Russia split over Lenin’s legacy
Published: 22 April, 2008, 05:53
He was born Vladimir Ulyanov but the world knows him simply as Lenin. The 138th anniversary of his birth on April 22, 1870 has sparked fresh debate, and possibly a referendum, about his legacy.
His home city of Simbirsk changed its name to Ulyanovsk to honour him in 1924. Now some want to change it back.
“Lenin was an unprecedented villain. There were incessant repressions during his active years. The city and streets shouldn’t bear his name because it’s a criminal’s name. He smeared himself in blood from head to toe,” says Dmitry Tochenny, history professor at Ulyanovsk University.
Others say the name should stay and dismiss the criticism of Lenin out of hand.
“Under Lenin there were no repressions. No churches were destroyed and no priests were shot. All that started in the late 1920s, under Stalin. The first thing Lenin did was pulling us out of the WWI, saving millions of lives,” rejects Zhores Trofimov, Lenin biographer.
The inhabitants also appear divided over whether the town should remain named after the controversial figure.
“I think Ulyanovsk should return to the name of Simbirsk. It was the city’s name before Lenin and it shouldn’t be forgotten,” a local resident says.
“Lenin was a hero and should remain one. It seems to me it would be better to leave the name of the city as it is,” says another.
Residents may have a chance to decide as a referendum is expected within the next 12 months.
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This is a lesson the Russian people have not learnt yet, and it will continuo to destroy their personal identity for lack of self respect and love to your own people and country and eventually will divide them more and more until they become servants of another country, and that is what will happen for certain. They need to learn from US in spite of several incompetent and villan presidents through out its history they still will not discuss or allow the possibility to remove them from street names, symbols or stop recognizing the part of the history in which they were part of. The moment the Russians allows some part of the population to destroy the identity and history of your own country, that moment the institutions and power of that country in this case Russia will no longer be in charge of its own people and will be at mercy or another country's identity and culture . I am not communist, but I believe that Lenin was an extraordinary figure of its time and served his country for unity and strength and they shall never forget that. Those who wants to discredit the image of a person like Lenin is a servant of another country and is doing this deed for personal ambitions and greed. To become into power, become rich and place Russia on the hands of another potency and destroy Russian history. (Putin read this)