From Stalinism to Putinism: Overcoming the past in creating the future

Conference.

Since the beginning of Vladimir Putin’s rule in 2000, the Russian government has steadily tightened its grip on independent voices. What began as managed democracy—a system of soft control justified to restore order after the chaotic 1990s—has, over time, evolved into a far more restrictive and authoritarian regime. The mass demonstrations on Bolotnaya Square in 2012 marked a turning point. In response, Putin's policy shifted, embracing morality politics and portraying his opposition as a threat to Russian national values and unity.

Since then, pressure on independent civil society actors trying to come to terms with the past has only intensified:

• In 2021, the Russian Supreme Court dissolved Memorial International and the Memorial Human Rights Centre, two organizations dedicated to documenting human rights abuses during the Stalinist era and in contemporary Russia.
• In 2023, the Sakharov Centre—a cultural institution committed to preserving the memory of Gulag prisoners and promoting human rights—was forced to shut down under the so-called Foreign Agent Law.
• In 2024, the Gulag History Museum was temporarily closed and placed under new leadership more aligned with Moscow’s political elite.

Civil society actors have drawn parallels between Stalinist repressions and the mechanisms of state control employed by Putin’s regime. This raises important questions: What historical traits from the Stalinist era can be identified in modern Russia? Can we meaningfully compare Stalin and Putin—and if so, in what ways? It is still a stigmatised topic in most countries of the countries constituting the former soviet bloc? Such issues as the mechanisms and intricacies of the state machinery and the nature of the political regime, the degree of the broader public society's involvement in state violence, the problems of guilt and responsibility, require complex and multifaceted analysis.

This analysis is impossible without the use of many historical sources (in particular, currently closed archival information), the collection of oral testimonies and other work on research, memorialization and education.

Though the war is still ongoing we should still not waste time and begin to work on shaping the future, What does justice look like? How do we prevent ending up in this situation in the future?