Russians are nostalgic for the Soviet empire, particularly for Josef Stalin, in case you were wondering how things are going for one of the United States’ top geopolitical foes.
The Soviet despot’s approval numbers have soared to their highest levels in Russia in the Putin era, according to a new survey by the Levada Center, which has tracked national attitudes regarding Stalin since April 2001.
Recommended Stories
A full 70 percent of respondents say Stalin was good for Russia, marking a 16-point increase from the previous high of 54 percent in 2016. Fifty-one percent also say they now view him favorably as a person.
The survey, which polled 1,600 Russians and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points, was conducted between March 21 and 27.
Of those surveyed, 41 percent explicitly said they respect Stalin, six percent said they sympathize with him, and four percent say they admire him, according to the Moscow Times’ reading of the poll. Only 13 percent of respondents in the new Levada poll said they dislike, fear, or hate Stalin. So, at least there is that.
“Stalin begins to be perceived as a symbol of justice and an alternative to the current government, deemed unfair, cruel and not caring about people,” Academy of Sciences sociologist Leonty Byzov told RBC news. “It’s purely a mythological image of Stalin, very far from the real historical figure.”
The polling firm, which is based in Moscow, noted that the percentage of respondents who answered favorably when asked about Stalin is the at its highest level since they started tracking attitudes on the Soviet tyrant more than 15 years ago.
“Nostalgia over the collapse of the Soviet Union is at a peak this year. In addition, Stalin is seen as a figure who ensured social justice,” said Levada’s Karina Pipia. However, she added, those who say they admire Stalin “don’t really want to go back to those times,” adding that respondents were also generally unhappy with government reforms and the standard of living in Russia.
The survey’s findings come amid Putin’s ongoing efforts to rehabilitate the overall image of the old Soviet empire, including reviving the Soviet anthem and ornate military parades and even offering a Soviet-era medal for labor. It seems to be working.
