Russians find Stalin most outstanding leader: poll
Soviet dictator placed first, while Putin tied for second in survey released Monday
MOSCOW— More Russians consider Josef Stalin the “most outstanding person” in world history than any other leader, according to a poll released Monday. Tied for second in the same survey is the man who has done more than anyone to restore the notorious Soviet dictator’s reputation, Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The poll by the Levada Center asked a representative sample of 1,600 Russians to name the “top 10 most outstanding people of all time and all nations.” It also compiled a list of all 20 names that received more than 6 per cent of the vote.
Without prompting, 38 per cent named Stalin, followed by Putin at 34 per cent, in a tie with Alexander Pushkin, the renowned 19th-century poet often referred to as the Shakespeare of Russia.
Putin’s 34 per cent is his highest ranking on this list since he came to power 17 years ago.
Stalin has actually slipped a few notches: He polled 42 per cent in 2012, the first time he topped the survey of the world’s most influential people, which has been conducted by Levada and its predecessors since 1989.
But there’s little doubt of the connectivity between the popularity of the former and current Kremlin occupants.
Stalin in Russia is increasingly portrayed not as the murderous architect of the Gulag, forced collectivization, mass starvation and political purges that claimed millions of his citizens’ lives, but as the steely architect of the Soviet victory in the Second World War — called the Great Patriotic War here.
That victory is central to Putin’s effort to portray his regime as the logical outcome of Russian history. In the Kremlin’s view, saving the world from fascism was the greatest achievement of the 20th century, and provided the basis for post-Cold War Russia’s return to its proper place as a global power, courtesy of Putin.
“The use of the cult of victory for propaganda goals naturally adds up to the acquittal of Stalin to a certain degree,” said Denis Volkov, a sociologist at the Levada Centre.