A portrait of the leader in the Stalin Musem in his hometown of Gori, Georgia. Photo by Eana Korbezashvili/Civil.ge.
Stalin’s distinctive presence in both the mnemonic and physical environment of Georgia sets it apart from its post-Soviet neighbors. And as Bakradze’s essay makes it clear, we should take the Georgian case with a grain of (Svanetian) salt. What makes Stalin’s legacy particularly fascinating here is the simultaneity of criticism (of Stalin as a leadership model) and respect (of Stalin as a national symbol). This, combined with Mikeil Saakashvili’s weak de-Stalinization campaign, may explain why 68% of Georgian respondents agreed that Stalin was a “wise leader who brought the Soviet Union to might and prosperity,” while 63% responded negatively when asked if they would live in a country ruled by someone like him.
In Russia and the Caucasus at large, the survey had another interesting result. Among the younger generation, it seems, Stalin has a rather weak appeal to interest. Even in Georgia, 22% of respondents aged 18-30 described their attitude toward Stalin as “indifferent.” In Russia, 40% of respondents aged 18-30 described their attitude toward Stalin as “indifferent.” The same was true of 22% in Georgia, 25% in Armenia, and 18% in Azerbaijan. While we may hold this—combined with the low percentage of youth registering a positive attitude—as a hopeful sign for new post-Soviet generation, indifference is a slightly dangerous condition when it comes to history. Indifference to one’s past is not too far or too distinct from historical amnesia. In this respect, the most shocking result came from Azerbaijan, where 39% of respondents aged 18-30 did not know who Stalin is. For all age groups, this number was 22%. Gudkov proposes that “this may indicate the growing distance of Azerbaijanis from their Soviet ideological legacy as well as a culture and religion that is markedly different from the other countries surveyed.” Considering that less than 10% of respondents in the other three countries registered ignorance, this result merits further study.