Editing Stalinism (section)

=== Public opinion ===
{{Main|Neo-Stalinism}}

In modern Russia, public opinion of Stalin and the former Soviet Union has [[Nostalgia for the Soviet Union|improved in recent years]].<ref>{{cite news|title=In Russia, nostalgia for Soviet Union and positive feelings about Stalin|url=http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/06/29/in-russia-nostalgia-for-soviet-union-and-positive-feelings-about-stalin/|access-date=23 July 2018|work=[[Pew Research Center]]|date=June 29, 2017}}</ref> Levada Center had found that favorability of the Stalinist era has increased from 18% in 1996 to 40% in 2016 which had coincided with his rehabilitation by the Putin government for the purpose of social [[patriotism]] and [[militarisation]] efforts.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kolesnikov |first1=Andrei |title=A Past That Divides: Russia's New Official History |url=https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2017/08/a-past-that-divides-russias-new-official-history?lang=en}}</ref> According to a 2015 [[Levada Center]] poll, 34% of respondents (up from 28% in 2007) say that leading the Soviet people to victory in [[World War II]] was such an outstanding achievement that it outweighed Stalin's mistakes.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Stalin|date=April 6, 2015 |url=https://www.levada.ru/en/2015/04/06/stalin/|access-date=2021-02-12|language=en-GB}}</ref> A 2019 Levada Center poll showed that support for Stalin, whom many Russians saw as the victor in the [[Great Patriotic War]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Joseph Stalin: Why so many Russians like the Soviet dictator |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47975704 |work=BBC News |date=18 April 2019}}</ref> reached a record high in the [[Post-Soviet states|post-Soviet era]], with 51% regarding him as a positive figure and 70% saying his reign was good for the country.<ref>{{cite news |last= Arkhipov|first=Ilya|date=April 16, 2019|title=Russian Support for Stalin Surges to Record High, Poll Says|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-16/russian-support-for-soviet-tyrant-stalin-hits-record-poll-shows|work=Bloomberg |access-date=May 2, 2019 }}</ref>

[[Lev Gudkov]], a sociologist at the [[Levada Center]], said, "Vladimir Putin's Russia of 2012 needs symbols of authority and national strength, however controversial they may be, to validate the newly authoritarian political order. Stalin, a despotic leader responsible for mass bloodshed but also still identified with wartime victory and national unity, fits this need for symbols that reinforce the current political ideology."<ref name="moscowtimes" />

Some positive sentiments can also be found elsewhere in the former Soviet Union. A 2012 survey commissioned by the [[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace|Carnegie Endowment]] found 38% of [[Armenia]]ns concurring that their country "will always have need of a leader like Stalin".<ref name="moscowtimes">"[https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/poll-finds-stalins-popularity-high-21998 Poll Finds Stalin's Popularity High] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320024227/https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/poll-finds-stalins-popularity-high-21998 |date=20 March 2017 }}". ''[[The Moscow Times]]''. 2 March 2013.</ref><ref>"[http://carnegieeurope.eu/2013/03/01/stalin-puzzle-deciphering-post-soviet-public-opinion-pub-51075 The Stalin Puzzle: Deciphering Post-Soviet Public Opinion] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170402134541/http://carnegieeurope.eu/2013/03/01/stalin-puzzle-deciphering-post-soviet-public-opinion-pub-51075 |date=2 April 2017 }}". [[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace]]. 1 March 2013.</ref> A 2013 survey by [[Tbilisi State University|Tbilisi University]] found 45% of [[Georgia (country)|Georgians]] expressing "a positive attitude" toward Stalin.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-21656615 |title=Georgia divided over Stalin 'local hero' status in Gori |website=BBC News |date=5 March 2013 |access-date=21 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180719183921/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-21656615 |archive-date=19 July 2018 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref>