Wrestling Stalin

I had a great time tonight visiting the graveyard of fallen Soviet Memorial at the Central House of Artist, also known as the Fallen Monuments Park. It is across the wide street from Gorky Park. I was able to flip Stalin the bird and put him in a headlock, plus see the remnants of hundreds of former statues, artwork and busts that occupied the Soviet Union. They have been assembled here in this park because there was no other place to put them. 

It is quite bizarre touring this park. A large statue of Felix Dzerzhinsky, who was the founder and initial leader of the Checka, Lenin's secret police and heavy during the Red Terror, stood front and center. The statue once stood at Lubyanka Square, near the KGB Headquarters before it was pulled down in 1991 by cheering crowds with the collapse of communism. It now resides peacefully in this park. Nearby a construction company is putting the finishing touches on a large apartment building designed with a neo-Stalinist architecture. It is hideous and revolting. It has the similar wedding-cake appearance of Stalin's Seven Sisters. Put in juxtaposition with Dzerzhinsky's towering figure, it is further proof that the Russian people aren't quite sure they are ready to leave their past behind them.

But, as stated earlier, I put Stalin in a headlock and flipped him the bird. This was the highlight of my Tuesday evening. There is minor damage done to the larger statue from previous vandalism, but I cannot believe the statue is upright, and the bust isn't at the bottom of the Moscow River. I certainly will put my photo with Stalin to good use as a profile picture.


The picture below is myself in front a large Soviet emblem and a sign that, roughly translated, states the USSR is the center of the world. Yeah, that is so 1950s. Today, the sign is rusting and falling apart in a park mostly visited by tourists and young Russian couples who want to make out on the numerous park benches. 

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!

Red Square is Awesome! So is warm Tomato Juice

Today our group took Russian-language-placement exams and a a fast-paced walking tour of downtown Moscow. Over the coming weeks there will be more in-depth visits for further study. These are my thoughts on today: 


"Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь!" (Proleterians of all countries unite!) Nice idea on as written on this stone. (Me, on the right) Probably the only time I'll allow myself or my thinking on the same plane as Karl Marx. This is one of the few monuments left to Marx today. It is situated very near Red Square and is directly across from the Bolshoy Theater.

One of my top ten places to see in the world is Red Square. Today I experienced it. I stood in its center and imagined the propaganda power of a military parade. St. Basil's Cathedral in front of me, and the Kremlin walls to the right. Awesome! However, before this, as I am walking through the gates I spot Lenin and Stalin - in person, sitting and chatting together. Obviously not the real deal but it was two actors who looked eerily similar to the pair. Stalin in a white coat and smoking a pipe, Lenin, somewhat relaxed, as if "really" listening to Stalin. It was a moment too fleeting for a camera, but the pair appeared to be taking a break while sitting on folding chairs. The scene was reminiscent of the actual time the two of them were seen together.

Unfortunately, the grandeur of Red Square is cheapened by the marketing allowed to make it a tourist attraction on the level of Rock City or Disney World. Vlad and Joe are proof enough. There are cheesy T-shirts, military caps, and other "Soviet" trinkets that glorify what the Communist accomplished. Having actors portray brutal dictators for "admiring" tourists seemed a bit much for me. On Thursday, a group of people tore down one of the last remaining statues of Stalin - in his hometown in Georgia. (This seems proof enough of what a lot of people think.) Stalin is a man responsible for 30 million deaths in the political purges and show trials of the 1930s, forced labor camps and the botched agricultural collectivization schemes. However, others stills view him as a hero for saving the Soviets from Nazi Germany and modernizing Russia.

I also saw where the building where the Politburo met, the former KGB headquarters, the Duma building, the Bolstoy theater, and old, old Moscow that hadn't been destroyed by Stalin.

Side Notes:

• The building where I'm taking my classes used to educate people how to be excellent communist bureaucrats for the Soviet Union. It was an elite academy known as the higher party school. I want to find out more about its history.

• I experienced the Moscow Metro for the first time. The car I rode it must have been built in the 50s but the experience was only sweeter because of it. Yes, for the record, Muscovites invade one's personal space, but that only heightens the experience. I'm glad I put on deodorant today, however, I wish others had the same consideration.

• I took my entrance exam for the Russian language today. I finished quickly. The only question I could answer was the spot to write my name (in English). I think I will be placed in the beginners class (and not for good reason.)

• At the university's cafeteria I took a chance and ordered a fish soup. However, it was more like a fish chowder and it was the best I had ever eaten. It had more than enough fish in it and the flavors in the broth and other ingredients were awesome. It cost 40 rubles, which is about $1.33.

• I have discovered that Russians have an affinity for tomato juice, and, like any connoisseur, they prefer it without ice. I purchased two liters of it today to enjoy later at room temperature.