…rely on Rykov. Rykov chaired the Politburo meetings because the head of the government, by tradition from Lenin, chaired the Politburo meetings. Stalin was the head of the party, but not the head of the government, like Rykov was. So Rykov was the number…

…the government, like Rykov was. So Rykov was the number two person in the regime, and he's the most significant person after Stalin. And so I looked very closely at Rykov, reexamining the original materials on Rykov, and he's an impressive figure, but he's…

…as a permanent institution. Almost on the edge of social democracy. And in fact, Sokolnikov... came at a party congress and asked Stalin to resign his post as General Secretary. When? In 1925, December 1925. It was a bold, very courageous speech. It was a…

…multi-parties, but democracy inside the party. That was a step at least. When did that Sokolnikov disappear? Sokolnikov was removed. Stalin removed him reluctantly in January 1926 from finance commissar, but he kept him in the central committee. That's how…

…but Rykov and Sokolnikov were the ones that I singled out through the book and then especially towards the end if Stalin had died. So one could imagine people like that avoiding collapse by reluctantly, grudgingly coming around to accepting the market the…

…And even did they have a strong enough base? By base I mean not in people who cares about that, but within... If Stalin had died, Rykov would have been strong enough to take power. Yes, there's no question. But unfortunately, Stalin didn't die. Okay. Can…

…that, but within... If Stalin had died, Rykov would have been strong enough to take power. Yes, there's no question. But unfortunately, Stalin didn't die. Okay. Can I go on? I have so many provocative questions. First, one thesis where I totally agree with…

…don't think we would have had October seizure of power, Bolshevik coup, without Lenin. And I don't think we would have had Stalin without Lenin either. Unfortunately, I have to agree. Lenin is a very major figure. So, you know, on the nationality question.…

…knew Kazan where he failed to complete his law degree. But Lenin was not a person of Russian Eurasia the way Stalin was. Stalin had significantly deeper knowledge about Russia-Eurasia, because he was from the periphery of the empire. And he traveled much…

…where he failed to complete his law degree. But Lenin was not a person of Russian Eurasia the way Stalin was. Stalin had significantly deeper knowledge about Russia-Eurasia, because he was from the periphery of the empire. And he traveled much more widely…

…because he was from the periphery of the empire. And he traveled much more widely through the empire than Lenin ever did. Stalin was an exile in Russia. Lenin was an exile in Europe. And many people hold this against Stalin, that he didn't know…

…the empire than Lenin ever did. Stalin was an exile in Russia. Lenin was an exile in Europe. And many people hold this against Stalin, that he didn't know Europe, that he was not as smart as Lenin, that he was ignorant. But actually, it turned out to…

…having a revolution in Russia and Eurasia. It was one of the things I hope the book shows that was an advantage for Stalin in the power struggle. Now, this is a very complicated story of how they got the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, what Lenin's…

…willing to allow a certain amount of concession to nationalism in pursuit of the larger goal, which, of course, is world revolution. Stalin was a little bit more practical than Lenin and they had a fight. Stalin wanted to form a single state. He wanted…

…the larger goal, which, of course, is world revolution. Stalin was a little bit more practical than Lenin and they had a fight. Stalin wanted to form a single state. He wanted to fold. What happened was when the Russian Empire collapsed in World War I,…

…in a union of republics, and Russia and Ukraine and Byelorussia and the Caucasus would be equal members of this union. And Stalin said, that's unfair. What about the Tatars? Tatarstan is inside Russia already. How come they don't have the same status as…

…would become a union republic equal to Russia in the union of Soviet socials? And they fought, but Lenin was Lenin. And so Stalin conceded Lenin's point and he formed, Lenin was sick already, Stalin formed the USSR. He did it. and it was Lenin's version…

…Soviet socials? And they fought, but Lenin was Lenin. And so Stalin conceded Lenin's point and he formed, Lenin was sick already, Stalin formed the USSR. He did it. and it was Lenin's version of how to deal with revolution in Russia-Eurasia. Well, what…

…constituent republics. The parts that were folded into Russia are still in Russia. And so this is one of the reasons that Stalin is in good standing these days compared to Lenin because Lenin was much more responsible than Stalin for the possibility that…

…of the reasons that Stalin is in good standing these days compared to Lenin because Lenin was much more responsible than Stalin for the possibility that the Soviet Union could be dissolved into its constituent members because it was made up of constituent…

…had tactical flexibility on the national question, but not a difference in principle. And his form and Stalin's form were different, and Stalin had to concede, or felt he had to concede to Lenin's form. If you examine the others, Zinoviev was a complete…

…form. If you examine the others, Zinoviev was a complete nincompoop on this question. A complete idiot on this question. Kamenev followed Stalin, but then when Lenin came out with his view, Kamenev and Stalin... So, you know, Lenin... he was for real on…

…this question. A complete idiot on this question. Kamenev followed Stalin, but then when Lenin came out with his view, Kamenev and Stalin... So, you know, Lenin... he was for real on communist revolution. And that meant that if you had to concede something…

…invasion of Poland to try to bring Poland back into the fold, to try to retake Poland, reconquer Poland with the Red Army. And Stalin said, you know, I'm not sure we can do this. It may not work. And it failed. And Poland defeated the Red Army and…

…and remained an independent state, unfortunately, up to the Hitler-Stalin pact. August 1939, September 1939, Hitler invaded one side, Stalin the other. But until that point, Poland had won its independence. And Stalin was the skeptic. He believed nationalism…

…pact. August 1939, September 1939, Hitler invaded one side, Stalin the other. But until that point, Poland had won its independence. And Stalin was the skeptic. He believed nationalism was for real. It was Stalin in the 1920s who got up at the 10th Party…

…other. But until that point, Poland had won its independence. And Stalin was the skeptic. He believed nationalism was for real. It was Stalin in the 1920s who got up at the 10th Party Congress in 1921 and said, Ukraine is a real nation. It was Stalin…

…was Stalin in the 1920s who got up at the 10th Party Congress in 1921 and said, Ukraine is a real nation. It was Stalin who said that. This is one of the chapters in the book. History is crazy that way. It turned out that Lenin's tactical flexibility…

…Poland was victimized, but they were also perpetrators. There's no question. I wouldn't put them on the same plane necessarily with Stalin in this regard, but I would not want to have lived under the Piwsudski regime in interwar Poland, absolutely not. That…

…just like happened the other day, and he smashed it. And how do you explain that? How do you explain that Stalin, who has so much power already, so much power. He's already collectivized agriculture. He's eradicated capitalism. He declares socialism is…

…level officers in the Wehrmacht, he retires them. And he retires them with honors. And he does it in 1938, the year Stalin is cutting through like a scythe through his officer corps. And Hitler doesn't murder his diplomats. And he doesn't murder his…

…the Long Knives in 1934. Fewer than 100 people are killed in the Night of the Long Knives. There are execution lists that Stalin signed that have thousands of names on them with his signature, recognized signature on them for a single night. And so this…

…signature, recognized signature on them for a single night. And so this becomes a more difficult proposition, how you get from the Stalin who is managing to build a personal dictatorship to the Stalin who's going to crash the plane onto the side of the…

…so this becomes a more difficult proposition, how you get from the Stalin who is managing to build a personal dictatorship to the Stalin who's going to crash the plane onto the side of the mountain when it's fully functional. Do you know the book, I…

…that I know of that. People are trying to explain the terror as a rational response to conditions that were there that Stalin was trying to overcome. There was resistance to his directives on the part of local officials and therefore they all were killed.…

…with you that there's something about having that kind of power having life or death power over 200 million people. Because that's what Stalin has by the 1930s. Very few people have ever had power like that before or since. Just a tiny handful. And that,…

…figure this out. No, I totally agree. And where this comes from and how this is possible. This is the problem in the Stalin biographies, in the Stalin literature. Once you get to this point, then you have to find the answer somewhere before. And so you…

…I totally agree. And where this comes from and how this is possible. This is the problem in the Stalin biographies, in the Stalin literature. Once you get to this point, then you have to find the answer somewhere before. And so you begin to look for…

…unimaginable. Another thing. I read in N. Applebaum's Gulag book that even in the darkest moments, terror period up to early 50s, when Stalin was still alive, she writes about this, I hope it's true, I don't have any other means to check it up, that…

…that once a year on Stalin's birthday, all the prisoners were collected and had to sign collectively a telegram Gulag prisoners to Stalin. You cannot imagine Nazis collecting all the Jews in Auschwitz to send a telegram to Hitler. You know what I think?…

…may sound, maybe you will agree, the even relative popularity, relative because of his manipulation of, you know, when Stalin introduced socialist realism, People were glad, finally we will get literature with normal suffering, crying people, enough of those…

…It's not an accident. It's not something circumstances caused. It was something that Lenin wanted. And it was something that Lenin and Stalin and the rest of them were able to implant. Now, you can argue that they were doing it because they were trying…

…time about this, the forced labor camps or so-called gulag. It's very interesting because not only did they write the letters to Stalin on his birthday, actually most of them didn't write the letters because somebody was there writing it for them in a…

…orchestra that would put to shame anything we've got here in New York, but you couldn't do that in the Gulag. because Stalin loved music too much, and he didn't allow the musicians, especially the vocalists, to be arrested. Instead, he wanted them to…

…went terribly wrong. This is why... This is another difference between Nazism and Stalinism. You have many dissidents who claim Stalin betrayed communism. I don't think you have many Nazis who claimed Hitler betrayed authentic Nazism or whatever. It's a…

…of economy today are... So, to give you the last chance, is there a question that, modeling upon the greatest genius of humanity, Stalin, that you would like to ask yourself and then answer? Do you have a question like that? Thank you. Are you ready to…

…like to ask yourself and then answer? Do you have a question like that? Thank you. Are you ready to live up to Comrade Stalin? Quite seriously, what this means in more normal terms is, do you think, do you feel that we missed any crucial point that…

…I fell out of the station wagon on the ride to school and bonked my head and now somehow I'm writing three volumes on Stalin. Not to be a psychoanalyst. But do we go to audience questions at this point? What's the protocol? Is there someone from the…

…We'll hear some of those too, I hope. Yes, sir. Mr. Kotkin, you said you tried to write more about history, not just focus on Stalin alone. So my question is in this vein. A few days ago, I read a credo by Isaiah Baron, In this credit, he tried to…

…someone like Sholokhov. Yes, the official Soviet guy, but you know that he nonetheless, in the early 30s, he protested to Stalin against the horrors, he was almost... So you know, you have even almost official big writers who nonetheless had the minimum…

…is my hero. But that's my opinion. You're allowed temporarily. We are the two of us. We are in the 20s. I'm not yet full Stalin. I think we'll leave it at that. Sorry? I think we'll let your judgment stand. I think we'll leave it at that. Does this…

…Georgian in this space. Are you also? I met a Georgian friend who told me I'm a distant relative, unfortunately, not of Stalin, but of Beria. You have no connection there. Well, my name is Vakhtan Gomelauri. My grand-grandfather was executed in 1937, so…

…or no? Is there any sex in the slides? No sex. You can provide that. The question will be brief. You know that Stalin gets extremely popularity in the period of Soviet and post-Soviet tyranny. And now, for example, he gathers such a whole that you…

…mega opinion, Paul, all academics in Russia a couple of years ago, the greatest personality of all Russian history? And I think Stalin ended third, but not with a great distance after. The first was Alexander Nevsky, I think. But nowhere inside was Lenin,…

…very much like Dmitry Blykov, the famous Russian writer. Thank you very much. Yes, I'm a great fan of Lenin and I hate Stalin. That's normal. Thank you. Okay. Paul, could we have the slides and I could go through them if that would be okay briefly?…

…guy who paid for Stalin's education. He owned the tavern and was the head wrestler in town. That's the first photograph of Stalin, center, middle. He's about 10, 12 years old. You see the attitude. Yeah. That's Stalin in the seminary, second from the left…

…That's the first photograph of Stalin, center, middle. He's about 10, 12 years old. You see the attitude. Yeah. That's Stalin in the seminary, second from the left on the top, beardless. That's the seminary building, neoclassical. That's where Stalin studied…

…That's Stalin in the seminary, second from the left on the top, beardless. That's the seminary building, neoclassical. That's where Stalin studied to be a priest. That's the guy who taught Stalin Marxism, Lado Ketseveli, fellow Georgian. He died young. That's…

…top, beardless. That's the seminary building, neoclassical. That's where Stalin studied to be a priest. That's the guy who taught Stalin Marxism, Lado Ketseveli, fellow Georgian. He died young. That's Stalin's only job, the observatory. He was a weatherman. He…

…cell, his first major prison cell. Unfortunately, they let him out. That's his first wife, who died of disease, and that's Stalin in the corner there. That's from the Georgian police archive. This is Stalin from the Tsarist police archive, 1910. This is…

…his first wife, who died of disease, and that's Stalin in the corner there. That's from the Georgian police archive. This is Stalin from the Tsarist police archive, 1910. This is Sarajevo. There's the Archduke. He's about to turn, and he's about to be…

…in the head. And this is the guy who's about to shoot him. Princip, Gavrilo Princip, started World War I, helped bring Stalin to power. That's Stalin's Siberian, three years in Siberia during World War I, eight houses, 67 people on the Arctic Circle.…

…the Mensheviks. He had left the hall at this time already, unfortunately. That's the first Bolshevik government. There's Lenin and there's Stalin with his hand on his face against the wall. Spiridonova, she had the Bolsheviks in July 1918 and let them go.…

…bayonets. This is the famine, 1921 to 1923, in Tsaritsyn, which is going to be named Stalingrad a few years later. Stalin and Lenin, famous picture, only never published because Stalin was looking too much like Napoleon. And so they suppressed that photo.…

…in Tsaritsyn, which is going to be named Stalingrad a few years later. Stalin and Lenin, famous picture, only never published because Stalin was looking too much like Napoleon. And so they suppressed that photo. This is him in 1923. That's Lenin. You can…

…That's Lenin. You can see the dementia, late in life. That's his doctor and his nurse. This is Lenin's funeral. You can see Stalin in the hat, January 1924. This is the death mask, Lenin's death mask. It ended up in Stalin's office. That's all you…

…20s. That's Stalin's office, old square number four, the whole right-hand side. That's the Commissariat of Foreign Affairs. which Stalin controlled. That's Trotsky's office. That's the commissary to the military, the war commissary in the Navy right here, the…

…That's Stalin's inner secretariat, the people who ran his dictatorship. It looks like a Berkeley commune. That's the military guys in Stalin. You can see him right here. His left elbow doesn't move. That's Filiz Dezhinsky, the head of the secret police. He…

…red. Yagoda, another secret policeman. These are all Stalin's minions inside the regime now. Artuzhev, the guy who hated Yagoda, and Stalin used their animosity against them. This is the guy who faked the first major fake trial. This is Zinoviev, a…

…major fake trial. This is Zinoviev, a caricature, how he's playing with the kulak and the net man. This is Kirov, Stalin replaced Zinoviev with Kirov, his closest friend, who's then... This is the three musketeers, Mikoyan, Stalin, and Ordzhonikidze. And the…

…This is Kirov, Stalin replaced Zinoviev with Kirov, his closest friend, who's then... This is the three musketeers, Mikoyan, Stalin, and Ordzhonikidze. And the caucus is on holiday, retouched. This is Stalin's apartment. 17th century Boyar residence, the only…

…household, Karolina Thiel, and that's Svetlana's nanny, Bujkova. That's Marshal Pivsudski on a visit to Romania. That's Chiang Kai-shek. He betrayed Stalin and got the better of him in the 1920s, but Stalin stuck with him. That's the Red Army on bicycles.…

…Marshal Pivsudski on a visit to Romania. That's Chiang Kai-shek. He betrayed Stalin and got the better of him in the 1920s, but Stalin stuck with him. That's the Red Army on bicycles. Stalin had no tanks in 1927. That's Stalin. You can see the charisma…

…He betrayed Stalin and got the better of him in the 1920s, but Stalin stuck with him. That's the Red Army on bicycles. Stalin had no tanks in 1927. That's Stalin. You can see the charisma standing out in the crowd. This is the military attachés, all…

…of him in the 1920s, but Stalin stuck with him. That's the Red Army on bicycles. Stalin had no tanks in 1927. That's Stalin. You can see the charisma standing out in the crowd. This is the military attachés, all the enemies of the Soviet Union. They're…

…crowd. This is the military attachés, all the enemies of the Soviet Union. They're lined up on the May Day parade. This is Stalin in Siberia when he goes to collectivize agriculture. Announces, that's how he got to the meeting. He got to the meeting in…

…journalists about how these wreckers destroyed industry. And that's the kulak, the leather versus the bare sandals. That's Bukharin, caricature of Stalin. So anyway, those are the photos. I think that just about wraps it up. Thank you very much. Thank you.

…is sense for us. Thank you very much. Don't go for too long, because you know what happened? I read in a recent book to Stalin. In 1950, he received a group of generals, old ones. And there were only 50 of them. They were in a room. The problem is…

…were only 50 of them. They were in a room. The problem is only 50 is that, you know, like, you never were sure if Stalin doesn't see you. And at the end, they applauded to Stalin. And nobody dared to stop applauding. And it went on for 15, 20…

…is only 50 is that, you know, like, you never were sure if Stalin doesn't see you. And at the end, they applauded to Stalin. And nobody dared to stop applauding. And it went on for 15, 20 minutes. Some of them dropped down. And finally Stalin, with…

…to Stalin. And nobody dared to stop applauding. And it went on for 15, 20 minutes. Some of them dropped down. And finally Stalin, with his greatness, said, OK, enough comrades. But I felt almost like death. So again, my message to you is my old joke.…

…was a necessary tendency for the Russian Revolution October Revolution to turn into a Stalinist kind of regime. So if not Stalin, someone else, let's imagine Stalin having an accident, killed in early 20s, well, someone else would have to do it, maybe…

…for the Russian Revolution October Revolution to turn into a Stalinist kind of regime. So if not Stalin, someone else, let's imagine Stalin having an accident, killed in early 20s, well, someone else would have to do it, maybe in a little bit different…

…to applaud in those obligatory rituals, you know, so... Spare your energy for when we... And there is a wonderful anecdote about Stalin along these lines. Once Stalin was old, I read somewhere in a biography of Stalin, like 1950, he received a small group…

…rituals, you know, so... Spare your energy for when we... And there is a wonderful anecdote about Stalin along these lines. Once Stalin was old, I read somewhere in a biography of Stalin, like 1950, he received a small group of generals for some order,…

…we... And there is a wonderful anecdote about Stalin along these lines. Once Stalin was old, I read somewhere in a biography of Stalin, like 1950, he received a small group of generals for some order, and at the end they applauded him. The problem was…

…so tragic, like two or three of them, they were all generals, collapsed and so on. But still no one there, so at the end Stalin had to say, comrades, enough. He had to do it. I would die to be in that situation. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank…

…sorry if you know this story, but I will repeat it. I found it wonderful. Let's imagine that we are in Moscow in 1935. I'm Stalin. I give a long speech. Then there is a debate. And then in that debate, one of you who is stupid enough stands up and…

…that guy, no? But now let's imagine something else, that another guy stands up and attacks the first guy who criticized me, Stalin, saying something like, but are you crazy? Don't you know that we don't criticize Comrade Stalin here? I claim he, the…

…the first guy who criticized me, Stalin, saying something like, but are you crazy? Don't you know that we don't criticize Comrade Stalin here? I claim he, the second guy, would have disappeared even faster. You see what I mean? It was not only prohibited…

…claim he, the second guy, would have disappeared even faster. You see what I mean? It was not only prohibited to criticize Stalin, it was prohibited to publicly announce this prohibition. This is why, although I had many polemics with her, I agree here…

…to debate with you for another hour, but unfortunately we are too tired, you know. Sorry? I'm never tired, because like Comrade Stalin says about communists, I'm made of a special matter stuff, I'm not like other people. Okay, to save the occasion, let's…

…it's worth mentioning that the title of the last Superman film, The Man of Steel, is of course the English translation of Stalin. Stalin means in Russian, The Man of Steel. Superman, if we judge from the latest wave of cinema remakes, all these…

…worth mentioning that the title of the last Superman film, The Man of Steel, is of course the English translation of Stalin. Stalin means in Russian, The Man of Steel. Superman, if we judge from the latest wave of cinema remakes, all these superheroes are…

…now his glory is undermined, is Kemal Pasha Atatürk, you know, the founder of modern Turkey. Okay. His official image was ascetic like Stalin, you know, ascetic leader, works 18 hours per day for his country and so on and so on. Then there was a myth…

…totally mysterious, there is absolutely no debate, you know, like, even these formals, you know, even under Stalinism. For example, Stalin was proposed to be the next general secretary, and then every communist cell had to... debated. Of course, they all…

…but they went to the motion so that then they could have said after a wide debate, members of the party proposed Stalin. No, it's absolutely, with all my provisos, it's Absolutely, not only absolutely, it's like this. Okay, you have every four years the…

…arrested if you were, to quote the Bible, the Old Testament, if you were telling jokes in front, in the face of... Jehovah or Stalin or whoever, no? If you did it this... Which is why... Okay, of course you have then these cheap jokes which react to…

…if you look at his Trotsky's text in the early 20s, Do you really think that Trotsky had a clear alternative? The conflict was Stalin. I know at that point what is a right-winger. Stalin was with Bukharin. No. Okay, but let's not lose time on this. I…

…Do you really think that Trotsky had a clear alternative? The conflict was Stalin. I know at that point what is a right-winger. Stalin was with Bukharin. No. Okay, but let's not lose time on this. I admit it. Let's go to theory. Okay, when you mentioned…

…again, the power of appearance. So, again, when I say we need a master, because I was accused of stupidities that I advertised New Stalin and so on and so on. No, all I'm saying is that somebody, something has to kick us out. Not in the sense of…

…reactionaries immediately noted, as if this has some deep spiritual meaning, that Chavez died on the very day on which Joseph Stalin died. But I would put an action to another thing, since we also have here a representative of Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.…

…its excessive violence, as it is usually done by critics of Stalinism, The usual mistake is to focus on violence, like, oh, Stalin was wrong, killing millions. Of course he was wrong, but... It's extremely stupid, I claim, to say Stalin was otherwise okay,…

…on violence, like, oh, Stalin was wrong, killing millions. Of course he was wrong, but... It's extremely stupid, I claim, to say Stalin was otherwise okay, just he made a mistake here. No, something must have been wrong in his basic project that in order…

…goes to the end and claims that there was a deep necessity in so-called cult of personality in communist movement. Lenin, Stalin, Mao. Here is the quote. There are three persons, Rudinesco, Badiou, and then Ayashiman, this is the journalist of Liberacion,…

…und Familie, Authority and Family, Adorno in his analysis of structure of fascist propaganda, emphasized that the totalitarian leader, Hitler, Stalin, these are not master figures. But nonetheless, my problem is that, I hope we agree here, that of course this…

…really impotent. He lacked proper authority. And it's the same socially. If you look at all the big explosions of violence, Hitler, Stalin, and so on. For example, what is arguably the greatest violence in Soviet Union? The late 20s, early 30s, the forced…

…term violence We lose this point, which is for me absolutely crucial, of seeing how all those big violent agents, Hitler, even Stalin and so on, are really modest reactive guys. Reactive in the sense that their violence was an admission of impotence and…

…of my lines. How did you allow that? Sorry? How did you allow that? In my magnificence. I'm a good guy. I'm like Comrade Stalin in his best mood, you know. No, you remember, I... report there how I attacked, but this is the obvious thing, this American…

…you know, highly ethical and so on, are absolutely... And in my interview for that self-interview of that, I'm like Comrade Stalin here. You know how you recognize Stalin's style? I love this. Stalin always... Ask a question and answer. You know, typically…

…for that self-interview of that, I'm like Comrade Stalin here. You know how you recognize Stalin's style? I love this. Stalin always... Ask a question and answer. You know, typically Stalin needs, what are, comrades, the problems of our present moment?…

…here. You know how you recognize Stalin's style? I love this. Stalin always... Ask a question and answer. You know, typically Stalin needs, what are, comrades, the problems of our present moment? Comrades, the problems of our present moment are, and so on,…

…along the same lines openly advocated that he is closer to me. The cult of personality. He claims you need a leader, like Stalin, whatever, that precisely because of this necessary illusion. It cannot be just that, as he put it in a poetic way, look, I…

…I only allow all these illusory celebrations to go on not to disappoint the ordinary people who need a great leader like Stalin, whatever. No. The point is that you even do not need another actual subject who really believes. The whole system of belief…

…but close to that area, let me tell you a weird story which I found wonderful. What happened in Soviet Union in 1953? Stalin died and then in the summer of 1953 the first volume of the new Soviet encyclopedia covering letters from A to C appeared.…

…Okay, it's not actual figure today, but all and all I am fascinated how Lenin in his last years, his big motive against Stalin, and it looks crazy for a tough guy like Lenin, was politeness. You remember what Lenin, Lenin's main argument to why we have…

…for a tough guy like Lenin, was politeness. You remember what Lenin, Lenin's main argument to why we have to get rid of Stalin is he doesn't behave in a polite way towards his colleague, he's a brutal guy. So you know, politeness, wasn't it your writer,…

…and fascist documentaries how the leader, fascist leader is applauded, but he never applauds himself. He just receives the, by Stalin and other great luminaries, did you notice how when in the central committee they are applauded, they always join the…

…had a great revenge on Marxism here. Because in Stalinism, we precisely got a master, a leader, who thought that he knows, really. Stalin was not just like a king. stalin was not just a symbolic top the whole machinery was to demonstrate that he really…

…we have so many things to decide in Politburo. We need someone just to take notes and put things in order. So, because Stalin was, at that time, considered a kind of a local idiot of the Politburo, first Lenin proposed it to Trotsky. Trotsky said, too…

…a kind of a local idiot of the Politburo, first Lenin proposed it to Trotsky. Trotsky said, too humiliating, I don't know. So Stalin said not to say, okay, I will do it. And then, you know, two years later, Trotsky, Trotsky was a little bit stupid…

…was a little bit stupid there, in himself. He thought, who cares about this small bureaucrat? I will make one big speech and Stalin will be out. Well, you know, Trotsky was really tragic in the, from 23 to 25 seats, Trotsky was like, you know, that…

…walking up in the air. He was totally without power, but he didn't know it. Then in 26, I think, he was reminded by Stalin, hey, look down, there is now, and he went all of a sudden. So again, I claim that this lesson, again, is Actual, especially…

…how this works. Imagine, it's my dream, imagine that we are in Soviet Union in 35, This is the central committee, I'm Comrade Stalin. I give a speech, then of course you applaud for 10 minutes, that's another story, and then there is a debate. And then…

…something else that another person stands up and starts to shout at the first person. Are you crazy? How dare you attack Comrade Stalin? Don't you know that we don't do this here? I claim he would have been arrested even faster. You know what's the…

…this here? I claim he would have been arrested even faster. You know what's the problem? It was prohibited to criticize Stalin, of course. But it was even more prohibited to publicly announce this prohibition. This is what fascinates me. This structure,…

…knew very well that the problem that nobody wants to come there, you know. Like, to be cynical, you know, it's easy to, like Stalin also always called working class people to come to Soviet Union because. I kind of wanted to, just to sort of, you know,…

…appearances. What do you mean by this? Let's imagine a crazy scene, my dream, at least. We are Moscow 37, Central Committee, I am Stalin. I give a speech, you applaud, we know. That's life. Okay. Then one of you does a crazy thing, stands up and says,…

…I give a speech, you applaud, we know. That's life. Okay. Then one of you does a crazy thing, stands up and says, Comrade Stalin, I don't agree with you. I think you are totally wrong, blah, blah, blah. Okay. We know. No mystery here. If you would be…

…has to be blamed, that's life. After you, you stand up and tell to him, are you crazy? We don't talk to Comrade Stalin like this in our country. We don't attack him and so on. You would have disappeared even earlier. Sorry, don't take it personally,…

…earlier. Sorry, don't take it personally, that's life. What I mean to say, you know, it wasn't only prohibited to criticize Stalin. It was even more prohibited to announce this prohibition publicly. It was a prohibition which worked only on condition that…

…the people imprisoned were collect, even in the darkest years of Stalinism, were assembled and had to sign telegram wishing Comrade Stalin all the best for birthday and wishing him greater even success in building socialism and so on. Now, think about it.…

…restrained. We shout, rant and talk calmly about Nazis and Palestinians, Black Panthers and Israelis, about Obama, Romney and Stalin. David, you describe yourself as a conservative and Slavoj, you describe yourself... as a communist. But nonetheless, both of…

…describe yourself as a conservative and Slavoj, you describe yourself... as a communist. But nonetheless, both of you have had a picture of Stalin. I'm in the middle of the show. It's going to be about an hour. Yeah, bye. I can't talk to you. This is…

…OK? All right, go ahead. David, can you tell me what do you mean by conservative and why do you have a picture of Stalin? Well, the picture of Stalin that was on my office wall was his death. And I'm a conservative because the leftist utopians have no…

…David, can you tell me what do you mean by conservative and why do you have a picture of Stalin? Well, the picture of Stalin that was on my office wall was his death. And I'm a conservative because the leftist utopians have no idea of what human…

…so they kill them and put them in gulags. And... The problem with the utopian idea is the idea. Slavoj? Okay. First, why Stalin? Precisely to remind me, and here maybe we at some marginal level even agree, precisely to remind me of the risks, dangers of…

…risks, dangers of radical political experiments. You know, I don't know what to make of what Slavoj is saying when he says that Stalin is there to remind him of the dangers of totalitarian strain in the left, or the dangers that utopian ideas can lead…

…catastrophes, no easy utopian communist or liberal or whatsoever. Let me try to tie up these discussions. He wants to be General Secretary Stalin, who at the end makes the resume. He still is a communist. He's the communist here. Get what I was going to…

…restrained. We shout, rant and talk calmly about Nazis and Palestinians, Black Panthers and Israelis, about Obama, Romney and Stalin. David, you describe yourself as a conservative and Slavoj, you describe yourself... as a communist, but nonetheless, both of…

…describe yourself as a conservative and Slavoj, you describe yourself... as a communist, but nonetheless, both of you have had a picture of Stalin. I'm in the middle of the show. It's going to be about an hour. I can't talk to you. This is an…

…okay? All right, go ahead. David, can you tell me what do you mean by conservative and why do you have a picture of Stalin? Well, the picture of Stalin that was on my office wall was his death. And I'm a conservative because the leftist utopians have…

…David, can you tell me what do you mean by conservative and why do you have a picture of Stalin? Well, the picture of Stalin that was on my office wall was his death. And I'm a conservative because the leftist utopians have no idea of what human…

…they kill them and put them in gulags. And, uh... The problem with the utopian idea is the idea. Slavoj? Okay. First, why Stalin? Precisely to remind me, and here maybe we at some marginal level even agree, precisely to remind me of the risks, dangers…

…of radical political experiments. You know, I don't know what to make of what Slavoj is saying when he says that Stalin is there to remind him of the dangers of totalitarian intelligence committees. They had better intelligence than Julian. In the work…

…restrained. We shout, rant and talk calmly about Nazis and Palestinians, Black Panthers and Israelis, about Obama, Romney and Stalin. David, you describe yourself as a conservative and Slavoj, you describe yourself... as a communist, but nonetheless, both of…

…describe yourself as a conservative and Slavoj, you describe yourself... as a communist, but nonetheless, both of you have had a picture of Stalin. I'm in the middle of the show. It's going to be about an hour. I can't talk to you. This is an…

…OK? All right, go ahead. David, can you tell me what do you mean by conservative and why do you have a picture of Stalin? Well, the picture of Stalin that was on my office wall was his death. And I'm a conservative because the leftist utopians have no…

…David, can you tell me what do you mean by conservative and why do you have a picture of Stalin? Well, the picture of Stalin that was on my office wall was his death. And I'm a conservative because the leftist utopians have no idea what human nature…

…they kill them and put them in gulags. And, uh... The problem with the utopian idea is the idea. Slavoj? Okay. First, why Stalin? Precisely to remind me, and here maybe we at some marginal level even agree, precisely to remind me of the risks, dangers…

…risks, dangers of radical political experiments. You know, I don't know what to make of what Slavoj is saying when he says that Stalin is there to remind him of the dangers of totalitarian strain in the left, or the dangers that utopian ideas can lead…

…No easy utopian bullshitting, communist or liberal or whatsoever. Let me try to tie up these discussions. He wants to be General Secretary Stalin, who at the end makes the resume. He still is a communist. He's the communist here. Get what I was going to…

…no easy utopian i think communist or liberal or whatsoever let me try to tie up these discussions He wants to be General Secretary Stalin, who at the end makes the resume. He still is a communist. He's the communist here. Get what I was going to say.…

…restrained. We shout, rant and talk calmly about Nazis and Palestinians, Black Panthers and Israelis, about Obama, Romney and Stalin. David, you describe yourself as a conservative and Slavoj, you describe yourself... as a communist, but nonetheless, both of…

…yourself as a conservative and Slavoj, you describe yourself... as a communist, but nonetheless, both of you have had a picture of Stalin. Stalin's gone. Don't mess with me. Don't mess with me, Stalin's gone. I'm in the middle of the show. It's going to…

…OK? All right, go ahead. David, can you tell me what do you mean by conservative and why do you have a picture of Stalin? Well, the picture of Stalin that was on my office wall was his death. And I'm a conservative because the leftist utopians have no…

…David, can you tell me what do you mean by conservative and why do you have a picture of Stalin? Well, the picture of Stalin that was on my office wall was his death. And I'm a conservative because the leftist utopians have no idea of what human…

…they kill them and put them in gulags. And, uh... The problem with the utopian idea is the idea. Slavoj? Okay. First, why Stalin? Precisely to remind me, and here maybe we at some marginal level even agree, precisely to remind me of the risks, dangers…

…risks, dangers of radical political experiments. You know, I don't know what to make of what Slavoj is saying when he says that Stalin is there to remind him of the dangers of totalitarian strain in the left, or the dangers that utopian ideas can lead…

…It's a fake. First, again, it has limits. It works only at a certain level. Would you be ready to say this for Hitler or Stalin? We forgive you, dear Hitler, tell us the story of Holocaust. We will not forget it, but we forget. No, I think that when…

…Stalinism. It's a wonderful, simple example. Imagine a dream for me. We are now in Moscow, 36, 37, Central Committee, okay, I am Stalin. I give a speech. Then one of you stands up and criticizes me, attacks me. Okay, everybody knows that. The next day…

…saw that guy the last... Okay, but then imagine that another guy would stand up and attack the first guy who attacked me, Stalin, and would say, are you crazy? We don't attack Comrade Stalin in Soviet Union. Why are you doing this? I claim that this…

…guy would stand up and attack the first guy who attacked me, Stalin, and would say, are you crazy? We don't attack Comrade Stalin in Soviet Union. Why are you doing this? I claim that this second guy would disappear even faster than the first guy. That…

…this second guy would disappear even faster than the first guy. That is to say, it wasn't only prohibited to criticize Stalin. It was even more prohibited to publicly criticize announce this prohibition. This is the level at which customs function. And it's…

…proof that Scotty saw her naked. This is not allowed, so it shouldn't be underwear. But it's the same mystery as with Stalin and Beria. Now, whom were they trying to protect? Because we... viewers, we all automatically assume that we see underwear. So in…

…it's more subjective violence, to play the game of who is responsible for communist crimes. There things are clear. You can say it's Stalin, communist party, and then we can play all this game of origins. Was it only Stalin? Was it already Lenin? Was it…

…things are clear. You can say it's Stalin, communist party, and then we can play all this game of origins. Was it only Stalin? Was it already Lenin? Was it already Marx? Was it already Rousseau? Was it already Christianity? Was it already Plato? Then we…

…class fits perfectly the tendency of today's capitalism towards a managerial capitalism without the classical bourgeoisie. In both cases, as Stalin put it long ago, cadres decide everything. In this sense, I think Stalinism was really ahead of time. You know…

…them up and so on. We should rediscover this childish joy. innocent joy of doing our task well. So when they asked Stalin in 1929 in a famous interview, what is the ideal Bolshevik? His answer was the ideal Bolshevik, very interesting answer, is a…

…is legitimized by positive properties of those who rule, you end up with some kind of a Stalinist leader who really claims Stalin knew everything and so on and so on. He basically knew something that even old ancient democrats knew, ancient Greeks and so…

…negative self-terror, you destroy yourself. If you become too brutally positive, you end up not only as social democracy but even as Stalin. You just basically at the deeper level repeat the existing order. The art is again to look for signs from the…

…making them. They are not substantial. First, this last vicious question of Bruno, no? What happens with 1%? Do you know that in Stalin you find an excellent slip of tongue which deals precisely with this? I quote it often. It's a book, History of Soviet…

…slip of tongue which deals precisely with this? I quote it often. It's a book, History of Soviet Communist Party, written by Stalin himself, of course. And there he describes a certain, I don't know which Congress in 20 years, and he said, it's precisely…

…In the same way, when we say there were some paranoiac mechanisms in Stalinism, It has absolutely nothing to do with saying Stalin was a paranoiac. It's clear if you read the biography of so-called Stalin's henchmen that they were quite different. One was…

…you know, they have this wonderful, no wonder even some Stalinist Marxists like this idea of codependent origination, you know, which Stalin called the electrical unity of all phenomena. to be slightly cynical, no? So the idea, I precisely try to give you…

…I hope you didn't, it's boring, but I had a Norwegian friend who did read his stupid manifesto. It's worse than Stalin or Hitler, it's like 500 pages. But it's interesting what you learn there. Breivik was at the same time pro-Zionist, absolute.…

…There you have this idea that you risk your life. private life, happiness for some cause. So I think that we should correct Stalin. You know, Stalin said in his famous answer to a question of a journalist in 29, what's the image of a good communist?…

…this idea that you risk your life. private life, happiness for some cause. So I think that we should correct Stalin. You know, Stalin said in his famous answer to a question of a journalist in 29, what's the image of a good communist? Stalin says a…

…Stalin said in his famous answer to a question of a journalist in 29, what's the image of a good communist? Stalin says a good Bolshevik should combine Russian passion, dedication, with American pragmatic, practical spirit. I think we should say that today…

…to do with revolution? Ah, this is crucial. It concerns the status of Marxist theory. What Marx is really saying, it's not Stalin is saying this, that Marxism is a kind of an objective knowledge. You know, like, for example, where does Stalin claim this?…

…not Stalin is saying this, that Marxism is a kind of an objective knowledge. You know, like, for example, where does Stalin claim this? In this most terrible philosophical text of all. historical materialism, where he explains the growth of Marxism in…

…I love it. You know, there is only one genius in this world. It's the greatest. Okay, apart from Kim Jong-il and Kim Il-sung, it's Stalin, no? You know which is his greatest genius? Do you know that in... 12 or 13 years. To cut a long story short, if…

…lost. Let's go on. Bukharin, yes, that's 12, 10 years old, punished to death. Now you have the genius of Comrade Stalin. You know what happened? Of course, some Western bullshitting liberal supporters of Soviet Union were shot. You know, how can they…

…shot. You know, how can they do it? 12 years death penalty. So I don't know which of these Western intellectual admirers of Stalin, I'm not sure was it Leon Voigtwanger or Romain Rolland, raised the topic during a visit to Stalin. How can you do this?…

…Western intellectual admirers of Stalin, I'm not sure was it Leon Voigtwanger or Romain Rolland, raised the topic during a visit to Stalin. How can you do this? There is one comrade Stalin. You know what was his answer? This shows the great triumph of…

…it Leon Voigtwanger or Romain Rolland, raised the topic during a visit to Stalin. How can you do this? There is one comrade Stalin. You know what was his answer? This shows the great triumph of education and progress of of a fully grown up person. So…

It's a great pleasure to have the new Stalin of theory with us tonight to conclude this human-animal workshop. Slavoj Zizek is a philosopher and a critical theorist working in the traditions of Hegelianism, Marxism and Lacanian Psychoanalysis, this is the…

…so important that we at least start to think about it. If not, because I'm saying this not to say, ah, ah, comrade Stalin will be back, but precisely how to prevent Stalin to come back. How to... Without this, we will be eternally condemned just to…

…it. If not, because I'm saying this not to say, ah, ah, comrade Stalin will be back, but precisely how to prevent Stalin to come back. How to... Without this, we will be eternally condemned just to this negative moralistic protest. We want justice. Fuck…

…of Stalinism, it is that you cannot play this game of first stage, second stage, you know, like this wonderful pseudo-dialectic of Stalin when he said at his high point, as we know all literally, that the way... the way the state withers away is…

…left. I agree with those, even liberal critics, why not, who claim apropos of Stalinism, how it's too easy to say, ooh, Stalin distorted Marx's original message, which was democratic, or something even more horrible. Like, I think that today, when I had to…

…a terrified way. For example, my favorite story of this codification is that Molotov, at some point the second, third guy after Stalin, got into total panic at some point. How? You know, when there was the big political trials, It was very important to…

…things you can learn. For example, when there was the, I don't know the trial against whom, I think this was already late Stalin, the Jewish plot, so-called, no? the idea was that the doctors were part of the imperialist plot to kill Soviet leaders. And…

…so-called, no? the idea was that the doctors were part of the imperialist plot to kill Soviet leaders. And they were enumerated them. Stalin, Molotov, and so on and so on. Then a week later Pravda wrote that now the investigation came to new results and…

…of a cultural home for talks, concerts. My God, this is what they were doing to churches in the late 20s and early 30s under Stalin. Now, like, you know, turning them into homes of culture where they had concerts and so on. So it's nice to be here in…

…but this is the model. If only Lenin would survive three, four years longer and were to make pact with Trotsky to get rid of Stalin, oh, that would have been it, and so on. I'm not saying it wouldn't make a difference, but I doubt... if it would make…

…like 30, 40 years is oscillating between two modes of ethical political. One is worse than the other, I would have said, like Stalin. One is the certain ethics of transgression. best developed in the chapters of Antigone of his seminar 7. The idea of the…

…you not? And I said I'd be your dominatrix for the evening. Yeah, but you know, you should take this in the same way when Stalin said, comrades, please criticize me and so on. I meant it in this way, you know. Or in other words, you have 20 minutes…

…of some, that by criticizing just the frame of formal democracy that I am already dragging behind, I don't know, Comrade Stalin and his Leninists, No, I'm speaking about even more radical democratic mobilization, not only in the sense of mobilization like…

…even of great dissidents, Mandelstam, Shostakovich, half-incident, okay, Kasternak, and so on. How they were all incredibly fascinated by Stalin, as if with all their terrible experiences They incredibly wanted to meet us. You know the tragic story when…

…by Stalin, as if with all their terrible experiences They incredibly wanted to meet us. You know the tragic story when Stalin called Pasternak, asking him after Maltenstam was arrested, are you a friend of Maltenstam? Maltenstam, what should we do with you?…

…are you a friend of Maltenstam? Maltenstam, what should we do with you? And Pasternak tried to squeeze out, I don't know. Then Stalin said, tell me, we should talk. Then Pasternak says, yes, I would like to talk about you, about death and life, the…

…me, we should talk. Then Pasternak says, yes, I would like to talk about you, about death and life, the meaning of life. And Stalin cut it and so on. The same with Mandelstam, the same with Bulgakov and so on. They all, at the level of dreams, were…

…which is already in fact. This may sound strange to you, but if you read memoirs or how they perceived its rule, Hitler, Stalin, and so on, they were all the time in total panic. even at the level of personal authority. Let's take the traditional figure…

…evil. It's like ordinary beings with all their fears and so on. You know, everybody, as we put it, has a human side. Stalin loved her daughter. Hitler liked to talk with children, giving them chocolate, whatever, and so on and so on. We are all humans.…

…this is how this became clear. You know when Nadezhda Krupskaya in the early 30s, just before her death, made some trouble to Stalin. When Stalin made that famous remark, don't talk too much, otherwise we will find another wife. But you see what I mean?…

…how this became clear. You know when Nadezhda Krupskaya in the early 30s, just before her death, made some trouble to Stalin. When Stalin made that famous remark, don't talk too much, otherwise we will find another wife. But you see what I mean? My point…

…myself, my fidelity to my own desire. Who formulated this immoral ethics in a perfect way? None other than our beloved comrade Stalin. Namely, on the back of the 1939 edition of Lenin's Materialism and Imperial Criticism, A copy of this book was found in…

…his death. It was published a couple of years ago, this note. It's a pretty terrifying note. In some Russian journal, Stalin made the following note in red pencil. I quote, First, weakness. Second, idleness. Three, stupidity. These are the only things that…

…negativity. I did finish. Thank you very much. Stop, stop, because this reminds me of my beloved, I read somewhere that when Stalin was old, some 40, 50, that's important, they were little, generals came to give him some medal, and they were all, you…

…the applause. And it was so painful, it went on for half an hour. And then one of them dropped down and so on, and Stalin just cynically observed it, you know. And then finally he said, okay, stop, and so on and so on. That's my dream. It will not…

…totalitarian regime, Soviet Union in the 1930s. I don't know if you know that in the Soviet Constitution of 34 or 35 when Stalin won, not only was there citizenship, the right to organize a political party. It even says that the state has the duty to…

…of evil. Quite ordinary beings with all their fears and so on. You know, everybody, as we put it, has a human side. Stalin loved her daughter. Hitler liked to talk to children, giving them chocolate, whatever, and so on and so on. We are all humans.…

…the king, member of Politburo, tomorrow you are English spy, and so on. So the suggestion is that one way to interpret the figure of Stalin is that kind of a king of the carnival, the guy who runs this show where your fate could be up and down, and…

…as to say Trotsky or Lenin are journalists. Of course they were, but they were not dead. It's the same way to say Stalin was the Soviet writer of short comments or whatnot. You know, you have a whole series of censorship like this, of downplaying the…

…come to the shock on which I rely a lot in my book. This is how paradoxically we should understand Stalin's popularity. Stalin ideologically meant a break with this crazy utopia and a return to common sense. Stalin's message was, which is why when Stalin…

…meant a break with this crazy utopia and a return to common sense. Stalin's message was, which is why when Stalin introduced socialist realism, it was so immensely popular. Stalin's message was, enough of this stupid, like what you saw yesterday,…

…makes you nonetheless a little bit softer on communism. I met in Israel an old communist Jew. And still he was celebrating Stalin and so on, privately of course. And I asked him, blah, blah, blah, aren't you a little bit crazy, Stalin or anti-Semitic,…

…was celebrating Stalin and so on, privately of course. And I asked him, blah, blah, blah, aren't you a little bit crazy, Stalin or anti-Semitic, and so on. And he told me something very primitive, very, not primitive, sorry, simple but beautiful. He told…

…he told me, he simply, whatever you say against communists, okay, now you can here defend communists but still be against Stalin when you take into account that, I don't You know, when Stalin was doing the purges in different communist parties, he…

…now you can here defend communists but still be against Stalin when you take into account that, I don't You know, when Stalin was doing the purges in different communist parties, he usually killed most of the leadership. But with regard, I don't know, was…

…his plan was a little bit more specific with the Polish communists. He simply wanted to kill them all. The plan... were all killed by Stalin. But what I want to say, let me go back, is that, again, is that how you see, or let me give you another…

…story, which I think that if there is a historical model for Stalinism, it's Russian modernizers, it's the West. No wonder Stalin liked Peter the Great and those big tsarist modernizers. No, if anything, Stalin was the new Peter the Great. You know…

…Russian modernizers, it's the West. No wonder Stalin liked Peter the Great and those big tsarist modernizers. No, if anything, Stalin was the new Peter the Great. You know what Peter the Great is. Abolish Moscow, Petersburg, extremely brutal, violent, global…

…later orthodox Stalinist historical dialectical materialism, where? What's the standard position of historical materialism? It's not understand what Stalin was about, you should read, you get it everywhere on the internet, his big philosophical writing on…

…appearances. What do you mean by this? Let's imagine a crazy scene, my dream, at least. We are Moscow 37, Central Committee, I am Stalin. I give a speech. You applaud. We know. That's life. Okay. Then one of you does a crazy thing. Stands up and says,…

…I give a speech. You applaud. We know. That's life. Okay. Then one of you does a crazy thing. Stands up and says, Comrade Stalin, I don't agree with you. I think you are totally wrong, blah, blah, blah. Okay. We know. No mystery here. If you would be…

…has to be blamed. That's life. After you, you stand up and tell to him, are you crazy? We don't talk to Comrade Stalin like this in our country. We don't attack him and so on. You would have disappeared even earlier. Sorry, don't take it personally.…

…have disappeared even earlier. Sorry, don't take it personally. What I mean to say, it wasn't only prohibited to criticize Stalin. It was even more prohibited to announce this prohibition publicly. It was a prohibition which worked only on condition that…

…people imprisoned there were collect, even in the darkest years of Stalinism, were assembled and had to sign telegram wishing Comrade Stalin all the best for birthday and wishing him greater even success in building socialism and so on. Now, think about it.…

…we must teach them democracy and all that stuff. But since I mentioned West Bank, I propose if we all agree, like Comrade Stalin says, I put this to the central committee, shall we move to more difficult topics since I mentioned West Bank? Where is the…

…It's a fake. First, again, it has limits. It works only at a certain level. Would you be ready to say this for Hitler or Stalin? We forgive you, dear Hitler, tell us the story of Holocaust. We will not forget it, but we forget. No, I think that when…

…Stalinism. It's a wonderful, simple example. Imagine a dream for me. We are now in Moscow, 36, 37, Central Committee, okay, I am Stalin. I give a speech. Then one of you stands up and criticizes me, attacks me. Okay, everybody knows that. The next day…

…saw that guy the last... Okay, but then imagine that another guy would stand up and attack the first guy who attacked me, Stalin, and would say, are you crazy? We don't attack Comrade Stalin in Soviet Union. Why are you doing this? I claim that this…

…guy would stand up and attack the first guy who attacked me, Stalin, and would say, are you crazy? We don't attack Comrade Stalin in Soviet Union. Why are you doing this? I claim that this second guy would disappear even faster than the first guy. That…

…this second guy would disappear even faster than the first guy. That is to say, it wasn't only prohibited to criticize Stalin. It was even more prohibited to publicly criticize announce this prohibition. This is the level at which customs function and it's…

…proof that Scotty saw her naked. This is not allowed, so it shouldn't be underwear. But it's the same mystery as with Stalin and Beria. Now, whom were they trying to protect? Because we... viewers, we all automatically assume that we see underwear. There…

…belief today for us is not that we directly believe, it's that we need to relate to another one. A child, as for Stalin, is the pure appearance. It's another who believes for us. That's our typical strategy today. You don't have to believe. But you need…

…now don't go into this orgy, divine spark, we are all deeply good. No, the problem is that the same holds for Hitler, for Stalin, for whoever you want. I have no doubt that they were doing with this innocence in view. That is to say, you can also…

…know of a regime more sensitive to appearances than Stalinism. In Stalinism, if somebody were to tell publicly something bad about Stalin... it would be total catastrophe. And this is, I think, the key to Stalinist, let's call it, symbolic economy. For…

…you precisely this malevolent neutrality example. My favorite example. Stalinism 36-37 imagine we are now a meeting of the central committee I'm Stalin and let us say then that one of you stands up and says comrade Stalin was wrong blah blah blah and you…

…are now a meeting of the central committee I'm Stalin and let us say then that one of you stands up and says comrade Stalin was wrong blah blah blah and you attack me Okay, okay. Then let's imagine that another person stands up and says, how dare you…

…Then let's imagine that another person stands up and says, how dare you say this? Don't you know that we don't criticize Comrade Stalin here that it's prohibited? Okay, I agree that it wouldn't look too good for you. You would disappear. But I think you…

…But I think you would disappear even earlier. Because I think that it wasn't only that it was prohibited to criticize Stalin. It was even more prohibited to publicly pronounce this prohibition. The worst thing you could have said is in Soviet Union…

…prohibited to publicly pronounce this prohibition. The worst thing you could have said is in Soviet Union it's prohibited to criticize Stalin. The illusion had to be sustained. Although everybody knew that it's the wrong one, that of course we can criticize…

…criticize Stalin. The illusion had to be sustained. Although everybody knew that it's the wrong one, that of course we can criticize Stalin, just that he's so good that there is nothing to criticize and so on. But you know, although this is a ridiculous…

…I think that fascism was a pervert... a kind of a fake attempt to return to the discourse of the master because Stalin is definitely not you totally miss it although privately Stalin was usually ironically addressed as master I don't know but the nickname…

…a fake attempt to return to the discourse of the master because Stalin is definitely not you totally miss it although privately Stalin was usually ironically addressed as master I don't know but the nickname for Stalin in the inner circle around him was…

…definitely not you totally miss it although privately Stalin was usually ironically addressed as master I don't know but the nickname for Stalin in the inner circle around him was which is the Russian word for master but the structure of this in what…

…no unwritten rules. Oh, they were. Imagine a session of the Central Committee where someone stands up and starts to criticize Stalin. No, everybody knows this was prohibited. But that's the catch. Imagine someone else standing up and saying, But listen, are…