Russian people’s misery during World War II was immeasurable. No wonder then that up until now, the “Day of Victory” over Nazi-Germany is commemorated lavishly. However, the flashy symbolism leaves no room for critical evaluation.
It has become a tradition for Russia to hold a huge celebration to celebrate the German army’s defeat in 1945 on May 9th. Since Stalin’s era, the tradition has always been the same: On the “Day of Victory,” army units who are serving and war veterans parade all around The Red Square in Moscow. At Lenin’s mausoleum, the country’s power elite deliver speeches. However, elsewhere in Russia, too, throughout the country, the people’s tomb enduring is commemorated in a lot of memorial ceremonies.
Russia’s Important Holiday
During Soviet times, the fantastic May 9th parade was not merely an expression of communist propaganda meant to exhibit the superiority of the Soviet system. The festivities of the parade also met the need of the people, as war veterans or folks who sustained the hardships on the home front claimed to belong to nearly every family in Russia. That is why, even for postwar generations, there was a personal aspect to the commemoration.
In today’s age, Russian people value the celebration the “Day of Victory” extraordinarily highly. According to the polls, after their New Year’s Day celebration, May 9th is the holiday they most enjoy.
Back in 2004, about 60 percent of Russian people said they actually commemorate the “Day of Victory.” Meanwhile, more than 70 percent valued it as the most important day of remembrance and commemoration and wanted it to remain a national holiday. In contrast, Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has abolished the holiday celebrating the Bolshevik takeover on November 17th, 1917 in the face of protest.
In this article, we will learn about some remembrance of famous Russian people all the time. What are they? Who are they? Check it out.
Black Tulip, Yekaterinburg
The monument of remembrance was named after the aircraft carrier that sent the corpses of deceased Soviet soldiers back home during the Soviet – Afghanistan War. The monument was crafted in the form of a lone soldier slump contemplatively with his weapon, tired, and defeated. Plastered on the pillars that give the monument its name are the names of the Yekaterinburg local soldiers who died in the war that happened during the 1980s, as well as in the Chechnya War, which then followed in the 1990s. Around 620,000 soldiers served in the Soviet – Afghanistan War which stretched to last nine years saw around 14,500 of those soldiers die. Meanwhile, the Chechnya War which stretched to last two years clocked up around 5,500 fatalities.
Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s Shrine
Back in 1968, the rural Russian area named Gzhatsk had officially changed its name to Gagarin in remembrance of its remarkable native son, Yuri Gagarin. Who is Yuri Gagarin? Yuri Gagarin was born on a Soviet collective farm outside the town and succeeded to become the first man in space. Although he came from a humble family—his father was a carpenter—Gagarin’s solo space flight in 1961 made him the most famous figure in the U.S.S.R (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics).
To learn more about Yuri Gagarin, a local recently built a pilgrimage to Gagarin’s now-eponymous hometown which is located 100 miles west of Moscow. The town has transformed itself into a shrine to the Cosmonaut of the Soviet Union, consisting of museums, space memorabilia, archives, and countless monuments.
Everything that is connected to Gagarin has been carefully preserved, including the house given to his parents by the Soviet government back in 1961 and the GAZ-21 Volga Gagarin had which is preserved in a freestanding glass display case. The museums display mementos ranging from a stationary pressure chamber in which Gagarin was taught to a notebook from metallurgy study the future cosmonaut once did.
The Statue of Stalin
Russia’s third-largest city named Novosibirsk has proposed to build a new statue of Stalin in 2018 as the legacy of the Soviet dictator continues to divide society. Contemporary attitudes are divided in Russia toward the historical role Stalin had, who is responsible for innumerable deaths and suffering of millions of Soviet citizens during his regime from 1924 until his death in 1953.
However, polls show that Russian people view him as a remarkable person and the younger generation is unaware of Stalin-era purges. Meanwhile, Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has dismissed attacks on Stalin as a way to demonize Russia.
Tribute to Solzhenitsyn
Not only Russian people, but the world leaders have hailed the life and work of Russian author named Alexander Solzhenitsyn. French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, said that Solzhenitsyn is an ambivalent icon of the Cold War as well as one of the greatest consciences of 20th century Russia. He was born a year after the Russian revolution happened. For the very long years of Soviet terror, he created dissidence.
It was Author Alexander Solzhenitsyn who had opened the eyes of the world to the flaw of the Soviet system, giving a universal comprehension about his experience during the Soviet terror. His intransigence, ideals, and long, eventful life have made him quite a storybook figure, an heir to Dostoyevsky. So, he belongs to the pantheon of world history and people should pay homage to his memory.
Solzhenitsyn will forever be remembered as a genius who gave people all over the world with a testimony which is tinted with suffering, and a clear-cut, accurate look on the tragedies of 20th-century totalitarianism. There is no explanation on how such revolutionary writing from such an important literary figure could have opened the world’s eyes. Many people visit his grave in Donskoye cemetery in Moscow to commemorate his death.
So, that is some remembrance of famous Russian people all the time. Hopefully, this article will give you more insight into important figures that are respected by Russian people.