ABSTRACT
At the end of the Second World War, Stalin’s value to the Soviet war effort was portrayed as indispensable as the generalissimo’s wisdom and forethought was elevated above his generals. In the immediate postwar period, his reputation was fully cemented in publications on the war that continued to stress his central position in the victory over Germany. When Stalin died, a reevaluation of his achievements and crimes in the Second World War was unavoidable. Khrushchev’s secret speech in 1956 opened the floodgates for condemnations and indictments of Stalin during what became the “Thaw.” Simultaneously, an official history of the Second World War was commissioned by Khrushchev’s administration as academics and high-ranking commanders were allowed an outlet for their thoughts and experiences, including a reevaluation of Stalin’s role. This chapter examines how the figure of Stalin was situated within the greater history of the Great Patriotic War—during the war, its immediate aftermath, and Khrushchev’s Thaw—focusing on how in the wake of Khrushchev’s secret speech, Stalin’s cult continued to resonate with the reading public, while numerous internal debates took center stage as experts struggled to adhere to the new Party line without fully excising Stalin from the war’s history.
