The Russian United Democratic Party YABLOKO considers preservation
of the Bolshevist – Stalinist type of thinking in the authorities
and the society and picturing of the repressive regime as
a variant of the norm be one of the acutest problems of
today’s Russia. Growth of violence in politics and public
life, acts of terror and political murders, the authoritarian
regime and repressive law enforcement system, cynicism of
the authorities and apathy of the population, replacement
of the reforms by their imitation represent a direct consequence
of this problem.
Real changes in our life, creation of a modern state and
civil society require that Russia and its citizens should
realise that Bolshevism and Stalinism present a national
disaster. If most of our compatriots consider that period
and the events taking place during that period as simply
a stage in Russia’s history with is advantages and drawbacks,
achievements and errors, we shall never be able to progress.
Bolshevism and its concentrated essence – Stalinism – was
a most cruel social experiment targeted at destruction of
all which is humane in a person and changing the moral and
ethical nature of an individual. That is why religious organisations
and believers, as well as religion in general were the key
targets of Bolshevist and Stalinist reprisals. The reprisals
were not reduced to the denial of the freedom of conscience.
Reprisals against Christianity and Christians launched right
after establishment of the Bolsheviks’ dictatorship and
taken up by the Stalin’s regime can be compared only with
reprisals against the first Christians. The reason is simple:
Bolshevism and Stalinism are antagonistic to Christianity,
all the world religions and humanism.
Stalin’s desire to impersonalize an individual, completely
subordinate him to the state and make him a small detail
in a controlled mechanism has become the source of mass-scale
deprivation of human rights in modern Russia.
Acceptability for public consciousness of all-over collectivization,
class-based reprisals against farmers, famine of 1932 –
1933 provoked by the actions of the governments largely
explains why the authorities allowed themselves at the turn
of the 20th century to neglect the interests of the budget
sphere workers, pensioners and other social groups that
did not manage to fit into their “new” society concept.
The fact that negligence of the living conditions of the
workers, low wage-pay, mass-scale use of virtually gratuitous
labour of collective farmers and absolutely free labour
of the prisoners was explained by “historical necessity”
has become a source of today’s deprivation of rights of
the employed workers who are treated by modern “efficient
managers” in Stalin’s manner – as “human material”.
Lack of strong and influential independent trade unions
is also a consequence of Stalinist attitude to the workers
deprived of any possibilities of organised protection of
their rights. A concept that it is impossible to go against
one’s “bosses” has been deeply rooted in public consciousness.
The psychology of Russia’s law enforcement system has largely
remained Stalinist: with its trend towards persecution,
“beating off” of testimony, turning of penal institutions
into the place of torture and, in the first place, overpenetrating
fear of the law enforcement bodies and the feeling that
the latter enjoy a complete power over “ordinary” persons.
Those who acquit reprisals of 1920 – 1930s virtually state
that today’s mockery over their compatriots is quite acceptable.
A “cromulent” or neutral attitude to Bolshevism and Stalinism
is a problem of our society. The attempts to grow political
capital on this problem are immoral. A campaign on celebrating
Joseph Stalin’s 130th anniversary launched in Russia represents
an insult and humiliation of the country and the nation.
This celebration of a butcher of the nation is a fest on
the blood of the killed and tortured to death. This represents
a loud statement that lawlessness, humiliation and absence
of social guarantees are normal.
And not only the worshippers of Joseph Stalin who organised
the “jubilee” celebration are to blame for making such a
thing possible in the 21st century. The state and the society
that have not applied any efforts for clearing the country
of Bolshevism and Stalinsm also share this blame.
The Congress of the Russian United Democratic Party YABLOKO
supports the Resolution of the Political Committee of the
party Overcoming Bolshevism and Stalinism as a Key Factor
for Russia’s Transformation in the 21st Century and measures
proposed in it.
Modern Russia should not have organisations that are or
call themselves successors of VKP(b) [the Bolsheviks’ party]
– the CPSU and ChK-GPU-NKVD-KGB. The legacy of these organisations
has no place in our life and our future.
Not a single politician or a public figure should be allowed
to acquit the reprisals, moreover praise those who organised
them. Acquittal of mass-scale reprisals and elimination
of millions of innocent people is a crime which should be
included into the Criminal Code.
As well as denial of the fact of mass-scale reprisals,
actions on elimination of farmers, deportation of nations
and other actions of the criminal regime represents the
same type of crime.
We also support the efforts of the Orthodox Church targeted
at preservation of the memory of those who with their belief
and humanistic values managed to oppose Stalin’s machinery.
The state should follow this example. We propose to pay
close attention to the experience of the veneration of the
Saints - the new martyrs. On one hand it is constant mourning
over the killed and tortured, and on the other hand, it
is veneration of the act of their moral bravery and firmness.
Also we would like to note, with all respect and gratitude
to the creative labour of our people in the 20th century,
that the main achievement of the Soviet period was the act
of bravery of the people who preserved their morals and
human values and rejected Stalin’s rules of life, rather
than material objects or scientific discoveries. It is this
act of spiritual bravery which allows us to hope that our
country will overcome Stalin’s legacy. This act of bravery
is worthy of public recognition.
The Russian United Democratic Party YABLOKO proposes to
make the Memory Day of the Victims of Political Repressions
the national day of mourning. It should be as important
as the Victory day: elimination of a nation by a cruel regime
is a disaster not less than a war, and the importance for
our history of those who did not surrender is worthy of
being commemorated along with the act of bravery of those
who defended the country during the Second World War.
This should be a national day of mourning, and special
events with participation of the heads of the state should
take place on this day. Special lessons devoted to the Memory
Day should be conducted at schools and universities.
The Russian state must create a national memorial of the
victims of Stalinism and Bolshevism, which should not be
simply a monument but a an information and research centre,
the center of national memory of the disaster which should
never repeat.
As the first step in this direction we propose to close
excursions to Lenin’s Mausoleum in the Red Square. Vladimir
Lenin, a founder and a symbol of the antihuman system, is
to blame for the deaths of millions of people. Both veneration
and sheer curiosity to the exhibited corpse is immoral.
Sergei Mitrokhin
Chair of the YABLOKO party
See also:
Overcoming
Stalin’s Legacy
