Săptămîna ( The Week in Romanian) was a newspaper published in the Socialist Republic of Romania focusing on Bucharest 's cultural scene. During the 1980s, the leading editors were Eugen Barbu and Corneliu Vadim Tudor and the newspaper had very strong pro- Nicolae Ceaușescu and National Communist views and it attacked and slandered detractors of Ceaușescu , both those living in Romania and those living in the exile.
102-467: Following the speeches of the 1971 July Theses , through which Ceaușescu imposed a new ideology, Eugen Barbu, a writer seeing a waning influence, took the opportunity to be the greatest supporter of this new ideology of protochronism . In a September 5, 1980 article entitled "Ideals", Corneliu Vadim Tudor presented the first anti-semitic view published in Romania after World War II. The article attacked
204-415: A " Slavophile emphasis on Russia and her history", saying that "what is called neo-Stalinism is not exclusively an expression of a desire to control, dominate, repress and dragoon; it is also the expression of a desire that Russia, while making use of western science and technology, should avoid contamination by western 'degenerate' attitudes and pursue her own path". According to former General Secretary of
306-492: A "social consensus" has emerged amongst the majority of Russian citizens, academics and authorities in rehabilitating Stalin. In 2014, Russian Duma passed a controversial "memory law" criminalizing discussions of atrocities committed during the Stalinist era or making comparisons between Nazism and Stalinism , under the pretexts of combating Neo-Nazism and defending the "historical memory of events which took place during
408-462: A backward country." Its policies shocked the country and contributed to starting the Soviet–Afghan War of 1979–1989 and subsequent Afghan Civil War . Some Western sources have characterised North Korea as a neo-Stalinist state; North Korea adopted a modified Marxism–Leninism into Juche as its official ideology in the 1970s, with references to Marxism–Leninism altogether scrapped from
510-538: A characterization requires a "coherent" definition of Stalinism—whose essential features Cohen leaves undefined. Some historians and political scientists have classified the régime of Romania under Nicolae Ceaușescu (1965–1989) as "neo-Stalinist". Albanian leader Enver Hoxha (in power 1943 to 1985) described himself as neo-Stalinist, and his ideology – Hoxhaism – features some Stalinist elements. After Stalin's death (1953), Hoxha denounced Stalin's successor Nikita Khrushchev and accused him of revisionism in
612-483: A critique of contemporary society, describing the spiritual crisis of a young doctor. Censorship in Romania remained in place: Alexandru Ivasiuc and Paul Goma had both been imprisoned for their participation in the Bucharest student movement of 1956 , and each wrote a novel about a man's prison experiences and efforts to readjust after his release. Goma's Ostinato describes prison life, Securitate methods and
714-434: A former Miss New Jersey and reporter for RT , made a series of tweets glorifying Stalin and the gulag system and calling for his return. Khan was harshly criticized for expressing these views, including by RT itself, and the controversy led to her apologizing and being suspended from the network. Star Wars Andor series showrunner Tony Gilroy based his storytelling about the character Cassian Andor on Joseph Stalin. Of
816-484: A general assembly — delegates would choose one of two names offered to them. By the time of the July 1972 National Party Conference, the cultural elite's strategies and the conflicts that would dominate the 1970s and 1980s had crystallized. Dissident Monica Lovinescu describes four features of the literary scene in Romania until 1989: intermittent courage; position in the social order transformed into an aesthetic criterion;
918-425: A human rights group Memorial Arseny Roginsky stated: "This is the fruit of creeping re-Stalinization and ... they [the authorities] want to use his name as a symbol of a powerful authoritarian state which the whole world is afraid of". Other human rights organizations and survivors of Stalin's repressions called for the decorations to be removed in a letter to Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov . Mikhail Shvydkoy ,
1020-481: A law passed in December 1971 prohibited the broadcasting or publication abroad of any written material that might prejudice the interest of the state. Romanian citizens were also forbidden from having any contact with foreign radio stations or newspapers, as this was considered hostile to Romania. One man who had submitted a volume of poetry to a critic for evaluation was tried for having written "hostile" verse; despite
1122-470: A maselor, pentru așezarea relațiilor din societatea noastră pe baza principiilor eticii și echității socialiste și comuniste ("Exposition regarding the PCR programme for improving ideological activity, raising the general level of knowledge and the socialist education of the masses, in order to arrange relations in our society on the basis of the principles of socialist and communist ethics and equity"). After
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#17327986472401224-517: A membrilor de partid, a tuturor oamenilor muncii ("Proposed measures for the improvement of political-ideological activity, of the Marxist–Leninist education of Party members, of all working people"), was a quasi- Maoist speech influenced by Ceaușescu's recent state visits to the People's Republic of China and North Korea . The speech marked the beginning of a "mini- Cultural Revolution " in
1326-531: A neutral one and 17% a positive, with 19% refusing to answer. In June 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin organized a conference for history teachers to promote a high school teachers manual called A Modern History of Russia: 1945–2006: A Manual for History Teachers , which according to Irina Flige (office director of human rights organization Memorial ) portrays Stalin as a cruel yet successful leader who "acted rationally". She claims it justifies Stalin's terror as an "instrument of development". Putin said at
1428-860: A period of rigid Stalinism from 1948, cultural life in the Socialist Republic of Romania experienced a modest trend of liberalization and de-Stalinization in the early 1960s. Romanian leader Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej , the General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party (PCR), had quietly pursued a " national communist " party line to reduce the influence of the Soviet Union . The Romanian government began to permit greater liberties and treat its citizens better, including an amnesty of political prisoners and allowing more freedom of expression , such as in
1530-467: A relaxed atmosphere". Modern American art, harshly criticised during the period of socialist realism , began to receive favourable coverage, as seen during an exhibition ("American painting since 1945") that opened in early 1969, featuring work by artists such as Jackson Pollock , Robert Rauschenberg and James Rosenquist . Even the US government received praise: President Richard Nixon 's world tour of 1969
1632-714: A resolution was passed equating the roles of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in starting World War II, drafted by delegates from Lithuania and Slovenia . The resolution called for a day of remembrance for victims of both Stalinism and Nazism to be marked every 23 August, the date in 1939 when Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of neutrality with a secret protocol that divided parts of Central and Eastern Europe between their spheres of influence. Konstantin Kosachev , head of
1734-478: A restricted clientele where Western goods could be purchased in hard currency . In 1968, the first student bar/club opened in Bucharest ; a writer for Viața Studențească described "low tables, discreet light... chewing gum and cigarettes , Pepsi and Coca-Cola, mechanical games, billiards ... plus a few hours of interesting discussions. Here is why the club bar appears as an answer to a natural need for communication, for exchanging ideas and clashing opinions... in
1836-529: A survey by the Center showed that Joseph Stalin was named by 39% of Russians as the "most outstanding national figure of all time" and, while nobody received an absolute majority, Stalin was very clearly in first place, followed by another Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin with 30% and Russian poet Alexander Pushkin with 23%. At the same time, there was a growth in pro-Stalinist literature in Russia, much relying upon
1938-413: A time of unity, strong rule and national honor". Political geographer Denis J. B. Shaw, writing in 1999, considered the Soviet Union as neo-Stalinist until the post-1985 period of transition to capitalism. He identified neo-Stalinism as a political system with planned economy and highly developed military–industrial complex . Philosopher Frederick Copleston , writing in 1986, portrays neo-Stalinism as
2040-508: A university discipline and what was left was taught at the PCR's Ștefan Gheorghiu Academy . The number of those allowed to study non-technical subjects at the university was sharply cut; fewer books were published; and the privileges formerly accorded to intellectuals were reduced. Ceaușescu began to develop a cult of personality around himself, influenced by the personality cult surrounding Kim Il Sung in North Korea, which would become
2142-762: Is the promotion of positive views of Joseph Stalin 's role in history, the partial re-establishing of Stalin's policies on certain or all issues, and nostalgia for the Stalinist period . Neo-Stalinism overlaps significantly with neo-Sovietism and Soviet nostalgia . Various definitions of the term have been given over the years. Neo-Stalinism is being actively promoted by Eurasianist currents in various post-Soviet states and official rehabilitation of Stalin has occurred in Russia under Vladimir Putin . Eurasianist philosopher Aleksandr Dugin , an influential neo-Stalinist ideologue in Russian elite circles, has praised Stalin as
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#17327986472402244-552: The Carnegie Endowment found 38% of Armenians concurring that their country "will always have need of a leader like Stalin". In early 2010, a new monument to Stalin was erected in Zaporizhzhia , Ukraine. In December 2010, unknown persons decapitated it and it was destroyed in a bomb attack in 2011. In a 2016 Kyiv International Institute of Sociology poll, 38% of respondents had a negative attitude to Stalin, 26%
2346-563: The Cold War . Writing over three decades later, Sorin Preda, who arrived in Bucharest from Bacău as an 18-year-old in 1970, recalled the cultural scene: Inexplicably and in part miraculously, around 1970, time had slowed down all of a sudden. Tired out, history left people alone for a few years, forgetting about denouncements and workers' wrath, about suspicions and ugly memories. It was
2448-723: The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF). With the approval of Putin government , CPRF has installed hundreds of monuments glorifying Stalin all across Russia since the 2000s. CPRF has been organizing annual ceremonies at the grave of Stalin in Kremlin Wall Necropolis to commemorate his birthday. Formed in 1992 by anti- Gorbachev hardliners of the CPSU , CPRF became a vehement opponent of 1990s privatization policies and has denounced
2550-742: The People's Republic of China , North Korea , North Vietnam and the Mongolian People's Republic . He was impressed by what he saw, taking great interest in the idea of a total national transformation as embodied in the programs of the Workers' Party of Korea and the Cultural Revolution . He was also inspired by the personality cults of North Korea's Kim Il Sung and China's Mao Zedong . Influenced by Kim Il Sung's Juche philosophy, he sought to emulate North Korea's system in Romania. Ceaușescu, upon his return, issued
2652-584: The Phanariot era, clearly refers to Gheorghiu-Dej — there is even reference to a project to build a canal that claims many of its builders' lives, a disguised reference to the Danube-Black Sea Canal . In Dumitru Radu Popescu 's novel F , abuses committed during collectivization in Romania are explored. Augustin Buzura's novel Absenții ("The Absent Ones", 1970) went so far as to provide
2754-552: The Second World War ". Despite strong condemnation from international historical societies across the world, the bill was passed and inserted as an article into the Russian Criminal Code . The bill was supported by the ruling United Russia Party and allied Communist Party . With the outbreak of Russo-Ukrainian war in 2014, neo-Stalinism underwent an explosive growth across the Russian society with
2856-514: The Socialist Republic of Romania that saw a Neo-Stalinist reversal of the liberalization in the country since the early 1960s. The PCR launched an offensive against cultural autonomy in Romania and returned to the guidelines of socialist realism . Strict ideological conformity in the humanities and social sciences was demanded and non-compliant intellectuals were attacked. Competence and aesthetics were to be replaced by ideology, professionals were to be replaced by agitators , and culture
2958-531: The Twentieth Congress ... made official doctrine of Stalin's revisionist practices [as] the new program discards the Leninist conception of imperialism and its corresponding revolutionary class struggle policies." American broadcasts into Europe during the late 1950s described a political struggle between the "old Stalinists" and "the neo-Stalinist Khrushchev". In October 1964, Khrushchev
3060-525: The Union of Communist Youth and its affiliates); and an expansion of political propaganda, orienting radio and television shows to this end, as well as publishing houses , theatres and cinemas, opera , ballet , artists' unions, and promoting a " militant , revolutionary" character in artistic productions. The liberalisation of 1965 was condemned, and an index of banned books and authors was re-established. Although presented in terms of "Socialist Humanism",
3162-562: The United States also took place and brought with it an impact on citizens' lives. A Pepsi-Cola factory opened in Constanța in 1967, its product promoted in the press through American-style advertisements. The slogan "Pepsi, drive and energy" ran regularly in newspapers that just a few years earlier made no mention of Western products. Coca-Cola was not produced domestically, but could be found in bars and Comturist shops, stores with
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3264-570: The cult of personality surrounding his predecessor Joseph Stalin and condemned crimes committed during the Great Purge . Khrushchev gave his four-hour speech, " On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences ", condemning the Stalin regime. Historian Robert V. Daniels holds that "neo-Stalinism prevailed politically for more than a quarter of a century after Stalin himself left the scene". Following
3366-462: The rehabilitation of Joseph Stalin, identification with him and the associated political system, nostalgia for the Stalinist period in Russia's history, restoration of Stalinist policies and a return to the administrative terror of the Stalinist period while avoiding some of the worst excesses. Academic Katerina Clark defines Neo-Stalinism as praising "the Stalin era and its leaders ... as
3468-497: The 1950s during Nikita Khrushchev's period of de-Stalinization . Another restored slogan reads: "For the Motherland! For Stalin!". Restoring the slogans was ordered by the head of the metro Dmitry Gayev . He explained his decision with restoring the historic view of the station: "My attitude towards this story is simple: this inscription was at the station Kurskaya since its foundation, and it will stay there". The chairman of
3570-578: The Commonwealth of Independent States Research Center at the Russian Academy's of Sciences Institute of Europe, sees the Russian regime's neo-Stalinism as a "non-ideological Stalinism" that "seeks control for the sake of control, not for the sake of world revolution". In 2005, Communist politician Gennady Zyuganov said that Russia "should once again render honor to Stalin for his role in building socialism and saving human civilization from
3672-551: The Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev , using the term in 2006, it more broadly refers to a moderated Stalinist state without large-scale repressions , but with persecution of political opponents and total control of all political activities in the country. In his monograph Reconsidering Stalinism , historian Henry Reichman discusses differing and evolving perspectives on
3774-506: The Jews, who, in contrast to the loyal Romanians were "running away in the face of hardships" (referring to Aliyah ). The Jews were seen as "visitors", "avid for enrichment", "Herod's strangers to the interests of this nation" and who lacked the Romanian notion of self-sacrifice. Chief Rabbi of Romania, Moses Rosen protested by writing a letter to the newspaper and on October 24, a retraction
3876-514: The Mignon the first private restaurant had opened, owned by the Chivu brothers, where you could find the freshest seafood, brought that very day from Paris by air. The city adulated its artists, receiving Nichita as it would a handsome and rebellious prince, and Marin Preda like a patriarch. The lights shone on the streets and there were even a few neon signs, American-style. No one was in a hurry. There
3978-543: The Nazi plague". Zyuganov has said "Great Stalin does not need rehabilitation" and has proposed changing the name of Volgograd back to Stalingrad. In 2010, the Communist leader stated: "Today ... the greatness of Stalin's era is self-evident even to his most furious haters ... We liberated the whole world!". In 2008, Dmitry Puchkov accused the authorities of raising a wave of anti-Stalin propaganda to distract
4080-576: The PCR after condemning the Warsaw Pact 's invasion of Czechoslovakia . However, the PCR began to intensify the struggle among writers as a group, and between them and the party. In 1970, awards of literary prizes brought the party leadership into open conflict with the Writers' Union of Romania . This determined the party to recover the privilege of granting such awards and of determining their standards of value. Despite these forebodings of conflict,
4182-525: The PCR's Central Committee plenum in April 1968, Ceaușescu denounced Gheorghiu-Dej and rehabilitated Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu , executed just two days before Ceaușescu joined the Politburo , thus allowing him to claim innocence and to demote a key rival, Alexandru Drăghici . This opened up even more space for artistic expression in Romania. Eugen Barbu 's novel Principele ("The Prince", 1969), though set in
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4284-482: The Russian Federation is that teachers and schools are free to choose history textbooks from the list of the admitted ones, which includes a total of forty-eight history text books for grade school and twenty-four history textbooks by various authors for high school. In September 2009, the Education Ministry of Russia announced that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's The Gulag Archipelago , a book once banned in
4386-508: The Soviet Union for the detailed account on the system of prison camps, became required reading for Russian high-school students. Prior to that, Russian students studied Solzhenitsyn's short story Matryonin dvor and his novella One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich , an account of a single day in the life of a gulag prisoner. In 2009, it was reported that the Russian government was drawing up plans to criminalize statements and acts that deny
4488-788: The Soviet Union's victory over fascism in World War II or its role in liberating Eastern Europe . In May 2009, President Dmitry Medvedev described the Soviet Union during the war as "our country" and set up the Historical Truth Commission to act against what the Kremlin terms falsifications of Russian history. On 3 July 2009, Russia's delegation at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe 's (OSCE) annual parliamentary meeting stormed out after
4590-471: The Theses in fact marked a return to socialist realism, reaffirming an ideological basis for literature that, in theory, the PCR had hardly abandoned. The difference was the addition of party-sponsored Romanian nationalism in historiography ; quoting Nicolae Iorga in another speech in July 1971, Ceaușescu asserted that "the man who does not write for his entire people is not a poet", and presented himself as
4692-454: The Theses to bring new "writers" into a rebellious Union. They instead preferred subtle evasion of their constraints and so were reluctant to back the pair of more outspoken dissidents. Within three years, the balance of power in the writers' community had shifted from the 1960s generation to the protochronists . Writers eager for greater influence could now obtain it by specialising in the production of ideology. These included both figures on
4794-487: The Theses which contained seventeen proposals. Among these were: continuous growth in the "leading role" of the Party; improvement of Party education and of mass political action; youth participation on large construction projects as part of their "patriotic work" ( muncă patriotică ); an intensification of political-ideological education in schools and universities, as well as in children's, youth and student organisations (like
4896-420: The Theses with their promise of Neo-Stalinism , came as a shock. The PCR was supposed to supervise the Theses' implementation closely and meticulously, but it was unable to do so with the same efficacy as in the 1950s. In part, this was due to the artistic community, which was numbed by the proposals and roused into a temporary united front against them. Zaharia Stancu and Eugen Jebeleanu , long associated with
4998-649: The Trotskyist Alliance for Workers' Liberty characterise modern China as "neo-Stalinist". By the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century, Turkmenistan 's Saparmurat Niyazov non-communist regime was sometimes considered a neo-Stalinist one, especially in respect of Niyazov's cult of personality . Islam Karimov 's non-communist authoritarian regime in Uzbekistan from 1989 to 2016 has also been described as "neo-Stalinist". In February 1956, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev denounced
5100-490: The Trotskyist comprehension of Stalin's policies as a deviation from the path of Marxism–Leninism, George Novack described Khrushchev's politics as guided by a "neo-Stalinist line", its principle being that "the socialist forces can conquer all opposition even in the imperialist centers, not by the example of internal class power, but by the external power of Soviet example", explaining as such: "Khrushchev's innovations at
5202-512: The Writers' Union, who demanded that the activity of the Săptămîna newspaper to be reproached and the reduction of the ideological pressures over the writers. While Ceaușescu agreed in principle, he was just postponing taking an action, which was taken after the 1981 Conference of the Writers' Union of Romania . Săptămîna had a habit of slandering all Romanian dissidents (both within and outside
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#17327986472405304-513: The artists' time — including those just released from prison. It was the time of the thaw. For Leonce and Lena , the Bulandra Theatre was packed with people who'd come to give standing ovations for Ciulei , Pintilie , Irina Petrescu and Caramitru . Our great visual artists — Maitec, Apostu and Baba , opened a new exhibition almost every month. The Athenaeum and Opera would sell out shows for their entire run, while in bookstores,
5406-538: The attention of the population from topical troubles. In a December 2008 interview, he was asked a question: "Dmitry Yurievich, what do you think, is the new wave of 'unveiling the horrors of Stalinism' on the TV related to the approaching consequences of the crisis or is it merely another [mental] exacerbation?". He replied: "The wave is being raised to distract opinion of the population from the up-to-date troubles. You don't have to think of your pension, you don't have to think of
5508-491: The biggest backers of invasion of Ukraine ordered by Putin in 2022, viewing the invasion as being aligned with their neo-Stalinist world-view. Polling by the Levada Center suggest Stalin's popularity has grown since 2015, with 46% of Russians expressing a favourable view of him in 2017 and 51% in 2019. In a 2021 poll, a record 70% of Russians indicated they had a mostly/very favourable view of Stalin. The same year,
5610-583: The biggest sacrifices and the biggest contribution to liberating Europe from fascism". Only eight out of 385 assembly members voted against the resolution. At the end of August 2009 a gilded slogan, a fragment of the Soviet national anthem was re-inscribed at the Moscow Metro 's Kursky station beneath eight socialist realist statues, reading: "Stalin reared us on loyalty to the people. He inspired us to labour and heroism". The slogan had been removed in
5712-710: The communist regime, joined in protest with younger writers like Buzura, Păunescu, Popescu, and Marin Sorescu . Leonid Dimov and Dumitru Țepeneag denounced the proposals on Radio Free Europe in Paris , and Nicolae Breban , editor-in-chief of România Literară , resigned while in West Germany and attacked the Theses in an interview with Le Monde . Writers appeared combative at a meeting with Ceaușescu in Neptun . The PCR issued its own counter-measures. For instance,
5814-487: The conference that the new manual will "help instill young people with a sense of pride in Russia", and he posited that Stalin's purges pale in comparison to the United States' atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki . At a memorial for Stalin's victims, Putin said that while Russians should "keep alive the memory of tragedies of the past, we should focus on all that is best in the country". The official policy of
5916-454: The conference. There, it was also claimed that Goma had no talent. While writers like Blandiana, Buzura, Ștefan Augustin Doinaș and Marin Sorescu refused to conform, maintaining moral and artistic integrity, Goma and Țepeneag were targeted for their readiness to challenge the PCR's cultural dictates. Other writers were anxious not to jeopardise their privileges and afraid that the PCR might use
6018-408: The country) or even people who they didn't see as patriotic enough. For instance, Eugen Barbu called Paul Goma "a nullity" on April 8, 1977. After 1989, the two former editors of Săptămîna , Eugen Barbu and Corneliu Vadim Tudor became associates in a newspaper called România Mare , which exposed extreme nationalist views. A party was created to suit their view, Greater Romania Party , which became
6120-577: The critic having come to defend him, a military court sentenced him to 12 years' imprisonment. In advance of the National Writers' Conference in May 1972, the writers' initial solidarity was destroyed by infighting, though not by the PCR had which temporarily withdrew into the background. After Ștefan Bănulescu resigned as editor of Luceafărul , Păunescu fought with Fănuș Neagu for the position, which went to someone else, causing Neagu to leave
6222-412: The current boundaries of Russian Federation as "unnatural". Blaming Russia's decline on Western capitalism, CPRF leader Gennady Zyuganov proposes the revival of Soviet Union to restore Russian prestige. The party advocates communist Eurasianism , which believes in the construction of a new " socialist Eurasian homeland" through re-incorporation of post-Soviet countries ; imagining the new state as
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#17327986472406324-470: The decline who hoped to revive their careers, such as Barbu (whose career had suffered at the expense of oppositionists), and younger writers like Păunescu, an initial opponent. The two factions remained in open conflict for a decade, but by 1981 the PCR had rendered the Union impotent by freezing its funds and restricting its activities — no more Writers' Conferences were allowed after that year. Instead, with
6426-445: The defender of Romanian values. Especially after the Writers' Congress of 1968, PCR leaders started to clash with writers. Earlier that year Ceaușescu had announced: "the freedom of the individual is not in contradiction with the general demands and interests of society but, on the contrary, serves these interests". He managed to co-opt numerous intellectuals (many of them formerly apolitical or even oppositionist) and bring them into
6528-599: The education, what matters are the horrors of Stalinism". Russian writer Sergey Kara-Murza believes that there is a trend to demonize Russia that is common not only in Poland, Ukraine and the Czech Republic, but in Russia as well. He contends that it is a good business and that it was a good business previously to demonize the Soviet Union: "Why do we need to take offense against Poles, if we in our country have
6630-421: The efficacy of some means of corruption; and a breakdown between generations, with many young oppositionists ready to compromise and some older writers ready to resist. The PCR offered increased royalties and pensions and played upon writers' envy, which led to the exclusion of Goma and Țepeneag, who failed to be elected by secret ballot and were jeered when they spoke at the Union delegate election meeting before
6732-635: The essentials of the political atmosphere associated with Stalin were retained without a personality cult. According to Alexander Dubček , "[t]he advent of Brezhnev’s regime heralded the advent of neo-Stalinism, and the measures taken against Czechoslovakia in 1968 were the final consolidation of the neo-Stalinist forces in the Soviet Union, Poland, Hungary, and other countries". American political scientist Seweryn Bialer has described Soviet policy as turning towards neo-Stalinism after Brezhnev's death. After Mikhail Gorbachev took over in March 1985, he introduced
6834-462: The excesses of collectivization. The censor asked for changes; eventually Goma published the book uncut in West Germany in the fall of 1971. Ivasiuc, in his Păsările ("The Birds"), complied with the censor's demands by justifying the protagonist's arrest and portraying the secret police in a positive light. Nevertheless, most writers were optimistic that the PCR would tolerate a broader range of themes in creative literature. A thaw in relations with
6936-557: The firm backing of the state. Vladimir Putin has personally endorsed the re-emergence of the Stalin cult, portraying the Soviet dictator as a visionary who saved the world from European fascism and led Russians to victory during the Second World War . Various busts and portraits of Stalin have been installed in territories controlled by Russian-backed separatists in Eastern Ukraine . Russian Communist Party has been one of
7038-480: The foreign relations committee of Russia's lower house of parliament , called the resolution "nothing but an attempt to rewrite the history of World War II". Alexander Kozlovsky , the head of the Russian delegation, called the resolution an "insulting anti-Russian attack" and added that "[t]hose who place Nazism and Stalinism on the same level forget that it is the Stalin-era Soviet Union that made
7140-477: The greater emphasis on ideology, force, and centralisation , and with more funds, the protochronists remained more influential until the Romanian Revolution in 1989, having been reinforced by the " Mangalia Theses" in the summer of 1982. Particularly in the 1980s, Romanian culture and science became increasingly isolated internationally. Also as a result of the Theses, sociology was removed as
7242-535: The harbinger "for remaking history" and lead the Socialist Bloc once again. Through its embracal of Russian nationalism , the party portrays communism as an organic expression or communal soul ( " sobornost ") of "the age-old Russian traditions of community and collectivism " which distinguishes Russian World from the Western world and its " bourgeois values and market individualism ". CPRF believes that
7344-399: The label "neo-Stalinist" rather than "Stalinist". Katerina Clark, describing an anti-Khrushchev, pro-Stalin current in Soviet literary world during the 1960s, described the work of "neo-Stalinist" writers as harking back to "the Stalin era and its leaders ... as a time of unity, strong rule and national honor". According to historian Roy Medvedev , writing in 1975, the term describes
7446-471: The mid-1950s – the differences eventually caused Albania to withdraw from the Warsaw Pact in 1968. The Khalq regime in Afghanistan (April 1978 – December 1979) has been described as neo-Stalinist with its leader Hafizullah Amin , who kept a portrait of Joseph Stalin on his desk. When Soviet officials criticized him for his brutality, Amin replied "Comrade Stalin showed us how to build socialism in
7548-501: The misrepresentation or fabrication of source material. In this literature, Stalin's repressions are regarded either as a necessary measure to defeat " enemies of the people " or the result of lower-level officials acting without Stalin's knowledge. The only other part of the former Soviet Union other than Russia where admiration for Stalin has remained consistently widespread is Georgia , although Georgian attitudes have been very divided. A number of Georgians resent criticism of Stalin,
7650-574: The most extensive in the Eastern Bloc . He was hailed as a genius communist theoretician , glorified by the state media , and his image was ubiquitous in Romania. State television were given strict orders to portray him in a flattering light at all times. Ceaușescu became an almost infallible figure, above any criticism, which allowed him to obtain even more power than he had already possessed. The personality cult would later be extended to his wife, Elena Ceaușescu . The prestigious Romanian Academy
7752-436: The most famous figure from their nation's modern history. A 2013 survey by Tbilisi State University found 45% of Georgians expressing "a positive attitude" to him. A 2017 Pew Research survey had 57% of Georgians saying he played a positive role in history, compared to 18% of those expressing the same for Gorbachev. Some positive sentiment can also be found elsewhere in the former Soviet Union. A 2012 survey commissioned by
7854-419: The most important nationalist party in post-1989 Romanian history. July Theses The July Theses ( Romanian : Tezele din iulie ) was a speech delivered by Nicolae Ceaușescu to the executive committee of the Romanian Communist Party (PCR) on 6 July 1971. The July Theses, officially named Propuneri de măsuri pentru îmbunătățirea activității politico-ideologice, de educare marxist-leninistă
7956-461: The national communist group from Săptămîna addressed Ceaușescu demanding the disbanding of the Writers' Union of Romania which they argued that it was "sold to the West" and "reactionary" and create a new Communist Writers' Union. Ceaușescu realized that this was a fringe view among the writers and disagreed with this solution. On October 13, Ceaușescu discussed with a group of a hundred writers from
8058-580: The new leadership group ( Premier of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1955), also headlined new ideologies. He publicly began to advocate for peace and wanted to reduce tensions by negotiating Cold-War issues, and expressing a desire to get along with the West. He called for meetings between the East and West in hopes of reducing forces in Europe, while also advocating for a settlement of the Korean situation and for German reunification . Some socialist groups like
8160-501: The nuances that were appropriate in literature . Gheorghiu-Dej died in 1965 and was replaced by Nicolae Ceaușescu who, at first, actively continued the liberalization in Romania. This trend accelerated with the IXth Congress of the PCR in July 1965. A talented oppositional generation of writers emerged, including Nichita Stănescu , Ana Blandiana , Gabriel Liiceanu , Nicolae Manolescu , and Adrian Păunescu . Furthermore, at
8262-541: The opposition. Initial supporters of the Theses included Eugen Barbu, Aurel Baranga and Mihnea Gheorghiu ; Nichita Stănescu also claimed to have received them with "a particular joy" and to regard them as "a real aid to culture". Writers felt resentment at Goma's success in West Germany and at Țepeneag's having been translated into French . The PCR exploited this by persuading the Writers' Union to hold its 1972 congress with delegates elected by secret ballot , not by
8364-612: The policy of glasnost in public discussions to liberalize the Soviet system. Within six years, the Soviet Union fell apart . Still, Gorbachev admitted in 2000 that "[e]ven now in Russia we have the same problem. It isn't so easy to give up the inheritance we received from Stalinism and Neo-Stalinism, when people were turned into cogs in the wheel, and those in power made all the decisions for them". Gorbachev's domestic policies have been described as neo-Stalinist by some Western sources. The most fervent proponents of neo-Stalinism and rehabilitation of Stalin in post-Soviet Russia include
8466-489: The presence of the lines about Stalin in the hall of the metro station Kurskaya is the question that should become the matter of discussion for the city denizens." Shvydkoy commented that what Stalin did in respect of the Soviet and in particular Russian people cannot be justified and he does not even deserve a neutral attitude, much less praise. However, he said "it's necessary to remember your own butchers" and without that memory they can "grow among us again". Shvydkoy said that
8568-475: The question is that the society must remember that "Stalin is a tyrant". While the inscription in the Metro should merely be read correctly, "read with the certain attitude to Stalin's personality". Shvydkoy also said that if the hall of the station Kurskaya is a monument of architecture and culture, the inscription must be left because "to knock down inscriptions is vandalism". Scholar Dmitri Furman , director of
8670-446: The regime is now extending support to ... a critical assessment of the Soviet era, including Stalinism. This emerging criticism of the Soviet past serves a number of important goals of the leadership, including re-engagement with the West. To this end, the Kremlin recently approved new history textbooks critical of the Soviet past as well as a significant program that memorializes the victims of Soviet repressions." Sameera Khan ,
8772-411: The revised state constitution in 1992, following by references to communism in 2009. Ba'athist Syria has long been considered to be a neo-Stalinist state; when Hafez al-Assad established a police state modelled after Stalin's rule during 1970s. Assad's military dictatorship borrowed many features of Stalinism ; such as a brutal security apparatus operating extrajudicially, mass-surveillance in
8874-574: The revival of Russia's " Derzhava " ( super-power status ) is dependent on instilling Russians with Soviet patriotism and neo-Stalinism; marked by glorification of Bolshevik Revolution and technological prowess of Soviet Union , promotion of myths around " Great Patriotic War " and adulation of the Stalinist era . Russia under Vladimir Putin underwent an extensive state-backed programme of Re-Stalinization ; through mass media , cinema, academia, educational institutions, military propaganda and historiography . Sociologist Dina Khapaeva asserts that
8976-610: The same (and for us – sufficiently more dangerous and hazardous) cohort of pundits, philosophers, historians who enjoy the maximal favourable regime set by the state and do the same things as Poles do?" In 2016, political scientist Thomas Sherlock claimed that Russia has pulled back somewhat on its neo-Stalinist policies, commenting: "The Kremlin is unwilling to develop and impose on society historical narratives which promote chauvinism, hypernationalism, and re-Stalinization. Although such an agenda has some support among incumbent elites and in society, it remains subordinate. ... Instead,
9078-441: The society through an invasive secret police and a pervasive state-sponsored personality cult centred around the ruling family. Assad dynasty ruled Syria by vicious methods of violence throughout its reign, characterized by state terror , massacres, aerial bombing of cities , military clampdowns, etc.; which has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths. In the Soviet Union after Stalin's death , Georgi Malenkov , one of
9180-620: The special representative of the President of Russia for the international cultural exchange, responded to the controversy: "In my opinion, the question whether such inscriptions should exist in the Moscow underground is not the question in the competence of neither the Mayor of Moscow, nor even the head of the Moscow underground. One can't take decisions that may break the society that's heated up and politicized even without that. It seems to me, that
9282-497: The tendrils shot ahead by the phenomena – fascism and Stalinism – which outline the social and political form of a neo-barbarism". During the 1960s, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) distinguished between Stalinism and neo-Stalinism in that "[t]he Soviet leaders have not reverted to two extremes of Stalin's rule – one-man dictatorship and mass terror. For this reason, their policy deserves
9384-440: The theatres and concert halls, while Ciulei, Pintilie and Andrei Șerban 's bags were being prepared for their permanent departure from the country. Not even when the Mignon restaurant was closed, and the light bulbs downtown disappeared one by one, did people stop hoping. It's as if no one wanted to believe that everything could end so quickly, in an absurd and unfair twist of history. In 1971, Ceaușescu went on state visits to
9486-407: The use of the term Stalinism , saying that "in scholarly usage 'Stalinism' describes here a movement, there an economic, political, or social system, elsewhere a type of political practice or belief-system". He references historian Stephen Cohen's work reassessing Soviet history after Stalin as a "continuing tension between anti-Stalinist reformism and neo-Stalinist conservatism", observing that such
9588-441: The works of Eliade , Noica , Preda , Breban , Țoiu or Nichita [Stănescu] were sold on the sly, with much pleading and insistence. In the 1970s, life in Bucharest really started toward midnight. After a concert or a play, people went for a walk, to enjoy themselves. The elegant downtown restaurants were full of artists and beautiful girls. The best-known writers and journalists dined at Capșa and Berlin [Restaurant], while at
9690-661: The “greatest personality in Russian history ”, comparing him to Ivan the Terrible who established the Tsardom of Russia . The American Trotskyist Hal Draper used "neo-Stalinism" in 1948 to refer to a new political ideology—new development in Soviet policy, which he defined as a reactionary trend whose beginning was associated with the Popular front period of the mid-1930s, writing: "The ideologists of neo-Stalinism are merely
9792-528: Was alleged to have some links to Săptămîna . In April 1981, Ceaușescu had to condemn anti-semitism in a speech. Nevertheless, it is alleged that the whole antisemitic incident was sparked by Ceaușescu's anger over the Jewish lobby which tried to tie the US Most favoured nation clause to the freedom to emigrate to Israel, something which was misunderstood by the sycophants at Săptămîna . On September 18, 1980,
9894-557: Was closely followed, and the Apollo 11 Moon landing that July featured in advertisements, was broadcast live, occasioning warm greetings from Ceaușescu to Nixon and the American people. Probably the high point of Romanian-American relations during the Communist period came early the following month, when tens of thousands of enthusiastic Bucharesters welcomed Nixon, who became the first US president to visit an Eastern Bloc country during
9996-607: Was forced to take on Elena as a member in 1974. She had earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry in the 1950s, though her competence and achievements were greatly exaggerated due to her husband. Elena was portrayed as an exceptional chemistry researcher , winning many honorary awards and being appointed to a number of high positions within the scientific community. Elena politicized the Romanian Academy to such an extent that its prestige and much of its serious research were destroyed. Neo-Stalinism Neo-Stalinism
10098-526: Was once again to become an instrument for communist propaganda . Romania's return to totalitarianism would be characterized by the extensive personality cult of Ceaușescu . The July Theses, publicized as an official document of the PCR Plenum in their final version of early November 1971, carried the title: Expunere cu privire la programul PCR pentru îmbunătățirea activității ideologice, ridicarea nivelului general al cunoașterii și educația socialistă
10200-552: Was published, arguing that the newspaper did not support such extreme views. The debate over the issue continued as a brochure began to circulate in Romania, containing the Săptămîna editorial, as well as Rabbi Rosen's protest under the title "Chief Rabbi Trafficker Patriot". While protests over the issue were voiced from Israel and other external Jewish circles, the official response was that they were printed abroad and shipped by Romanian-Italian businessman Iosif Constantin Drăgan , who
10302-576: Was replaced by Leonid Brezhnev , who remained in office until his death in November 1982. During his reign, Stalin's controversies were de-emphasized. Andres Laiapea connects this with "the exile of many dissidents , especially Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn ", though whereas Laiapea writes that "[t]he rehabilitation of Stalin went hand in hand with the establishment of a personality cult around Brezhnev", political sociologist Viktor Zaslavsky characterizes Brezhnev's period as one of "neo-Stalinist compromise" as
10404-531: Was time for everything – for books and films, for political jokes and for a glass of good wine. For a moment, Bucharest had recovered its pre-war normalcy. A year later, in '71, the July Theses would draw an invisible scalpel line over people, over the white nights of Bucharest, over all our small, guiltless pleasures. A freezing gust of wind heralded the dreadful ideological winter that would soon arrive. In disbelief and naive, people continued to go out, to fill
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