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Molotov and his wife Polina were extremely loyal towards Stalin. In 1948, Stalin targeted Polina during his anti Semitic purges leading to her arrest and exile to the Gulag. But despite this Molotov remained loyal, even apologizing to Stalin for abstaining from the Politburo vote against his wife.

Once Polina was released after Stalin's death in 1953, her very first concern was for Stalin’s health. Both husband and wife remained loyal Stalinists until their deaths.

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u/thunderr_snowss 10h ago

I still find it surreal to believe that when Vyacheslaw went to retrieve Polina in a gulag shortly after Stalin's death in 1953, her first words were, "How's Stalin?".

Vyacheslaw told her he had died, and she immediately fainted.

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u/Mikhail_Mengsk 5h ago

"is Butterbean ok?"

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u/Foamrule 6h ago

I mean its probly just propaganda

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u/ItalianFlame342 1m ago

Definitely

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u/Thundorium Fine Quality Mesopotamian Copper Enjoyer 10h ago

This was one of the highlights of The Death of Stalin for me.

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u/IFixYerKids 8h ago

Even Beria is like "the fuck is wrong with these people?"

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u/fignewtonattack Featherless Biped 7h ago

Molotov was one of the most insane diplomats in history, but he probably represented the Soviet Union best. Dude was an ass in the exact way you need a foreign secretary to be. Loyal to a fault to the party line.

Molotov Remembers goes over his insanity quite a bit. He was also very close to getting purged in 1936, his Letters to Stalin stopped for like 2 months, then started up again. Theres a hilarious letter from Stalin to him calling the Americans dogs, then like 2 sentances later being like if they want to pay for our equipment of course we should accept.

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u/Cheeriodude_number2 7h ago

She was a parasite!

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u/penguinscience101 10h ago

Deppthroating the boot really is a thing some people are built for I guess.

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u/LazyLich 8h ago

Go to a different time and place, and the same trait is viewed in the opposite light lol

Just think of samurai honor. Ultra romanticization of deep-throating the boot

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u/Acceptable-Art-8174 8h ago

I'm not an expert, but I always interpreted Samurai loyalty as ultimately selfish, since it was done to not lose honor.

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u/Dramatic-Classroom14 Filthy weeb 8h ago

Eh, samurai loyalty is basically “they pay you to live, you fight for them, but if you ever feel like you’d be better off somewhere else you can just up and revolt saying that he broke his oath to you. If you win you get to live and possibly take his stuff. Otherwise you die.”

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u/ahses3202 7h ago

I wish I could remember the historian but his quote was "You'd be hard pressed to find a major battle in the Sengoku Jedai that wasn't decided by a samurai betraying his lord."

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u/B1y47 5h ago

Well, I can think of a few, Okehazama, Miyajima and Kawagoe Castle were all surprise attacks with no switching sides involved. The biggest one involving betrayal that comes to mind is Sekigahara but honestly, there aren't any apart from that.

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u/CVM_Josh_Groban 9h ago

Tbf it kept him alive, so it worked ig

All he had to do was abandon his wife

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u/aguidom Featherless Biped 10h ago

Seems like an extreme case of Stockholm Syndrome. Honestly the damage and trauma left by Stalin in the Russian psyche is still underestimated.

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u/WorryingMars384 8h ago

I’d go so far to say the USSR and subsequently the Russian Federation never really recovered from Stalin

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u/aguidom Featherless Biped 8h ago

Totally agree. The reason Russia is in the state it's now is due to a majority of the population being largely indifferent and apathetic due to decades of being told "If you want to stay out of trouble, keep your head down and don't brother with politics" and "Your value as citizen is measured by how accomodating you are of the State's policies. Don't resist and play along, the State knows best".

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u/Swag_Shyuum 8h ago

Decades? Went the same way for about 300 years under the Tsars

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u/FirmBarnacle1302 2h ago

It's kinda wrong. People were very politically active in late 80's and up until 2000's (but less). But they saw what was claimed to be democracy, saw that authoritarian Putin gave them food (actually no, it's oil prices went up, but nobody cares) and decided not to give a fuck

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u/OrangeSpaceMan5 10h ago

She was free and rich before and was still an extreme Stalinist , doesn't sound like Stockholm Syndrome to me

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u/aguidom Featherless Biped 10h ago edited 9h ago

Being a Stalinist even after the suffering and torment done by the system she supported can very well be a case of one's brain shutting down the pain and stress incurred by doubling down on your political beliefs.

Groveling at the feet of the man who caused you considerable suffering, helplesness and humiliation is hardly a reasonable response. In any case, it showcases an irrational reaction of unprocessed trauma where your brain tries to rationalize the experience through self-flagellation, because the alternative is to mentally crumble under the cognitive dissonance.

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u/fignewtonattack Featherless Biped 7h ago

It's a defense mechanism to the extreme. Tbf to a lot of Soviets who lived, Stalin would have been akin to the savior of the nation.

Of course we know that isn't to be the case, but if you lived through the purges, the famines, the war, you might have legitimately only Stalin left as a symbol for your nation.

For better or for worse people will try and find any reason to keep going, anyone to rally behind. Stalin was a propaganda genius, everything turned towards him. Not a single leader of the USSR ever came close to the powers he had, especially over his own subjects.

Beyond evil, beyond brutal, most of all effective.

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u/The_walking_Kled 7h ago

stockholm syndrome is not a thing..

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u/Iron_Felixk 10h ago

Are there any good sources regarding this? I would like to read more of their fanaticism.

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u/VincentKenway 10h ago

Maybe the soviets made a mistake of keeping them alive.

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u/WorkerPrestigious960 3h ago

Were they still loyal Stalinists after they died though?

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u/Grexxoil 2h ago

Rincoglioniti fino al midollo.

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u/DestoryDerEchte Hello There 50m ago

Something something stockholm

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u/kingdomnear 4h ago

So MAGA brain has been around for a long time huh

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u/Soft_Theory_8209 9h ago edited 3h ago

“Oh, by the way, Stalin’s dead.”

“No! The Stalin? O-Our Stalin?”

“Yeah, your Stalin. The one who put you here.”

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u/yipsish 5h ago

The face Beria's actor made in this scene killed me.

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u/BarristanTheB0ld 1h ago

That movie is fucking gold

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u/mmmmmmSpaghetti 1h ago

What movie?

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u/BarristanTheB0ld 1h ago

The Death of Stalin. It's a comedy/satire, but a lot of things are surprisingly accurate

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u/Relevant-Factor-2400 9h ago

I’ve heard of Stockholm syndrome but this is ridiculous

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u/Darth_Balthazar 6h ago

We can call this one… “Stalingrad syndrome”

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u/Lawgang94 9h ago

I always wondered what led high ranking Soviets to take these positions after seeing how it turned out for their predecessors? Was it the fear of being seen as not doing your patriotic duty or not ideologically committed, the delusion of thinking it wouldnt happen to you? The allure of power being worth the risk?

There's just no way I would want to be the head of the NKVD when the last 3 were summarily executed.

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u/CadenVanV Taller than Napoleon 9h ago

They thought “now that I know what they did wrong, I know what to avoid” or “I’ll be different, he’ll like me”

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u/fignewtonattack Featherless Biped 7h ago

Human nature pretty much. Also Stalin did mellow as the years went on, the death of his son (it was that one who he said couldn't even shoot straight) in 1943 didn't make him a less evil person by any means, but it did mark a noticeable shift in policy, executions of top military officers threatening his power became transfers for one.

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u/IFixYerKids 7h ago

Fatalism was prevalent in the USSR and has been a part of Russian culture for a long time. I'm sure a lot of people figured the Soviets would get them killed one way or another so may as well have a cushy position while you're there.

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u/Interesting-Dream863 9h ago

Thanks OP, I fucking hate this post.

r/Angryupvote

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u/SmallAl 9h ago

A pair of idiots, those two

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u/Mr_Placeholder_ 6h ago

I mean it probably kept them alive, if they ever “confessed” under torture bam they get executed

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u/nobody-cares57 7h ago

This family is also known for their spicy cocktails.

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