Wanted: Stalin

March 5 marked the 52nd anniversary of Joseph Stalin’s death—the brutal Soviet dictator whose regime killed about 20 million of his own people.

The All-Russia Center of Public Opinion Study dedicated its recent survey to Stalin’s death anniversary. The survey results were startling: 42 percent of those surveyed agreed that modern Russia needed a politician like Stalin. “Most of Stalin’s supporters are elderly, with 60 percent of the respondents over 60 thinking Russia needs a ‘new Stalin’” (MosNews.com, March 4).

What’s more, “50 percent of the respondents view Stalin’s role in the life of the Soviet Union positively overall. The quantity of people considering his role very positively has risen since last year’s poll from 16 to 20 percent” (ibid.).

For more on where Russia is headed, see our January 2005 cover story.