Historian Giorgi Mamulia: Will Georgians ever be able to kill Stalin?

Giorgi Mamulia is a Doctor of Historical Sciences and a graduate of the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS) in France, and researcher of Caucasian history.

His work often appears in academic journals, and he is a recognised author and associate researcher at the Centre d'études des mondes russe, caucasien et centre-européen (CERCEC).

Manana Kveliashvili: What explains Stalin’s continued resilience and popularity in Georgia?

Giorgi Mamulia: There are several reasons. The main one is that, for a certain segment of our population, Stalin became an example of a successful career and a successful person. Among the lower social strata in particular, Stalin was always seen as a Georgian king on the Russian throne.

The idea of a successful man rising from humble origins proved contagious. The myth lives on.

It suggests that someone can be a poor Georgian peasant from a family with no prospects, yet still manage to ascend to the throne of the vast Russian Empire.

This idea has been present among Georgians for a long time and will continue to be so for quite some time yet.

Communism itself, and particularly the Stalinist variety of Bolshevism, proved to be extraordinarily adaptable and capable of mimicry, especially with regard to the conservative and traditional forms that existed in our society.

If you look closely, you will see that communism absorbed those traditional, backward and harmful remnants — the so-called 'traditions' that characterised not only the Russian people, but also those in all the backward republics of the USSR.

The ethnic solidarity that Georgians feel towards Stalin is a backward trait in itself.

So what sustains Stalin’s resilience? It is a direct result of Russian propaganda spreading in Georgia.

Stalinism and the USSR in its Stalinist form are portrayed as a true Russian empire in Russian propaganda, with Stalin as its emperor.

This propaganda resonates with the less educated and less critical thinking members of our society. A certain part of the population lacks an education and the ability to think critically. Although they have access to alternative information, they unfortunately do not know foreign languages. This segment of the population is influenced by Russian propaganda.

When discussing various topics in Georgia, people often say: ‘They need Stalin. If he were alive now, you’d see what he’d do to them.’ How is it possible that Stalin’s brutality and repression are still admired to this day, even after so many years, to the extent that people wish for his return? What does this indicate?

There are two reasons. The first is the lack of education and the absence of alternative information, as I mentioned earlier.

Following the collapse of the USSR, Georgia endured a very challenging period under the leadership of Eduard Shevardnadze's post-communist leadership (1995-2003). Then, under the Mikheil Saakashvili government (2008-2013), reforms began, but unfortunately he was unable to implement them fully. The Georgian Dream party then came to power and we effectively slid into an oligarchic reality where material interests dominate everything.

In such circumstances, people who have only experienced the Soviet era make biased comparisons between that time and the present day.

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‘It is important to recognise that Stalinism and backwardness are one and the same’

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Secondly, the social conditions are extremely harsh. People fear the future. What options are available to them? They go to church to find some comfort and escape the reality they currently face in Georgia.

The recent appearance of Stalin on an icon at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi [the largest and newest Orthodox church in the city] is a typical example of this. Consider how many disturbed individuals in Russia walk around carrying icons of Stalin.

Russia is using Orthodoxy against Georgia, just as it previously used communism. This keeps Georgians within the sphere of Russian influence and prevents them from achieving ideological liberation from the 70 years of communism we endured.

What harm did Stalin cause in Georgia? How did the fact that he was ethnically Georgian affect the country?

Of all the Soviet republics, Georgia suffered the most under Stalin’s rule.

Stalin and his subordinates – Sergo Ordzhonikidze and the Georgian Bolsheviks – were responsible for the Sovietisation of Georgia and the entry of the 11th Red Army in February 1921. They knew that if Georgia remained independent, they would have no future in Russia. This is why they pushed for Georgia’s Sovietisation: to secure their own positions. Stalin also planned to rule from the centre.

As soon as the Supreme Council of the Entente [the allies who won WWI] recognised Georgia de jure on 26 January 1921, the decision to intervene in Georgia was made. This pattern was repeated in 2008, when NATO membership was promised, followed immediately by Russian provocation and invasion.

After the Sovietisation of Georgia, Stalin visited the country for the first time in 1922. The Georgians greeted him very coldly. Railway workers and others asked him: “Why did you destroy Georgia’s independence? What can you give us in return?” In response, Stalin openly declared that Georgia must be purged and all anti-Bolshevik demonstrations elimitated.

In the early 1930s, Stalin's relationship with the veteran Bolsheviks deteriorated sharply. Even those who supported Sovietisation favoured autonomy and refused to show the total, servile obedience that Stalin demanded. During the purges of 1937, Stalin decided to eliminate not only the old Bolsheviks themselves, but also their families and relatives, as well as anyone they had appointed to a relatively significant position in Georgia. This led to widespread repression.

According to Stalin’s lists, 3,600 people were repressed in 1937–38, 3,500 of whom were executed. Only around 100 people, mostly women, were exiled. In addition to those on the lists, a further 20,000 people were executed.

World War II was devastating for the Georgian gene pool. To demonstrate to the Russians that he did not favour the Georgians, Stalin sent a larger proportion of Georgia’s population to the front than from any other republic. Stalin, a Georgian on the Russian throne, deeply feared Russian chauvinism. Therefore, he tried to convince everyone that he was Russian, not Georgian.

After the war, a general once asked him: “Joseph Vissarionovich, how can you, a Georgian, understand the Russian mentality so well?” Stalin disliked the question and replied, “I am not Georgian; I am Russian of Georgian origin.”

All his activities were aimed at advancing his career at the expense of his own people and the interests of Georgia. Georgian communists had direct contact with Stalin, but this was no privilege. They too were affected by the 1937 purges.

These repressions destroyed much of our intelligentsia and a large part of the peasantry. The same happened in the 1950s, when Stalin turned against Lavrentij Beria [the head of the KGB, a Georgian himself] and the other old Politburo members in his final years, no longer trusting them.

Despite Stalin’s bloody crimes, provincial thinking unfortunately prevailed in his evaluation. Even today, some people still believe that he brought benefits to the country as a fellow Georgian. I am convinced that if Georgia had had no connection to Stalin and found itself in a similar position to Turkmenistan or Uzbekistan, the repression would have been far less severe. Ultimately, it was Stalin’s close ties to Georgia and his knowledge of local realities that resulted in Georgia paying such a high price for Stalinism.

Talking about Stalin as a saint and creating icons of him is pure Stalinist propaganda, resulting from our backwardness and provincial complexes.

What is the objective of those reviving the cult of Stalin? What do they hope to achieve in Georgian society?

First and foremost, it is gravitating towards Russia and promoting the narrative that Stalin was Georgian, that he created the USSR and that life there was good. What more could you want?

It also portrays him as a man from humble origins who achieved great things. Naturally, this appeals to the masses. It's similar to the phenomenon of Bidzina Ivanishvili [the ruling Georgian Dream leader] in Georgia and Silvio Berlusconi in Italy.

Why did Georgians support Ivanishvili? For roughly the same reason that Stalin was once supported. It was a successful social project. For someone from a peasant background, the dream is to suddenly become a billionaire oligarch and indulge personal whims, such as importing zebras.

This is the Georgian ideal under capitalism.

Stalin’s crimes against humanity were every bit as bad as Hitler’s, if not worse. While history has reassessed Hitler, Stalin is still not considered to be on the same level as him. Why is this?

Hitler and the Nazis ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945. Stalin came to power in the USSR in 1924 and ruled for 30 years. It was under Stalin that the USSR as a state was established. He created a system based on terror, fear, totalitarianism, and total state control.

The fear he instilled meant that the system survived for 40 years after his death while those who had experienced his terror were still alive. Stalin was an Eastern-style tyrant with the vast resources of the Russian empire at his disposal, and he carried out terror on a scale that these resources permitted.

How can we kill Stalin?

Only through education. Those who grew up in that system cannot be helped. They are believers. For them, Stalin has become a canonical figure. Nothing can change their minds. They believe in Stalin. However, change is possible with younger generations who did not live under Stalin.

This can be achieved through education, publishing appropriate literature, and running media campaigns. It is important to recognise that Stalinism and backwardness are one and the same. For Georgians, Stalinism is the most obvious and dangerous manifestation of this backwardness.

👉 Original article on Batumelebi

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