Novye Izvestia
March 5, 2005
MORE ALIVE THAN MANY OF THE LIVING
Half of poll respondents still influenced by Stalin's
cult of personality
Several polling agencies investigate attitudes to
Stalin
Author: Vladlen Maksimov
[Saturday, March 5, marks the 52nd anniversary of
Stalin's death.
For some, this is a sad day; for others, it is a cause
of
celebration. Polls indicate a fifty-fifty split in
Russian society
with regard to opinions about Stalin.]
Saturday, March 5, marks the 52nd anniversary of
Stalin's
death. For some, this is a sad day; for others, it is
a cause of
celebration. Polls indicate a fifty-fifty split in
Russian society
with regard to opinions about Stalin.
The Bashkirov and Partners polling agency reports
that 47% of
respondents say Stalin played a positive role in
history, while
43% disapprove of him to some degree. Meanwhile, the
National
Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) reports that
50% of
respondents are still under the influence of Stalin's
cult of
personality, while only 37% condemn him. In its latest
poll,
VTsIOM notes a 4% increase in respondents who entirely
approve of
Stalin.
VTsIOM also included a leading question: does
modern Russia
need a politican like Stalin? The result indicated
that society is
split into two camps: 42% of respondents would like to
see a "new
Stalin" in the Kremlin, while 52% would not. Logically
enough,
those in favor of a "new Stalin" are mostly the
elderly - 60% of
respondents in that age group miss his strong hand. In
contrast,
31% of young respondents are pro-Stalin.
The Levada Center polling agency decided to find
out what
people think of erecting a monument to Stalin to mark
the 60th
anniversary of victory in World War II. The poll
showed 37%
disapproval of this idea, 29% support, and 28%
indifference.
Neither did respondents support a proposal to change
the name of
Volgograd back to Stalingrad. Most respondents (61%)
do not want
to see that city revert to the name of Stalingrad,
while only 23%
approve of the idea.
Translated by Gregory Malyutin
Nu, zayats, pogodi!
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