MOSCOW, March 5, 2008 Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents information on how Russians characterize Josef Stalin and his role in the Russian history.Every second respondent assumes that the country was rather pursuing the wrong political line (48%); however, those who consider the country's mainstreams to have been right are also quite numerous (37%).Every second respondent (52%) in 2006 thought it to be the best for him to live in contemporary Russia; no more than 39% of respondents shared this point of view in October 2005. Brezhnev era still occupies the second place in the list of attractiveness; however, the share of respondents willing to live in it has reduced from 31% down to 26%. Only 4% of respondents for each of the options preferred to live in Russia on the merge of the 19th and 20th centuries and in the Stalin’s era (6% missed Stalinism in 2005).1937 still remains in the memory of every second Russian (47%) primarily as the symbol of Stalin’s terror and mass repressions. 76% of respondents find it difficult today to mention any particular surnames of well-known people who suffered from repressions during those years. More frequently than others they manage to recall in this respect M. Tukhachevskiy (6%), A. Solzhenitsyn (4%), V. Blyukher (3%), N. Bukharin, A. Sakharov (2% per option), N. Vavilov, G. Zhzhenov, G. Zhukov, G. Zinovjev, L. Kamenev, S. Kirov, S. Korolev, O. Mandelstam, K. Rokossovsky, L. Trotsky (1% per option). This question causes the greatest difficulty among the young people of 18-24 years of age (88%).Cultural figures, scientists and workers of art were the ones who primarily suffered from the repressions of those years, as 51% of respondents identify, to be followed by soldiers (31%), "the ordinary citizens, everyone taken at random" (21%), "Jews, Latvians, representatives of other national minorities" (18%), clergymen (18%), peasants (17%), workers (16%), party workers (14%), political opposition to Stalin (11%); NKVD workers and workers of other power structures (6%). Only 5% consider that "spies and wreckers", and 2% that "speculators, thieves and bandits" were the ones who predominantly suffered. In the opinion of a half of respondents (51%), in essence honest and innocent citizens, who were maligned, were then the ones to undergo repressions. One third (32%) assumes that part of those punished was guilty, but the other part was not. Only 2% of respondents consider that these were chiefly wreckers and enemies of the Soviet regime, and another 4% note that in essence these were all communists, guilty at least of the fact that they themselves during the Civil War and in the early years of the Soviet regime had committed numerous crimes. Respondents of all generations are inclined to think that predominantly honest people suffered.Only 2% of respondents consider the repressions of those years to have been the correct and necessary step of the Soviet regime. 16% adhere to the version about exaggerations: it was necessary to fight with the enemies of the people in those years, but "in to the flame of fight" many innocent people suffered. 19% call what happened in 1937 Stalin's big mistake; just as many respondents characterize repressions as a crime committed in cold blood, carried out by Stalin personally, to which there can be no justification. And the most wide-spread estimation (give by 33% of respondents) is that not Stalin alone was guilty of the repressions but the entire system of government created by him. The higher the level of education the respondents had, the more inclined they were to blame the system (ranging from 28% in the group with less than elementary education to 38% in the group with higher and uncompleted highest education), and the less they support the version of "exaggerations" (22% and 14%). The majority of Russians (70%) negatively evaluate the "cleaning" of the military leaders in 1937, considering this as one of the reasons of the failures of our army at the beginning of the war in 1941-1945. Only 9% of respondents assume that the repressions in no way affected the defence capability of our country, but 3% even think that "cleaning" strengthened the Soviet Army.As far as Stalin’s role as the country leader in the years of the Great Patriotic War is concerned, the point of view prevails that the victory in the war cannot be divided into that of the people and that of the government, as each of them has made its contribution into the matter (59% of respondents tend to agree with this assertion). Nearly equal parts of respondents tend to adhere to the extremist viewpoints that the Russian people managed to win the war despite Stalin’s talentless rule, and, that it happened due to Stalin’s rule.The initiative All-Russia opinion polls were conducted by VCIOM on April 23-24, October 22-23, 2005, December 9-10, 2006, October 6-7, 2007. 1600 respondents were interviewed in 153 population areas of 46 regions of Russia. The statistical error does not exceed 3.4%.
Do you think our country was rather pursuing the right political line in the Stalin era or was it wrong? (October 22-23, 2005) | |
I would rather characterize the political line as right | 37 |
I would rather characterize the political line as wrong | 48 |
Hard to say | 15 |
Let us try to remember some of the events that took place 70 years ago. What impressions, recollections or associations do you have with the year 1937? What are the most important events that took place in the country at that time? (A free-answer question, up to three responses, as of October 6-7, 2007) | ||||||
| Total respondents | Age, years | ||||
18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-59 | 60 and older | ||
It was a year of mass repressions | 47 | 23 | 36 | 56 | 56 | 51 |
A famine in the country | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
A time of industrial growth, industrialization, a great construction period in the country | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
Hard times | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Lawlessness of the authorities, disorders in the country | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
The time of Stalin’s rule | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Stalin’s personality cult | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
The appearance of fascism in Italy and Germany, getting ready for the war | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Nothing good happened | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Collectivization of agriculture | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Elimination of the intelligentsia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Other option | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Hard to say | 44 | 69 | 53 | 42 | 35 | 32 |
1937 has cut into the memories of many as the year of mass repressions, the "Stalin terror". Please, try to mention the most famous people who suffered from the repressions of 1937 and in the following years (A free-answer question, up to three responses, October 6-7, 2007) | |
Tukhachevsky | 6 |
Solzhenitsyn | 4 |
Blyukher | 3 |
Bukharin | 2 |
Sakharov | 2 |
Vavilov | 1 |
Zhzhenov | 1 |
Zhukov | 1 |
Zinovjev | 1 |
Kamenev | 1 |
Kirov | 1 |
Korolev | 1 |
Mandelstam | 1 |
Rokossovsky | 1 |
Trotsky | 1 |
Military leaders | 3 |
Intelligentsia | 2 |
Doctors (The doctors’ plot) | 1 |
Scientists | 1 |
Political leaders | 1 |
Other option | 2 |
Hard to say | 76 |
What categories of citizens do you think suffered most from Stalin's repressions? (up to three options, as of October 6-7, 2007) | |
Intelligentsia, people prominent in cultural matters, science and art | 51 |
The military | 31 |
The ordinary citizens, everyone taken at random | 21 |
Jews, Latvians, representatives of other national minorities | 18 |
The clergymen | 18 |
Peasants | 17 |
Workers | 16 |
Party workers | 14 |
Political opposition to Stalin | 11 |
NKVD workers and workers of other power structures | 6 |
Spies and wreckers | 5 |
Speculators, thieves and bandits | 2 |
Other option | 1 |
Hard to say | 11 |
Do you think that citizens who had to endure repressions were really guilty of something? (October 6-7, 2007) | ||||||
| Total respondents | Age, years | ||||
18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-59 | 60 and older | ||
They mostly were, these were wreckers and enemies of the Soviet state | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Mostly so, as primarily repressed were communists, guilty at least by the fact that they themselves during the Civil War and in the early years of the Soviet regime had committed numerous crimes | 4 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
Part of those punished were guilty, but the other part was not | 32 | 29 | 35 | 33 | 32 | 32 |
Generally not, in essence they were honest and innocent citizens, who were maligned | 51 | 45 | 46 | 53 | 51 | 55 |
Hard to say | 11 | 18 | 16 | 10 | 12 | 7 |
How would you today characterize the repressions of those years? (October 6-7, 2007) | |||||
| Total respondents | Level of Education | |||
Elementary or lower, junior secondary education | Secondary education (school or vocational school) | Post-secondary education (technical school) | Incomplete higher education (no less than 6 semesters), higher education | ||
The repressions of those years were a correct and necessary step of the Soviet regime | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
It was necessary to fight with the enemies of the people in those years, but many innocent people suffered due to exaggerations that took place | 16 | 22 | 16 | 16 | 14 |
It was Stalin’s huge mistake | 19 | 14 | 18 | 21 | 20 |
It was a crime committed in cold blood, carried out by Stalin, to which there can be no justification | 19 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 19 |
Not Stalin alone was guilty of the repressions but the entire system of government created by him | 33 | 28 | 32 | 32 | 38 |
Hard to say | 11 | 16 | 15 | 10 | 8 |
There was a “cleaning” in the military in 1937. Many of the popular military leaders had to undergo repressions. How do you think it affected the country’s defence potential? (October 6-7, 2007) | ||||||
| Total respondents | Age, years | ||||
18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-59 | 60 and older | ||
The "cleaning" strengthened the Soviet Army before the start of the war and positively influenced the country’s defence potential | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
It did not have any impact on the country’s defence potential | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
It was one of the reasons of the failures of our army at the beginning of the war | 70 | 62 | 65 | 74 | 72 | 72 |
Hard to say | 18 | 26 | 23 | 15 | 14 | 17 |