I am not now, nor have I ever been a member of the Communist party. In neo-McCarthyite times such as these, it is always helpful to restate this fact. Many Russians are also not now, nor have they ever been members of the Communist Party.
Of course, the current Communist Party of the Russian Federation is the second largest opposition party in the Russian Duma, but an increased majority of Russians appear to support the removal of Lenin’s body from its tomb on Red Square. Few Russians however, want to remove the mausoleum itself.
I believe that the former group is wrong. Although Lenin remains a controversial figure in Russia and elsewhere, removing his body from the tomb would send the wrong message to the world.
Throughout Europe and even more so in fascist controlled Ukraine, right wing and far-right racist anti-Russian parties continually vandalise and destroy moments to the Bolshevik leader. The moves are less about debates over Communism than they are gestures designed to insult the Russian state and the Russian people.
For generations, Lenin and Communism was an internationally recognised symbol of Russian/Soviet power. This became the case even though many Russians vehemently opposed to October Revolution and the changes it brought about.
For better and for worse, Lenin is part of Russian history and any monument to Russian history must remain sacred and a place of respect, even for those like me who have honest disagreements with many elements of Communism.
Unlike Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Putin has been very careful to balance public pageantry in Russia between traditional symbols of the Orthodox Tsarist government as well as the Soviet government. This of course is combined with symbols of contemporary Russia.
Just today Putin said,
“Of course, unfortunately, there are other approaches to history when they try to turn it into political and ideological weapons. We see what risks are entailed by a cynical attitude toward the past. [We see] how falsification, manipulation of historical facts leads to disunity of countries and peoples, to the emergence of new dividing lines, formation of an enemy image”.
It is important for Tsarists to respect Soviet symbols as it is of course of equal importance for Communists to respect Tsarist and Orthodox symbols. There is no other way for Russia to survive in a world where Russia’s enemies are trying to desecrate the legacy of both great former Russian governments.
Many people who want Lenin’s body removed are merely looking at the issue through the prism of domestic realities. This approach is ultimately wrong.
Russia is a super-power and Lenin is an internationally recognised individual. Removing Lenin’s body would appear to the outside world as a repudiation of Russian history, all of which is under attack.
Russia must remain united against attempts to slander Russian cultural heritage. Debates about Lenin can and must be had by Russian patriots and indeed such debates often occur. But to remove a visible piece of Russian history would be a big step backwards and that is exactly what Russia’s enemies desire.
The post Removing Lenin’s body from Red Square would be a gift to Russia’s enemies appeared first on The Duran.