Word: stalinism
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...Stalin had a lot of enemies," Maglakelidze answered. "He was blamed for all the crimes of the Soviet government at the time." Besides, said the Georgian, "He was a Christian, and Christians do not do such great crimes if it is not in the interest of their country... You had to live in that time to be aware of the truth. It is like today in Russia. Things are not always what they seem...
...lately, as the target of Russian air attacks that followed the outbreak of fighting in South Ossetia. But that's not the central Georgian city's only claim to fame. Gori is home to perhaps the world's only museum officially dedicated to the memory of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, who was born there in 1878, and named Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili. And, curiously enough, it turns out that many residents of Gori, have a soft spot for the dictator. His epic crimes and Russia's recent attack on their homeland notwithstanding, Stalin remains is the local boy who made good...
...Stalin State Museum is an imposing white stone structure with hints of Italian gothic as well as Stalinist monumentalism, built on the dictator's orders back in the early 1950s around the small wooden house where he was born. It's treasures include one of Stalin's trademark woolen capes; a pair of leather riding boots; a pipe; one of just 12 death masks of the leader; letters he wrote in his native Georgian language; and an edition of the works of Immanuel Kant inscribed by the author. The museum also houses the 1930s-era armor-plated Pullman railway carriage...
...According to Maglakelidze, the museum's visitors include as many foreigners as local Georgians, many of whom are less critical of Stalin than Westerners. "The people in Gori they like Stalin a lot, " he explained. (The town is also home to the world's biggest Stalin statue, standing an impressive 30 feet tall.) "To me, he was a rare phenomenon. How else could someone born in such a tiny place grow up to become the leader of a great nation? He was a great strategist and a tactician, as we saw with the defeat of Hitler...
...what about Stalin the monster, who sent millions to die in work camps across the Soviet Union...