Thread: Life in Soviet Union

Originally Posted by Ralph Spencer

Also, what they feel about Stalin today.

He came in third in a poll of all-time greatest Russians.
Имя

He came in third in a poll of all-time greatest Russians.

"The most prominent and symbolic person of Russian history." And what exactly does it mean? Does it imply "he was good"? "I want to be like him"? "Most known all over the world"? "Most influenced the history and fate of Russia and the world"? If two first, he should be the last. If two last, he should be the first. His third place is a senseless compromise. Like an "average temperature over the hospital including morgue and infection department". Everybody who votes has in mind his own criteria no matter of what authors of poll say.

I always thought this kind of polls is made for political speculations only. It is not an answer to "what they feel about" question.

Originally Posted by sperk

He came in third in a poll of all-time greatest Russians.
Имя

Strange results!
I always thought Pushkin must take first place in any such polls. Here, Alexander Nevsky is first. OK, fine. Then there's this guy I've never heard of. Then comes You-Know-Who. And only then Pushkin! What???
Stalin was not Russian. Why is he even included in the list? And if the argument is that we're just talking about the most prominent personality of the Russian history, then here's the deal for you: had Hitler succeeded in doing what he wanted to do with Russia, he would've become a very prominent figure of the entire history of Russia. See where it's going?
Here's my humble suggestion for a revised list: kick out Lenin and Stalin. Bring in Chaykovsky and, well, Lev Yashin!
I sincerely hope I'm not offending anybody here...

Can the credit of rapid industrialization go to Stalin's dictatorship? How would things be different if a democratic government was installed in 1917? I expected the vast diversity in answers. It should certainly help if you say what you think about it.

Originally Posted by Ralph Spencer

Can the credit of rapid industrialization go to Stalin's dictatorship?

Yep.

Originally Posted by Ralph Spencer

How would things be different if a democratic government was installed in 1917?

It was, in February 1917. And the things were like they are.

Originally Posted by Ralph Spencer

I expected the vast diversity in answers. It should certainly help if you say what you think about it.

Pay attention to the "Location" line of users in this thread. There is no one Russian.

Originally Posted by it-ogo

Pay attention to the "Location" line of users in this thread. There is no one Russian.

Come on, it-ogo, stop playing an Ukrainian-nationalist-wannabe. If we are speaking about the relation to USSR and Stalin you are no less Russian than myself.

Back to the topic question. In my opinion Stalin - is a typical criminal in power. Former bank robber who used the chaos of Revolution to grab the power. He trusted no one and built the entire state mechanism to serve his paranoidal policy. I really think that the harm he caused to my country is comparable with the harm caused by nazi invasion.

Originally Posted by Basil77

Come on, it-ogo, stop playing an Ukrainian-nationalist-wannabe.

I am no more than loyal citizen of my country and representative of my society.

Originally Posted by Basil77

If we are speaking about the relation to USSR and Stalin you are no less Russian than myself.

Still political and social processes in our countries are someway different and the difference in average viewpoint is growing. Sometimes I feel it clearly.

Originally Posted by it-ogo

Still political and social processes in our countries are someway different and the difference in average viewpoint is growing. Sometimes I feel it clearly.

And what this have to do with Stalin and USSR?

Originally Posted by Misha Tal

Strange results!
...Here's my humble suggestion for a revised list: kick out Lenin and Stalin. Bring in Chaykovsky and, well, Lev Yashin!
I sincerely hope I'm not offending anybody here...

I know it's a bit offtop,
Why not make a new thread with people's choices of famous Russians and inhabitants from country (and previous Russias) of Russia?

I agree about Tchaikovsky, and would add Rimsky-Korsakov, Gogol, Bulgakov and others. Like Mikhail Tsvet. No one now-a-days knows anything about Tsvet, but all the advances of modern sciences in chemistry, biochemistry, genetics, and many others use his invention or some variant of his invention, chromatography. Truly a great invention. One of the most important inventions of all time. Only scientists know about it. Sorry about offtop.

Originally Posted by sperk

He came in third in a poll of all-time greatest Russians.
Имя

Yeah, the greatest Russian executioner.