Flowers for Stalin; Online Memory of a Dictator

It appears your Web browser is not configured to display PDF files. Download adobe Acrobat or click here to download the PDF file.

Click here to download the PDF file.

Creator: 

Glasser, Laura Silva

Date: 

2022

Abstract: 

While Western society views Josef Stalin as a tyrant, in many post-Soviet countries, that is not the case. Russia and Georgia, the centre of the former Soviet Union and Stalin's home country, respectively, are notable examples. This work will determine the roles of citizens and social media sites in interpreting Stalin's legacy and serve as an initial piece of research into the intersection of memory politics, social media, and post-Soviet states. I compare social media posts with each country's official narrative toward Stalin and determine that Russian and Georgian governments approach him differently, with Russia presenting him positively, and Georgia not having a cohesive official narrative. Findings were that both countries support the War Hero narrative, Georgians are proud of being from Stalin's home country, and youth are becoming indifferent towards him. This work will help outline the extent to which the Soviet era still influences the modern day.

Subject: 

History - Russian and Soviet
Political Science

Language: 

English

Publisher: 

Carleton University

Thesis Degree Name: 

Master of Arts: 
M.A.

Thesis Degree Level: 

Master's

Thesis Degree Discipline: 

European, Russian and Eurasian Studies

Parent Collection: 

Theses and Dissertations

Items in CURVE are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated. They are made available with permission from the author(s).