Posted on 11/11/2005 5:56:24 AM PST by Our_Man_In_Gough_Island
For almost 80 years, the embalmed body of Vladimir Lenin has laid in an elaborate mausoleum on Red Square in Moscow. In the Soviet era, crowds would wait hours on end for a chance to glimpse the remains of the Communist leader who changed the course of history during the Russian Revolution. But times have changed, and now Russians are debating whether to leave the body in place, or not.
Russian Communists line up at the Lenin mausoleum The lengthy queues of people waiting anxiously to see Lenin may be long gone.
But, three days a week, it is still possible to walk down into the red and black stone mausoleum that was once revered as a shrine to Russia's revolutionary leader.
Vladimir Lenin (1997 photo) Lenin lies in a black suit inside a glass coffin, his face lit up in a way that makes him look almost like a wax figure.
After walking around the coffin, visitors head back outside to see the graves of other Soviet leaders, including dictator Josef Stalin.
Vladimir Lenin died in 1924. Technicians used a method of embalming that was a state secret.
The cult of personality built up around him silenced any question of whether his remains should be preserved in this way.
However, since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, questions have lingered over his continued presence in the heart of Moscow.
Recently officials again suggested it is time for the long-dead leader's remains to be buried elsewhere. Polls suggest that the debate splits the country right down the middle. And, a brief survey of visitors to Lenin's mausoleum seems to reflect that.
Sergei and Olga are a married couple from Russia's Far Eastern region, on a visit to Moscow. Sergei says Lenin should be left where he is, to remind future Russians of their history.
But Sergei's wife Olga begs to differ. She says it is not a Christian way of treating a person after their death.
Olga's comment about religion reflects the concerns of the Russian Orthodox Church, which has grown increasingly influential since the end of the official atheism of Soviet times.
Church leaders have long suggested that keeping an embalmed body on public view conflicts with Christian tradition.
Many bolster the argument, saying that Lenin left a will stating his desire to be buried next to the grave of his mother in Russia's second city, Saint Petersburg.
Olga Ulyanova However 83-year-old Olga Ulyanova says this is untrue. And, she speaks with some authority. Ms. Ulyanova is Lenin's niece - his closest living relative.
She says that at 53 Lenin was too young to have left a will and too caught up with affairs of state to think about such a thing. She adds he should be left where he is.
Ms. Ulyanova's comments concur with those of Russia's Communist Party, which strongly opposes moving Lenin's remains.
When the issue first arose, in the early 1990s, huge marches were held as the party denounced any talk of taking Lenin away.
One of Russia's most-senior Orthodox Church leaders is Metropolitan Kirill, head of public relations for the Moscow Patriarchy. The metropolitan takes a cautious approach and proposes that a referendum be held to decide the issue.
"From a religious point of view, there is only one way to consider his question," he said. "He should be buried."
But Mr. Kirill adds that any decision must carefully thought out, to avoid inflaming political passions. He says that Russian society is already strained by conflict and actions must instead contribute to a reconciliation among people.
Ivan Klimov is a sociologist with the Public Opinion Foundation in Moscow. He says such a sensitive issue must be handled carefully.
He says a meaningful discussion should be held on a socio-cultural level, not on the basis of politics.
Mr. Klimov says opinion polls taken by his agency find that 56 percent of Russians favor burying Lenin, but a similar percentage also feel he had "done more good for Russia than bad."
Any thorough debate about Russia's Soviet past is likely to be difficult, making it likely there may be no resolution about Lenin's future, anytime soon.
A giant May Day candle, perhaps.
Why don't they just bury him? It's just plain ghoulish to have him lying there for all these years. Imagine if we'd done that to Elvis!..........Uh, No, wait...Nevermind...........
I've seen Lenin's body, and it's amazing how well preserved it is. I felt like if I had sneezed he would open his eyes and wake up.
I suggest they sell him to a casino in Winnemucca (I can't remember the name of the place offhand). He can go in a glass case next to the stuffed nine-foot polar bear.
Ha ha. How about Golden Palace or auctioning him off on Ebay?
>>>>Russians Again Wonder, What To Do With Lenin
How about....
Give him to John McCain. He'll proudly take possession of the corpse.
If the Russians are undecided, I'm sure the Democrats would be happy to adopt Lenin. They could build a tomb for him at the DNC headquarters.
They have a great opportunity to display their new-found capitalism - build a theme park around him and call it "LeninLand".
LQ
Perhaps a little sun on some of Cuba's beaches would bring his color back and certainly Elian Gonzales and the other little Communist Pioneers in Cuba would love to be photographed sitting on Uncle Lenin's lap. I'm sure Lenin could also cermonially throw out the first Molotov cocktail at the next riot in Paris.
The possibilities are endless.
Or maybe a 4' x 4' x 8' cage with iron bars just outside the public restrooms at the Ronald Reagan Memorial Library, with a plaque that reads" "Owned!"
Wankers Paradise From Cradle to Gulag care.
HAHAHA- Oh God- I posted that thought one day! I thought it was original!
I have some of my grandfather's letters from his brother. They have Lenin stamps on them. I should get the letters translated.
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