HONOR NO VILLAIN! PETER THE GREAT, CATHERINE THE GREAT, LENIN, STALIN

Russia is a vast country with great scoundrels who have caused immense suffering to a huge number of people. Peter I the Great, Stalin, and Lenin are textbook examples. In contrast, Catherine the Great was not a villain, but she does not deserve to be honored either.

PETER I THE GREAT

This emperor modernized and Europeanized Russia. He is revered by Russian nationalists because, through his new conquests, his country transitioned from a kingdom to an empire.

However, those invasions resulted in many deaths and much suffering; furthermore, their high cost came at the expense of the impoverishment of the bulk of the population—serfs (essentially slaves) who already lived in extreme poverty. On the other hand, it was these serfs whom he used as cannon fodder in his wars, forcing them to fight as if they were mere pawns.

Read LET US LIVE WITHOUT HARM! Let us oppose imperialism, militarism, and the cult of violence

Additionally, he built the beautiful Saint Petersburg as his capital on marshland, also using serfs forced to work for many hours a day. Approximately 30,000 of them died.

But worst of all, he was a cruel person who employed ruthless torture; he even tortured his own son to death. Furthermore, he enjoyed extremely painful executions, such as slow impalement.

CATHERINE THE GREAT

She was very different from the wicked Peter. This empress was an enlightened German who corresponded with Voltaire and had very good intentions for improving the country and the lives of its inhabitants. She was a modernizer and a patron of the sciences and arts. She also wanted to abolish serfdom, a form of slavery to which most of the Russian population was subjected.

What happened is that, in the end, she prioritized her selfish interests; consequently, she not only failed to abolish it but extended it to Ukraine. Moreover, she allowed her personal ambitions for imperial conquests—which brought her prestige, power, relevance, and “glory”—to prevail over the welfare of the population, causing much suffering.

She was, therefore, similar to Frederick the Great of Prussia and, to a lesser extent, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, with whom she was more or less contemporary and shared Enlightenment ideas. Like them, she was no monster, but neither is she deserving of honor.

Read DO NOT HONOR VILLAINS!: Frederick the Great of Prussia, Bismarck, Adenauer

Read DO NOT HONOR VILLAINS!: George Washington, Jefferson…

LENIN AND STALIN

The former still remains in the mausoleum dedicated to him in Red Square, the main square of Moscow and the entire country. The latter continues to be glorified by many, who display his portrait with pride and nostalgia. In fact, according to polls, the majority of Russians like, respect, or admire him.

The authorities maintain an ambivalent yet nationalist and imperialist stance, honoring their past, both Tsarist and Soviet. The government’s position is one of certain detachment from Lenin for having lost parts of the empire’s territories, but of some admiration for Stalin for having expanded it. All of this despite the massive human rights violations against tens of millions of innocent victims committed by both leaders.

Read PREVENT HARM!: Let us remember the atrocities committed by Soviet communism so they are never repeated

It would be much more just to show rejection for such figures and to honor others who have fought for justice, such as the Decembrists or those who rose up in the February Revolution of 1917—a liberal and social-democratic revolution very different from the communist one that would take place in October of the same year.

Read: LET US NOT HONOUR VILLAINS!, but rather those who have fought for a better world

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