The second death of front -line soldiers

The authorities puts the “Immortal Regiment” to himself and Stalin to the service, turning him into the Kremlin Regiment - NT Columonist Andrey Kolesnikov

The founders and heads of the Immortal Regiment organization opposed the emergence of portraits of Stalin during the event this year. This contradicts the charter of the organization, according to which the "Immortal Regiment" "cannot be an image venue. The use of any corporate, political or other symbolism in everything that is related to the "immortal regiment" is excluded. The regiment cannot be personalized in any, even the most respected person: politics, public figure (including historical), an official. ” Gennady Zyuganov was very indignant - the “soul of the holiday” would leave if it is not decorated with portraits of the murderer. (The leader of the Communist Party, however, is mistaken: “the soul of the holiday” is one of its participants, Putin V.V.) has passed a little more time, and now the co -chairman of the so -called Central Headquarters of the action, the professional “patriot” from the All -Russian Popular Front Elena Tsunaev reports that Stalin’s portraits can be carried, because he is “also a member of the Second World War”. Although, rather, he is a “participant in Vova” ...

Portraits of the Generalissimo will certainly appear on the shares of the Immortal Regiment in different cities of the country. Thereby the interception of the remarkable basis of the idea will end

Interception of the initiative

Let's try to figure out who is who in this action. The “Immortal Regiment” was invented by three Tomsk journalists, including Sergey Lapenkov, who often performs on behalf of the organization and expresses concerns about its officialization, formalization, and the transformation into the PR instrument of the state leadership and quasi -official structures joined it. The sign of the "Immortal Regiment" is a crane from the poem by Rasul Gamzatov, inscribed in the Red Star.

In today's Russia, any noticeable public or civil initiative if it works well and more and more people are involved in it, two paths are waiting. Either its state begins to gradually or quickly destroy the methods of declaring by a foreign agent, administrative or criminal prosecution, etc., or raider seizure of the initiative occurs and it is put at the service of power.

It was the second process that began in 2015, when an organization arose, only in one word different from the popular initiative - the “Immortal Regiment of Russia”. The emblem is a George the victorious in the form of a Russian hero, inscribed in the Order of the Red Star. The organization was created excluded from the ranks of the Immortal Regiment Nikolai Zemtsov. Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the new structure - People's Artist of the USSR Vasily Lanova. The operator (let's call this so) the promotions - the structure of “Volunteers of Russia”, the leadership is the same Elena Tsunaeva. Among those who intercepted the civil initiative, nationalized it, turned it into a state official action and participates in management - RospatriotCenter and Rosmolodezh. And there is also the central headquarters of the action. Take it off. And to understand: the most wide redistribution of powers and responsibility is the proven technology for intercepting the initiative.

Behind the officialization of any action in today's Russia, its inevitable Stalinization occurs. Portraits of the Generalissimo will certainly appear on the shares of the Immortal Regiment in different cities of the country. Thus, the interception of a wonderful idea will be completed. And in the Donbass, in addition to the portraits of the "heroes" Givi and the motorcles will surely suffer the image of the murdered Zakharchenko. The profanation of the Victory Festival will continue.

We wear a portrait of my uncle, who died with an 18-year-old boy on the Kursk arc. Another grandfather is on the home wall. "The soul of the holiday", comrade Stalin, planted it in 1938 and did not release it from Ustvylag until his death in 1946

For which grandfather?

The Immortal Regiment-the first, authentic-does not recommend turning the action into voluntarily accurate. But this is also inevitable: bureaucratization with seniority and teams is a natural consequence of the interception of the initiative. My daughter, an elementary school student, is participating in the Immortal Regiment promotion every year. And this participation is mandatory. I am sure - as in any school of the country. None of the word was said in a word that one could carry a portrait - in accordance with the charter of the authentic “Immortal Regiment” - a prisoner of the Gulag or the hardshop of the rear. Everyone is looking for-because they are obliged to find-at least some relative who was at least something connected with hostilities. We wear a portrait of my uncle, who died with an 18-year-old boy on the Kursk arc. My grandfather, who served in the legendary 43rd division, who freed Latvia, hangs at home intended to the wall, tearing a photo to blame her through fresh air. Another grandfather is in the same place, on the home wall. The “soul of the holiday” planted him in 1938 and did not release him from Ustvylag until his death in 1946. The “Last Address” sign with the name of my grandfather hangs on that house in the center of Moscow, from where it was taken by the NKVD. “The Last Address” is just the same civil initiative that the state cannot assign, and therefore slowly begins to pursue - in St. Petersburg there was already an attempt to declare the project illegal advertising .

So what portraits to walk with? And for whom? For the sake of grandfather or for Putin? For the homeland or for Stalin?

Or completely leave their ancestors alone, save them from representation in the crowd?

History belongs to the authorities, it feeds on private stories and private victims. The state selects their dead people and uses. Writes them to his "regiment"

Legitimation of power

A great victory has always been used by the authorities to legitimize the political regime.

The toasts of Stalin for the “Russian people” and for the “screws” of victories in May and June 1945 legitimized his power. These are important toasts, because in them he, in fact, recognized his mistakes, however, not very specific. It was he who is to blame for the disaster of 1941, in unprecedented losses, in the use of the people as a living shield for themselves and their nearby circle, in the setting of Smersh and the NKVD, now romanticized by Putin's propaganda. He is not a participant in the war. And no great commander. The Soviet people won this war, without Stalin, contrary to it.

The memory of the Great War legitimized and justified the power of Brezhnev, who returned Victory Day as an official holiday. The victory plays the same role for today's political regime, so he could not but nationalize the “Immortal Regiment”: the unity of the leader with the people based on the ritual of historical memory justifies everything.

Many private tragic stories dissolve in the Immortal Shelf, which, if Stalin penetrates into it, turns into a march of supporting the political regime. There are no more private stories - there is one large official, nationalized history. Without nuances and dark pages. There are only victories here, there are no defeats.

The commemoration of victims turns into a ritual of justification of what is happening with the country today. History belongs to the authorities, it feeds on private stories and private victims. The state selects their dead people and uses. Writes them to his "regiment".

The classic of the science of historical memory, Maurice Halbvaks, back in the 1920s, wrote that memory depends on the social framework in which it is placed. Now the whole space is a portrait of a person who has ruling the country for almost two decades. The words “victory”, “Stalin”, “Putin” in the official historical discourse become synonyms.

What remains to do? There is probably a "positive program." Do not pay attention to the official nature of the initiative turning into a ritual. To continue to help the real “immortal regiment”, which is trying to fight the officer of the holiday . Use a promotion for family transmission, that is, truly historical, memory. Try to return this memory for yourself, children and grandchildren.

But how to get rid of the impression that you and your ancestors who died through the fault of Stalin, but for the homeland, the most cynical way uses power? And how to go in the same system with those who carry portraits of Stalin?

Photo: Oblgazeta.ru