May He Rest In Peace ?

Aug 3, 2007 7:21 PM


DEATH

Although his guards thought that it was odd for him not to rise at his usual time, they were under orders not to disturb him. He was not discovered until that evening. He died four days later, on March 5 , 1953, at the age of 74, and was buried on March 9. His daughter Svetlana recalls the scene as she stood by his death bed "He suddenly opened his eyes and cast a glance over everyone in the room. It was a terrible glance. Then something incomprehensible and awesome happened. He suddenly lifted his left hand as though he were pointing to something above and bringing down a curse upon all of us. The next moment after a final effort the spirit wrenched itself free of the flesh." Officially, the cause of death was listed as a cerebral hemorrhage. His body was preserved in Lenin's Mausoleum until October 31, 1961, when his body was removed from the Mausoleum and buried next to the Kremlin walls as part of the process of de-Stalinization.


VICTIMS
victims of repression

First estimation :

  • about 800,000 prisoners were executed(for either political or criminal offences)
  • 1.7 million died of privation
  • 389,000 perished during kulak resettlement (kulak = rich peasants)

Total of about 3 million (some categories of victim were carelessly recorded by the Soviets)

Later estimation:

  • executions 1.5 million
  • gulags 5 million (gulag = kulak = rich peasants )
  • deportations 1.7 million (out of 7.5 million deported)
  • POWs and German civilians 1 million

Total of about 4 million by repression.

Another victims

6 to 8 million victims of the 1932-33 famine, mostly Ukrainian (because of failed collectivization program) and within a year 6,000 had been executed and tens of thousands imprisoned for stealing food.

…. Some said 15-17 million.

Now, what do you think ?
May He Rest In Peace ?
May His Memory Be Blessed ?

[source]

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