Stalin’s Portrayal in Textbooks of History Versus Historical Archives
Svetlana Li
KIMEP University, Undergraduate Student
[email protected]
Any positive portrayal of Joseph Stalin is controversial since school books portray Stalin as tyrant and despot.
However, historical archives challenge this picture which is painted by historical textbooks. This research
project aims to show a fuller picture of events connecting Joseph Stalin by analyzing, comparing and examining
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(textbooks of high schools) 10-11 forms history schools books to information from official historical archives.
In order to do this, I looked at historical documents, textbooks as well as conducting interview and survey to
find out people thoughts about this topic. According to the Internal Predictor of USSR (2002), Herbert Yells
once said about Joseph Stalin:
I have never seen more sincere, gentle and honest person; he has no deal with something dark and
grim…I thought before I met him, maybe people think badly because they are afraid of him? But then I
realized that nobody’s afraid of him, they believe him (p. 48).
This topic is worth researching, because Joseph Stalin was a key figure in the Soviet history. There have been
countless debates, historical films, books, and journal articles written about Joseph Stalin. Most of them were
done by Western writers who did not experience Stalinism. They researched many doubtful books, parts of
which were included as references in historical textbooks. According to the Kazakhstani Ministry of Education
it is required for all municipal schools to include these suspect sources into the school curriculum. And now
post-communist children are supposed to read and learn these doubtful historical sources (Shabalov, 2001).
However, to have critical perspective, it is better to show school children many-sided history, not only one-sided
portrayals about Stalin. The roots of this issue go deeply in the Soviet history.
Stalin knew that in future people would blame his efforts and all things connected to him, And my
name will be also calumniated, crammed and added many atrocities… However, no matter what
happened, year by year new generations will come and raise the flag of their fathers and grandfathers.
They will build their future on our past (Chyev, 1991, p. 608).
In 1943 Stalin said to Vyachelav Molotov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Soviet Union, “I know that after
my death on my grave will be put a load of rubbish but the wind of history without any remorse will wipe it
out!” (p. 608).
References
Australia Trove (1953). Stalin Wary of War, Harriman Says, 10. Retrieved on September 2, 2011 from
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/27526933
Chyev,
S. (1991). 140 interviews with Molotov. Retrieved
http://grachev62.narod.ru/molotov_140/content.htm
on
September
20,
2011
from
Eliseev, A. (2005). Who started “The Big Terror”? Retrieved on September 12, 2011
from http://nash-sovremennik.ru/p.php?y=2005&n=3&id=20
Internal Predictor of USSR. (2002). Ford and Stalin: How to live as a Human. St-Petersburg, Russia: Mera
Press.
Isakov, L. (1998). The genius of Stalin. Young Guard, 11, 12.
Kolosova, O. (2001). Success and tragedy of Stalin. Retrieved on September, 5 from
http://referat.kulichki.net/files/page.php?id=45333
Kozinkin, O. (2009). Stalin’s Economy. Retrieved on September 2, 2011 from
http://stalinism.ru/stalin-i-gosudarstvo/stalinskaya-ekonomika.html
Lopatnikov, S. (2009). Stalin and Rockefeller. Retrieved on September 2, 2011 from
http://www.peremeny.ru/books/osminog/976
193
Malachov, S. (2010). Personality in history – Stain. Retrieved on September 23,
2011 from http://coolreferat.com
Moreno, E. (1995). About Nature of USSR. Moscow: Science for Society. Retrieved on
September 25, 2011 from http://mindjustice.org/06-12-romero-book.htm
Nikolayev, I. (2009). Democracy in the USSR and the West. Retrieved on 9/23/11 from
http://lostmpire.ru/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=4&func=view&id=181 6&catid=23
Pihalov, I (2010). Great belied chief: the lie and the truth about Stalin. Retrieved on
September 10, 2011 from http://toyota-club.net/files/lib/z_st/11-02-20_pyhalov_vozhd.htm
Shabalov, A. (2001). The eleventh strike of tovarish Stalin. Retrieved from
http://www.razumei.ru/files/others/pdf/Shabalov_11udar_tov_Stalina.pdf
Solzhenitsyn, A. (1973). The Gulag Archipelago. Paris: YMCA-Press. Retrieved on
September 25, 2011 from http://lib.ru/PROZA/SOLZHENICYN/gulag.txt
The New-York Times (1953). Stalin Rose From Czarist Oppression to Transform Russia Into Mighty Socialist
State, 24, 5. Retrieved on September, 7 from
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/1221.html
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Zagladin, N (2007). World History: 20 century. Textbook for 10-11 grade scholars, 2ed. St-Petersburg, Russia:
Russian word.