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Neo-Stalinism

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Neo-Stalinism is a term used to describe historical revisionism in favor of Stalinism and/or Joseph Stalin. In the Marxist-Leninist movement, neo-Stalinism is associated with anti-revisionists.

Soviet Union / Russia

Khrushchev's Thaw

In February 1956, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev denounced the cult of personality that surrounded his predecessor, Joseph Stalin, and condemned crimes committed during the Great Purge.

Although Khrushchev had himself been involved in the Stalinist repressions, he managed to outmaneuver his neo-Stalinist rivals. While retaining the basic totalitarian features of the Soviet regime, Khrushchev launched widespread reforms and tried to improve relations with the West.

Brezhnev's Stagnation

In October 1964, Khrushchev was replaced by Leonid Brezhnev, who remained in office until his death in November 1982. During his reign, the truth about Stalinism was suppressed, leading to the exile of many dissidents, most notably Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

The rehabilitation of Stalin went hand in hand with the establishment of a personality cult around Brezhnev.

Brezhnev was succeeded by two short-lived successors, Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko.

Gorbachev's Glasnost

Mikhail Gorbachev took over in March 1985. He introduced the policy of glasnost (openness) in public discussions – in order to liberalize the Soviet system. The full scale of Stalinist repressions was soon revealed, and the Soviet Union fell apart.

Boris Yeltsin, the first President of the Russian Federation, stayed on the course of liberalization.

Putin's Russia

In December 1999, Vladimir Putin became the acting President of Russia. Under Putin, Russian textbooks are once again filled with the neo-Stalinist version of history as the rehabilitation of Stalin is taking place.

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