Pure HISTORY 2009

Title: Eunice Tang :D

Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Time: 5:51 AM

Ukraine row over Stalin posters

Stalin is accused of creating the 1932-1933 famine in Ukraine

The authorities in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk have removed billboards of ex-Soviet leader Joseph Stalin urging residents to pay their utility bills. The decision was taken after protests by human rights groups and nationalists, AP news agency said. Billboards saying "Those who do not pay for heating will be punished!" appeared in the eastern city last week. Historians say Stalin engineered the 1932-1933 famine in Ukraine, during which up to 10 million people died. A local energy company had come up with the idea of putting up the Stalin billboards, Ukraine's media said. It said at least five of them appeared in Donetsk last week. One of the billboards showed Stalin holding a piece of paper and saying: "Comrades! This is not a film! This is life!" Utility rates have increased dramatically across Ukraine in recent months, and many residents have stopped paying them in protest.

After reading this article, I feel that companies should not put up photos of such leaders, to urge people to pay their utility bills. Though these leaders may have brought certain improvements to the country, their leadership and tough rules would surely have also resulted in the loss of men during the time they were leading the country. Stalin, for example, had led many many people to lose their lives because of his strict and ruthless regime, and big plans that soon became too much for the people to handle. I think the people led a tough and poor life under him, and many suffered. They also had little freedom, living in fear all their life. The hatred and fear they have of Stalin can still be seen today, so many years after he has already passed away. As Stalin is accused of creating the 1932-1933 famine in Ukraine that brought much hardship and death, residents have stopped paying their utility bills in protest, after seeing billboards of him being put up to urge them to pay their utility bills. I feel fortunate that Singapore is peaceful and do not experience such scary leaders that bring people so much pain and misery. Though Stalin had brought Russia many significant improvements that can be seen today, I feel that he should also have considered how the people were suffering. This way, he would have been more respected and looked up to by people everywhere, even till the present.

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