew!" Many Russians (and probably many Western socialist too) still won't accept the fact that Stalin was the central decision maker and mass murderer demanding the shootings, purges, mass movement of populations, starvation's, and working to death of these peoples before, during and after WW2.

Stalin was many times worse than Hitler. Hitler's Nazism (and some historians can successfully accuse socialist leaning Western powers) made Stalin a world power. The world still suffers Stalins legacy.

[jb6]

However, Zukov told it like it was and Stalin shut up and listened. He was so afraid of Zukov that all he did to "purge" him was force him into retirement after WW2. Zukov was so popular, and still is, that Stalin feared the army would turn on him in a heart beat.

[spanalot]

"Roosevelt and Churchill...they both look like they're about to jump out of their seats to spit-shine Stalin's shoes."

Well in the case of Roosevelt, he is probably looking for another commission check like the $500,000 his son Elliot Roosevelt received for selling some Fokkers to Stalin. This is right after daddy provided official recognition to the commies.

Nice scratch for a 23 year old in the middle of a depression.

http://www.rooseveltmyth.com/book/fdrmyth_Chapter_Two___The_White_House_G.htm

[SaltyJoe]

That's proof that evil only respects raw power.

[Lukasz]

Looks like political climate is very good to cultivate Stalin cult. Seems to me that Russian youngsters still don’t have proper education in their schools.



MONUMENT TO STALIN TO BE ERECTED IN YAKUTIA

YAKUTSK, March 30 (RIA Novosti, Pyotr Vasilyev) - Yakutia's deputies decided to erect a bust of Joseph Stalin in the city of Mirny's Victory Square on May 9.

The municipal administration said they made the decision after the mayor's office received numerous requests from local veterans and youth organization representatives.

"We could not leave a request made by participants in the Great Patriotic War, especially during the anniversary year, unattended to or satisfied. It is no secret that our front-line soldiers fought under the slogan 'For the Homeland! For Stalin!' I believe that the deputies were right in displaying their civic position," Anatoly Popov, Mirny mayor and chairman of the District Assembly, told the local media.

Mirny citizens have long questioned perpetuating the memory of Stalin. Polls on this theme were held among Mirny residents. The results of the polls showed that the number of those who back the veterans' proposal was greater. It is interesting that young people, too, actively supported the idea of erecting a monument to Stalin.

"Our grandfathers' opinions are sacred to us," said Alexander Derevyanko, a leader of the city youth organization My Generation and decorated with the Order of Courage.

Mirny officials said all the necessary work will be done shortly and a monument to Stalin will be put up in the city square on VE Day.

[djf]

Try to erect a statue of any of the important commanders of the southern army during the civil war.

After you get your ass sued off, come back and whine about education in America.


Important people are important because they changed history.
Not because they were on the most envied RSVP lists.

[Tailgunner Joe]

Stalin murdered more Russians than Hitler.

[GarySpFc]

Volgograd Mayor Yevgeny Ishchenko also said his city is considering changing some street names in honor of the Battle of Stalingrad, which is widely considered a turning point in World War II.

My wife is from Volgograd (Stalingrad), and we still maintain an apartment there for her daughter. The city is one of the few places in Russia where the communist party still controls. I say they are communist, but that is more in name than fact. The residents have a deep nostalgia for The Battle of Stalingrad, and any feelings for Stalin are for his determination to save the city, and not actual love for him. My wife's father taught his children at an early age that Stalin was an evil man. My wife is the youngest of the group, with some as old as 63, and so you can see he started teaching against Stalin long before Khrushchev unmasked the dictator's true evil.

[GarySpFc]

Ping! Read my post 58.

[dfwgator]

Stalin murdered more Russians than Hitler.

And he murdered even more Ukrainians.