A push of internet votes by Russian monarchists pushed the murdered Czar past the long-term leader of the poll Josef Stalin. The two remain close, followed by the founder of Russian Communism, Vladimir Lenin and legendary Russian actor/singer Vladimir Vysotsky, at fourth place.
The Name of Russia contest is an interesting chance to see how Russia puts its history into perspective. Keep in mind that under the Communist regime of the Soviet Union, the Czars were looked at as a decadent group of parasites. Then when the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, those 70 years of Russian history were regarded as some sort of very long mistake – a time that was best ignored. In recent years though there has been a desire to look back and reassess the past.
Unfortunately the reassessment so far has been a little one sided. Stalin is being honored as a strong leader who forged the modern Russian state and defeated the armies of Nazi Germany. What's left out are discussions of the purges he launched that resulted in millions of deaths and millions more sent to prison camps (the infamous gulags). The unpleasant details are ignored in favor of the glorious victories.
Opinions about Nikita Khrushchev provide an even better example of the way the past is being reassessed. 2006 marked the fiftieth anniversary of his rise to power, so there was a lot of talk about him in Russia. Khrushchev was condemned by many for a speech he gave in '56 denouncing the crimes of Stalin, yet he was praised for sending troops into Hungary to put down a democratic uprising that same year since this was the mark of a 'strong leader'. Keep in mind; he was being praised for moving against democracy. It's an example again of the problem in today's Russia, the result of the economic and political crises Russia went through in the 1990s - democracy is identified with weakness and troubled times, autocracy (or "being a strong leader" like Putin) is seen as bringing power and prestige with it.
Nicholas II's reputation has also undergone a makeover. He and his entire family were made saints in the Russian Orthodox Church - the 90th anniversary of their death was marked with masses and candlelight processions by the faithful. The darker aspects of his rule - like leading Russia into two disastrous wars - like with the negatives connected to Stalin - are ignored.
The top 12 vote getters will be debated on a televised Name of Russia special before the greatest Russian is chosen.
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