Jacob Jugashvili is a graduate professional artist, his native country Georgia and Russia. Today his artistic life developed in parallel with politics. Jacob is the son of the historian and retired colonel in the Soviet air force Yevgeny Jugashvili, who is the grandson of comrade Stalin and son of Jacob. The meet and to strengthen ties of friendship and camaraderie is an important point for those who demand the fundamental role of Comrade Joseph Stalin in the construction and consolidation of scientific socialism in the USSR.
How have your life been as a great grandson of one of the four most important men of the Universal History and modern socialism?
Indeed! The importance and progressivness of his ideas and things he managed to do during his life, gives no rest to those who wishes to prevent the world from knowing the truth about Stalin, and therefore, they invest heavily into the creation of lies about Stalin and USSR history of its Stalin period.
Have you ever been discriminated against by people as the Stalin’s great grandson?
Very little and it doesn’t worth to be remembered. But would like to tell some funny story happened to me few months ago. I participated in major TV show on Russian TV. I took part in a discussion there and spoke for about 30 minutes (in total). The program was dedicated to the death of Svetlana Allilueva(Stalin’s daughter). I spoke about her major role in spreading of the Khrushchov’s antistalinist lies. When the program went on air I wasn’t in there at all, as if I never been there. I’m not sure if it can be considered as discrimination but I think it’s a good occasion to tell this particular story, which describes official Russian media’s attitude to our family.
After Stalin’s death, was your family harassed by the government in USSR?
Stalin’s older son Vassily was arrested twice and sentenced to imprisonment. He correctly guessed that Stalin was murdered and Krushchov – likely Stalin’s murderer, was quite nervous about it. My father met with Vassily after his first imprisonment was over. He was looking very unhealthy. He died soon after his second imprisonment in Kazan.
From a political perspective, is your father Colonel Yevgeny Jugashvili involved in any political project at present?
No.He is no longer doing public life. His health is not good enough for that kind of life any more.
When did you realise that your life was linked to art? What artistic style, particularly, painting style do you follow?
I started painting “seriously” after i saw works by Pavel Filonov and Francis Bacon. Something happened in me, as if I had a great massage. I was fascinated HOW these artists worked. Painting today, on my view, is no longer serves the aims it used even 50 years ago. With modern technology you can make images of any level of complexity. Painting must not be considered as a competitor to the technologies. The painting is something that is done by the human. Human make mistakes. SO the ability of the human (artist) to correct those mistakes during the working process, by finding unpredictable solutions, ability to resist his weaknesses during the working process makes the painting valuable and unique. Painting is about HOW at first place and WHAT after..
In December 21th, 2011, in Chile, It was carried out by Chilean Communist Party (Proletarian Action) an event to commemorate the birth of Stalin and it was officially published one of his most important work, “Foundation of Leninism”. What activities were carried out in Russia and Georgia to commemorate Stalin’s birth?
I think the best way to celebrate Stalin’s birthday is to unmask the lies about him and USSR history of his time. There are few major lies that used in accusation of Stalin as “criminal”. One of the fundamentals of those lies is the fact that people (as well those who create those lies) is totally unaware about the type of management of the USSR, therefore consider Stalin a dictator. There was no personal dictatorship in the USSR. There was a dictatorship of the communist party. More than that. It was not a dictatorship of the party itself but its apparatus – Central Committee with more than 100 memebers. SO Stalin never was a dictator, even after he became the head of the Soviet government in May of 1940. Stalin was not a dictator but a leader. Criminal can not be a leader. If Stalin was even linked to a single crime(sanctioned the punishment of the innocent or supported unfair decision etc) the Soviet people wouldn’t have chosen him as a Leader, especially when the very existence of the people was in danger. All peoples, not only Russians, if they face the danger and realize it, they choose only most justiful and clever person as the Leader. The understanding of the difference between those two notions is crucial for understanding of the true history of the USSR and Stalin’s role in it. You can easily destroy The antistalinist lies after you understand this.
What is the level of struggle against present government in communist organizations in ex USSR lately?
There are a lot of organizations who call themselves “communists” but if you ask them what is communism they can’t tell.. Like parrots they repeat what Marx, Lenin or Stalin wrote but without understanding it. Let me explain. When you are about to built a house, before you make a project, you must have an idea of it in your mind already, at least an overall idea. After that you begin doing project, hire workers, buy materials. The same with communism. How can you build a society which you have no idea how it will look in its basic parameters? How are you going to make propaganda among people? How are you going to persuade people to join your party and build together the society you have no idea about? I can not trust those kind of organizations. They will not lead us to communism.
What political organization or party do you belong to? Could you talk a little bit about it?
I do not belong to any political organization. I’m the part of the public movement called IGPR (Iniciativnaia Gruppa Po Provedeniu Referenduma). We aim to organize a referendum in Russia. By means of the referendum we would like to set knew rule(a law) in our country. Shortly I’d explain this way. According to Russian Constitution People of Russia is the master, whilst hired by it, by means of elections, President and Parlament deputies are the servants of the people. What makes a Master a Master? What is the difference between Master and No master? Master has a power over his servants which means the master has a right and ability to punish its servant for the bad work and award him for the good work. This is an essential of the management philosophy. In today Russia the master – People, has no POWER over its servants, that is why the Russian authorities do what they want without fear been punished by the people. We would like to set a rule which will force the authorities to serve its people and not, for example, International Monetary Fund or other criminal groups around the world as well as inside of the country. Please note, that the fall of the USSR was nothing else but the result of the irresponsibility of the Communist party which by the end of 80-s formed as a new type of parasite. Our idea is a result of almost 30 years of analysys of philosophical experience of the previous generations including Marxism.
What is the position of today’s youth of your country in relation to work together to create a socialistic, progressive and fairer society?
The problem with youth and people in general that there is no one definition of what is “fairness”, “progressivness” etc.. Different people give absolutely different definitions. Before thinking of making “something” people must have at least an overall idea(must have a picture in the mind) what this “something” is. Before that, all attempts of such improvements are useless.
Considering that nowadays it doesn’t exist a dreamed soviet way of life and carried out by Lenin and Stalin. What are political, social and economic problems that affect people from Russian Federation and Georgia?
Economic problems rooted in political problems. I have already talked about it above. The authorities of former USSSR countries do not serve their people, because there are no rules and mechanisms that would force them to do so.
What political actions have communist organizations taken against Putin – Menvedev rule?
True communists (NOT those who call themselves communists just because they belong to organization with the word “communist” in its name) understand that Putin Medvedev are not the trouble of modern Russia. They are just a consequence and not the root of the trouble. The tragedy of all modern democracies, including Russia, is that there is no mechanism that would force the servants of the people- president and parliament, to serve their master – People. So the true communists try to explain to the people the necessity of giving the people a real POWER over its servants: the possibility to JUDGE the authorities depending on the results of their rule. True communists are those for whom the communist society is the society in which the power belongs to ALL members of the society and not its part, class or other group of people. Stalin was a true communist because he wanted to return the rule in the USSSR to its people. I think you should read Grover Furrs' article about Stalin’s reforms to get my point https://clogic.eserver.org/grover-furr-stalin-and-struggle-democratic-reform-part-one-0 and https://clogic.eserver.org/grover-furr-stalin-and-struggle-democratic-reform-part-two
What position was taken by your organization on the nomination of Gennadi Ziuganov?
Our public movement to which I belong did not nominated Zuganov for presidency run. We nominated Boris Sergeevich Mironov. The central electorial Committee unlawfully refused his registration as a candidate, so he was not allowed to the rally. He was only one who was refused because of his ideas. HE was the only one among all candidates who understood the necessity of the true POWER of the people, I spoke about above