How Vladimir Lenin quarreled the Germans, and why they erected a monument to him

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

He was called the father of the Soviet state of workers and peasants, the leader of the October Revolution, the leader of the Communist Party and the entire world proletariat. Personality Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin) idealized, praised and exalted in every possible way. Of course, it was with his personality that the overthrow of the hateful "rotten" tsarism and the accession of the light workers 'and peasants' system, where everything belonged to the people, was associated. We will not discuss the topic, fortunately or unfortunately, all of Lenin's theories did not pass the test of time. On June 20, a monument was erected to the leader of communism in western Germany. Why exactly now and what is happening now because of this in one of the poorest German cities?

Gelsenkirchen is a relatively small provincial town with a population of 260,000. It used to be an important industrial center. After the curtailment of coal mining, the city lost thousands of jobs. Gelsenkirchen is now the poorest city in Germany.

Everything is mixed here: German, Russian and English. Neo-Nazi slogans rumble to the sounds of the "Internationale". People are holding posters with the words "Welcome, Lenin!" and right there across the road: "Lenin doesn't belong here!" Looks like Carroll's crazy tea, only without tea. The city split into two different camps as a result of the installation of a two-meter cast-iron statue of the leader.

The monument was planned to be opened on April 22 - by the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ilyich. Quarantine made adjustments to the date and this happened only now, in June. This monument has its own history. It was cast back in 1957 in Czechoslovakia. The Marxists bought it online for 16,000 euros. A statue was erected near the headquarters of the radical left-wing Marxist-Leninist party in Germany. An online poll of local citizens showed that 65% of the population is in favor. But the directives still had to be sought through the courts - the city council was against it, motivating its position by the fact that Lenin equates violence, suppression and terror. The trial was lost, since the land on which the monument was erected is privately owned.

The attitude of the locals towards Ilyich is extremely ambiguous. Right-wing radicals even led their supporters to protest. They declare that, apart from a few people from the Marxist Party, no one else wanted this. The leader of the Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany, Gabi Fechtner, commented on it this way: “Vladimir Ilyich Lenin is an advanced thinker who played a significant role in world history. He fought for freedom and democracy for the broad masses."

Fechtner and his supporters-townspeople echo: “Monuments to slave owners, despots and warmongers are being demolished all over the world. I think that we very timely decided to erect the statue of the great revolutionary, Marxist and fighter for peace. After all, his figure symbolizes a bright future and a new era of socialism. The press conference in honor of the opening brought together journalists from many countries. After all, monuments to such persons in our troubled times are more and more demolished than erected. On the territory of western Germany, such a pedestal appeared for the first time.

The city authorities and some citizens are strongly against it. The court argued that the statue would ruin the face of the city and so on, but the court found all this untenable. Eventually, the mayor's office organized an exhibition on the subject of communism in the building opposite the monument. Its goals were, according to the authorities, "to debunk the communist ideology by providing facts."

On the opening day, young skinheads came out to protest. The neo-Nazis chanted their slogans, and across the street, a Cologne band sang a song about Red October on stage. There were some curious incidents: in the midst of a solemn event, a woman appeared in front of the monument with a bottle in her hands.

She shouted with a strong Russian accent: "My blood, please!" It was impossible to calm the woman down, she shouted: “Lenin drank the blood of my relatives and fellow countrymen. Do you want to drink my blood too? " She was pushed aside from the monument with rough shocks.

Against the background of liberal statements sounding from the stage, this scene looked quite absurd. However, like the whole action as a whole. The woman who dared to encroach on Ilyich was called Ekaterina Maldon, she is a political refugee from the USSR. She kept yelling that the Soviet Union was a big concentration camp and Lenin was a mass murderer.

On the other hand, a native of Moldova, who came to the opening ceremony from Cologne, Irina Timofeeva, says she is glad that the memory of the great leader is honored in Germany. Irina laid a large bouquet of roses at the monument.

Gelsenkirchen is adjacent to the city of Essen. Despite the proximity - the cities are separated from each other by only fifteen minutes of the metro ride, here you have never heard of the passions blazing among the neighbors. When asked about Lenin, young people only laugh in response: “A monument to Lenin? Who is Lenin? " A student sitting at a table in a local cafe says: "Naturally, I know who Lenin is, but this is the first time I hear about a monument to him." There is a queue at the clothing store. After all, even in connection with the quarantine, only a few people are allowed to enter. People in line answer that there is democracy in the country and everyone has the right to their own opinion.

For a more unambiguous and completely non-controversial monument, read our article what secrets the sleeping maiden keeps in the lost gardens of Heligan - the place where the legends of Ancient England come to life.