The Russian Revolution of 1917 and the Kremlin's Policy of Remembrance

Abstract

The first time I visited the Lenin Mausoleum was on an autumn day in 1971. Leaves blew over Red Square, and down in the sarcophagus Lenin was lying in dim illumination, immaculately dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and a red necktie. Despite his attire he made a dismal impression with his yellow, parchment-like skin. 20 years later Soviet society dissolved, without Lenin being offered a decent burial. He is still there, in Red Square, and when I visited the Mausoleum once more in 2016, his suit was still black, but the necktie had been swapped for a blue one. Lenin, without doubt, looked better than he had done 45 years earlier. When I came out again into the daylight on Red Square, one question presented itself: why is it that the Russians continue to honour the memory of the founder of the Soviet state and architect of the October Revolution, when we know that Russia today has a political regime that is based on a repudiation of Communism? Why is Lenin still lying in state, guarded by some of Russia’s finest soldiers?