October 31, 2016

Why Stalin's Corpse Was Exhumed on Halloween


Why Stalin's Corpse Was Exhumed on Halloween

On October 31, 1961, the body of Joseph Stalin was removed from the mausoleum on Red Square and buried in "obscurity" near the Kremlin Wall. That it happened on Halloween is just a coincidence: Stalin’s corpse isn’t reanimated and there haven’t been reports of a ghost, vampire, or zombie version of the former fearless leader (that we know of). Still, on a holiday known for ghouls and goblins – at least, in countries that celebrate it – it’s worth exploring just why Stalin was exhumed on Halloween 55 years ago.

The answer, in short, is the policy of de-Stalinization that characterized the reign of Nikita Khrushchev and the Thaw associated with his name. When Stalin died on March 5, 1953, the nation mourned the loss with elaborate fanfare and – for some – true grief. His body was embalmed and put on display beside Vladimir Lenin in the mausoleum on Red Square: generations of communists would be able to pay their respects.

But in the struggle to succeed Stalin at the head of the Soviet government, few wanted to continue his style of leadership. When Nikita Khrushchev consolidated his place at the top of the Party hierarchy, he clinched the spot in part by distancing himself from its previous occupant.

At the Twentieth Party Congress on February 24, 1956, Khrushchev delivered his Secret Speech – an ironic title, given how infamous it has become – revealing that the former leader’s “cult of personality” had been carefully constructed to obscure the fact that he had arbitrarily liquidated thousands of party members, military leaders, and citizens based purely on paranoia and hunger for power. Khrushchev ended his rousing presentation with the words, “Long live the victorious banner of our Party – Leninism!”

It was this phrase that likely held the Soviet Union together. With the sudden need to sweep 25 years of Stalinism under the rug, a reaffirmation of Leninism was proof that the Soviet state was still on the right side of history, and communism still its bright, triumphant destiny. Stalin’s rule was just a blip in the radar.

As such, it was only fitting that Stalin no longer deserved a place beside Lenin in the mausoleum. Or, as one Bolshevik woman put it in a speech to the Twenty-Second Party Congress in 1961, Lenin no longer wanted him there:

“He was standing there before me as if he were alive, and he said: ‘It is unpleasant to be next to Stalin, who did so much harm to the party.’"1

Soon thereafter, on the last day of October, Stalin’s body was removed from its spot beside Lenin and re-interred near the Kremlin wall a few hundred feet from the mausoleum. Transplanted from Lenin's side to the company of lesser figures from the Russian Revolution, the man who had once possessed ultimate power in the USSR probably turned in his grave – which was cramped, since he was used to a glass case in the mausoleum.

However, even with the revelations about Stalin’s repressions, his legacy was not to be laid to rest. Leonid Brezhnev, who succeeded Khrushchev, stopped short of renewing official approbation of Stalin or his policies, but the leader did regain some of the stature he had lost under Khrushchev.

Today, Stalin is as controversial as ever – and perhaps even more divisive. Many Russians acknowledge the Terror he orchestrated, but also credit him with defeating the Nazis and winning WWII, thereby saving Russia and, effectively, the whole world. Some argue that the latter feat should excuse the former flaw, and attempts to rehabilitate Stalin’s memory are increasing: citizens of Volgograd fight for the city to be renamed Stalingrad, its moniker from 1925 until 1961; a museum dedicated to his political and military success and ignoring his crimes opened in Tver in March, 2015; and neo-Stalinists claim that the Terror “wasn’t as terrible as they say.” With such attempts to resurrect Stalin’s good name, the next time he rises from the grave may look very different from his exhumation on Halloween, 1961.

For now, Stalin’s corpse remains safely underground. But in a Russia under yet another authoritarian leader, the memory of Stalin continues to haunt the nation today.

 

References

1. Dora Lazurkina, quoted in Robert Payne, The Rise and Fall of Stalin (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1965), 712-13.

Cover image: Stalin and Lenin's bodies in the mausoleum. ciml.250x.com

You Might Also Like

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955