MOSCOW, April 22 (RIA Novosti) - The preceding ten years made Russians much more indifferent or, at least, restrained in their opinions of Vladimir Lenin. In particular, negative attitudes are subsiding, shows an opinion probe made by Yuri Levada's analytical center for his 135th birth anniversary, of April 22.
The respondents were offered a list of opinions of him, expected to spread in the public fifty years later. "No one but historians will have the slightest remembrance of Lenin," said 41%, as against 25% in a similar birthday probe of ten years ago.
"He will be remembered as Soviet Russia's founding father," said 26%, against a previous 30%. "He was a leader to put working people's interests into the foreground," 20% and 17%. "A calculating politician who imposed his will on a huge nation," 14% and 19%. "A thinker of genius endowed with foresight," 12% and 10%. "A cruel dictator, he was sacrificing human lives by the million," 9% and 12%. "He was a lucky adventurer in politics," 6% and 12%. "Lenin was a man who hated Russia, and never understood it," 5% and 5%.
A Russian majority now regards Lenin as a man who made an impact on historical developments, rather than founding father of an ideology that retains a certain influence to this day. Reappraisals will go on, to all
appearances. Thus, the latest opinion probe among young people, up to 25 years of age, revealed only half as many appraisals of Lenin as a thinker and political leader who made a positive contribution to history as a similar probe with respondents above 55 years of age.
The Levada Center carried its representative probe, April 15-18, in 128 urban and rural settlements of 46 Russian regions, with 1,600 respondents. The statistical error was within 3%.
Nu, zayats, pogodi!
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