“Clearly defended the interests of Soviet policy.” The role of Stalin was assessed in a new history textbook

A new Russian history textbook describes Joseph Stalin not as a tyrant who killed millions, but as a “sharp defender” of Soviet interests during World War II. So says the scientific director of the Russian Military Historical Society, Mikhail Myagkov.

“If in the textbooks financed in the 1990s by the Soros Foundation it was a tyrant, a beast, a mediocre commander who filled the enemy with corpses, in general, the “criminal Stalinist regime” - this was a red thread running through many textbooks, but today in our single textbook Stalin’s role is presented exactly as it should be, that is, objectively,” Myagkov said.

According to him, during the Second World War, “not a single major operation took place without Stalin - not only strategic, but also front-line, even army.”

“This is the man who nominated our Victory commanders, including Zhukov, Konev, Vatutin, Vasilevsky, and the man who - this is especially worth noting - clearly defended the interests of Soviet foreign policy, including during the Battle of Kursk,” added Myagkov.

A new history textbook for 11th graders was presented at the beginning of August 2023. Presidential Advisor Vladimir Medinsky then said that the sections on the 70s, 80s, 90s and “zero” years were completely “rewritten, reworked.” In addition, the textbook has a section on Ukraine, in which it is presented as an “ultranationalist state,” and on the outbreak of a full-scale war—what the textbook authors call “confrontation with the West.”

To receive the main news faster, subscribe to our telegram and Twitter .