Removal of Soviet Monuments

The statue of Josef Stalin was erected in Gori in 1952.

The giant statue that stood in his hometown for almost six decades has been removed 2010.

Micheil Saakashvili"A memorial to Stalin has no place in the Georgia of the 21st century"

The four sculptures, depicting Soviet soldiers, workers, students and collectivised farmers, were erected during the Soviet occupation, in 1952.

Heroic Soviet archetypes: soldiers, workers, farmers and students.

Some claimed Vilnius should keep the Green Bridge statues as a reminder of its history, albeit painful.

Others insisted they represent Soviet propaganda and are therefore an insult to the nation.

The newly elected mayor of Vilnius, Remigijus Šimašius, insisted that the sculptures will be taken away for repairs.

Four Soviet era statues on the Green Bridge of Vilnius were removed. in July 2015.

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• Reminders of the country’s past
• Unnecessary relics
• Populist decision
• Way to distance the country from its Soviet past

Movie "Khelmtsipe/The Ruler"
by Shalva Shengeli (2014)