Novodevichy Cemetery: "We will bury you!"

"We will bury you!"


Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev uttered this chilling remark in 1956 after settling into power following Stalin's death. While the remark seems threatening in the context of the Cold War, he later clarified that he meant the superior Soviet system will ultimately defeat the capitalist workers of America. Not quite. 


Speaking of being buried, I sat on K's grave this weekend. It is located in the exclusive Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow. K died in 1971. Ironically, the grave's monument to K was created by Russian abstract artist Ernst Neizvestnyi, whose work was criticized by the Premier while he was in power. While attending a 1962 Soviet art exhibition, K saw Neizvestnyi's work and called it "dog shit." Despite rising to the pinnacle of power, Khrushchev was anything but sophisticated. He always was simple and direct, likely a feature of his peasant background. He wanted to see Soviet art focus on ordinary people and realism. 


K's monument is a simple design and it serves as a metaphor for his life, darkness and light. K was a strong supporter of Stalin's purges, which he ably carried out in Moscow and later the Ukraine. Thousands were arrested and executed under K's watch. Yet, it is the same K who later denounces Stalin's brutality and begins the de-Stalinization movement. He also sought to give the Soviet people a whiff of progress in the arts, education, and agriculture. K made many enemies within the Soviet hierarchy and was eventually pulled from power in 1964. Because he didn't seek to "purge" his political enemies while he was in power, the favor was returned and he was allowed to live out his final years relatively comfortable. He got the ultimate revenge by dictating his memoirs on audio tape. They were smuggled out of the country and published in 1970. So in the end K tried to right the many wrongs he had committed earlier in his life. 

Not just anyone can be buried at Novodevichy cemetery. Those who are buried there during the Soviet years or since made an impact within the Soviet Union or the Russian Federation. There are graves and monuments to Boris Yeltsin, composer Dmitri Shostakovich, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, former first lady Raisa Gorbachev, foreign minister Andrei Gromyko, Olympic champion high jumper Valery Brumel, playwright Anton Chekhov, prime minister Vyacheslav Molotov, Stalin's second (and last) wife Nadezhda Alliluyev, who killed herself in 1932 after suffering from years of abuse, and many, many notable Soviet military commanders. (On the left is one of the first Soviet Cosmonauts. The monument to the left is for his "partner" as they were never married, but will still spend eternity next to each other.)


The cemetery is quite beautiful. The graves and monuments are well laid out in rows but nature is allowed to encroach, which adds to its peacefulness. The shade from the trees is delightful, especially on these hot summer days.  Russian cemeteries are quite different than American cemeteries. It is a cultural tradition - for those who can afford it - to provide a monument to the deceased, usually with their likeness. These, like Khrushchev's, can be quite - well - monumental. One can tell what the person's role in life was from the monument. There is a heart surgeon, a Ob/Gyn, a general, a cosmonaut, KGB officials, a tank commander, a military communications commander, a circus clown, stage actor, musician, and so on.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Fourth of July, Americans. 

As the United States celebrates its independence from a monarchy, I celebrated my weekend visiting relics of a failed political system: Lenin, Stalin (that bastard),  Krushchev (that fool) Brezhnev, Andropov, and Chernenko.

On Saturday, I finally got to see Vladimir Lenin, or at least a waxy representation of him. I admit that I've wanted to view his body since I learned about him in high school history class. But then it was a cool idea because the Cold War was still on, Reagan was in office, Perestroika had yet to begin and it sounded risky and exciting. However, 25 years later it was a major letdown. It was as if I gained entrance to a state-sanctioned freak show to see a man's body whose ideals began evaporating the moment he seized power in 1917. I haven't figured out why Russia continues to treat Lenin nostalgically because he is the same man who immediately created the brutal secret police (the Cheka) and instituted the Red Terror against his opponents once taking power. He is no George Washington, yet his likeness is all around the city on busts, T-shirts, murals, paintings, etc.

Viewing his body was worth every penny. There is no charge to see Lenin. You have to stand a long line with other tourists. (Most Russians don't bother to view his "body" any longer.) Ironically, the line stretched all the way from Red Square to the McDonald's (I'm not kidding.) After queuing through the mausoleum, the formality I mentioned the other day has decreased considerably in the past five years according to my group leader. There are far fewer guards, the line became single file, the few guards in the mausoleum looked bored and were not at full attention. My guess is the "show" is getting old and in a few years they will finally bury this charade once and for all.

After standing in the bright sunlight for an hour, it is a shock to walk into the mausoleum because it is so dark. I began shuffling my feet on the marble floor because I knew there were steps coming up. The room is about 30 x 30 feet with a guard posted on each corner. The line queues around three sides of Lenin's sarcophagus. Once I entered the room I found myself staring at the guard to gauge his reaction to the tourist. He looked bored. I then looked at the "body." It is just as it appears in pictures. His skin is ghostly-white, his right hand is in a gentle fist and his left is laid out, palm down. As I passed the left side of his body I leaned in slightly to look at the skin on his face and it appeared as if it had way to much pancake makeup. Gross is the most elegant word I can muster. And, as I passed around him I consciously began thinking that I had NO reverence at all for this man. The only reason I am viewing the body is probably the same for many non-Russians, morbid curiosity.

Leaving the mausoleum the line is directed along the wall of the Kremlin where name plates list those people  interred in the Kremlin wall, and then finally you pass the row of highest Soviet honor, burial at the Kremlin. These include those that succeeded Lenin: Stalin, Brezhnev, Andropov, and Chernenko. Each has a marble bust. No matter which direction I looked at Stalin, I'm convinced his bust's eyes followed me. Very creepy, but fitting for the paranoid bastard. (Below is the marble bust of Stalin. Once again, I don't understand why Russia continues to pay any respect to this man's memory. I know there are old hard-line communist who would prefer Stalin to Putin, Medvedev and the current government, but at some point the bust has to go. There have already been many likenesses of Stalin that have been removed from the Metro and other places.)

On Sunday I traveled to view Khrushchev's grave at Novodevichy Cemetery, which is one the outskirts of the city. While the location is ancient and beautiful, it isn't as impressive as being buried at the Kremlin. Of course, if Stalin was buried in a publicaly accessible area, his grave would have been destroyed by now. For the leader of the Soviet Union I was surprised at how simple Khrushchev's grave is, especially when I compare it with other nearby graves of high-ranking Soviet political and military leaders. (More on this later.)

This is the first Fourth of July that I have every spent on foreign soil, and after having spent the past two days reflecting upon this country's terrible past experiences with brutal leaders, I am thankful for the United States, the Bill of Rights, elected leadership, and representational democracy. Despite the blemishes and the occasional hiccups, the U.S. form of government sure beats dictatorship and repression.

Khrushchev's Gravestone

Side Notes:

Besides visiting Novodevichy Cemetery on Sunday, I spent four hours in the morning riding the Metro taking photos of various decorations that were installed during Stalin's time. The pictures are published here. I will continue to take more photos next Sunday, when there are the fewest people in the Metro. I plan to use the photos to develop a unit on Stalin's use of architecture and propaganda from 1935 to 1953.

As an aside, it appears the mullet haircut, which had been on a steep decline in the U.S., is making its comeback here in Russia.  I've seen some major mullets this past week. (I feel like I'm back in Kentucky at times.) Also, camouflage seems to be a popular fashion print for both men and women. The trifecta will be a man wearing camoflage, sporting a mullet with a wad of chewing tobacco in his mouth. Yee-hah!

Escaping the Past

During my first Russian politics class today the professor, who is Russian, and grew up under the Soviet regime and lived through the transitive turmoil of the early 90s, mentioned how the Russian people are unique in the world while adjusting to their political reality. Despite voting in democratic elections, the people still feel alienated from the state. Once leaders are put into power, they no longer represent the voters, but the state - just like in the Soviet days or Tsarist Russia. While this is sometimes a perception and not always reality, it makes it difficult for the Russian people (or the government) to know where they are currently or where they want to head as a political and social society.

After Germany and Japan were defeated in World War II, both societies were physically wiped clean of all traces of the regimes that had lead them into their disastrous wars. There are no monuments to Hitler or Tojo. While the Soviet Union no longer exists as a state power, symbols of it exists all over Moscow and I'm sure the country. In my previous posts, I've mentioned several old Soviet symbols still present in the Metro and on the buildings about town. While the Russian people may not acknowledge these symbols on a day to day basis they are there to remind them of a failed state. How can a country move forward if it still hangs on to its past?

Along this theme, today I noticed three physical traces of the Soviet state that still exist in Moscow.

• Walking through a major hub station of the Metro today I passed a large, bold mosaic on the station wall of Vladimir Lenin. (Not exactly a role models for the kids.)
• In the school of higher education, which I've previously mentioned was a elite school to train communist party leaders, there are six very large marble "plaques" on the walls of the main entrance to the school. (3 on either side.) They appear to have been scrubbed clean some time ago. I suspect they had communist slogans and/or portraits of Soviet leaders on them to inspire the students. For the current Russian youth attending the school, they can read a lot into this vast emptiness. Perhaps a metaphor for the country's uncertain future, as my professor suggested. (See picture below)
• Lastly, Khrushchev's skyscrapers. The story is that when Khrushchev visited the U.S. in 1958 with Eisenhower and Nixon in the White House, he visited New York and other parts of the country, was famously denied entrance to Disney Land, and he hobnobbed with Hollywood royalty. When he returned to Moscow he demanded that Moscow have skyscrapers just like New York, only bigger. What he got were five tall basic buildings of poured cement. Russian engineers could not build higher or use better building materials. Not exactly up to New York standards. These building today line a street that is bustling with high-end capitalism. The contrast is incredible. (See picture below)

Lastly, I started formally learning Russian today. Wow. It is difficult, but I think after a few days I will begin to get the hang of it. After staying in Moscow for four days I am already starting to pick up phrases and place names during conversation. More to report on the language learning later.