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Politicsoferasure
from“damnatiomemoriae”
toalluringvoid
annamarkowska
introduction
Words“elimination”or“marginalisation”have
drearyconnotationsinthehistoryofthe20th
centurylNotsolongagodictatorsorderedtore-
movefiguresfrompictures,atthesametimeeras-
ingfactsandremovingtheunwantedversionsof
historyalongwiththosethathavelostthefavour
oftheauthoritieslNicolaiYezhov,thechiefofthe
NKVDSovietsecretpolice,wasretouchedoutof
aphotographtakenon22thofApril1937repre-
sentinganinspectionofbuildingtheVolgaCanal
(illsl1-2)lHeaccompaniedKlimentVoroshilov,
VyacheslavMolotovandJosephStalin-theleader
oftheSovietUnionhimself-andtheyallwerepre-
sentedwhilesmiling,chattingandstrollingalong
theriverbanklThe"bloodydwarf"-asYezhov
wasnamed-conductedtheGreatPurgeandashe
cameintopowerthankstoStalin)sgraciousness,he
alsofellfromitbecauseofthelossofhisleader)s
favourslItwasnoticed,notwithoutablacksense
ofhumour,thathewasreplacedbythewatersof
theVolgaCanalinMoscowlNoticeably,Yezhov
wasaPeople)sCommissarofWaterTransportlHe
simplyvanished-physicallypersecutedtodeath
andmorallyindisgraceofmemorylAlthoughhe
disappearedfromtheofficialSovieticonography
becauseoffallingintodisgrace,hiscomebackaf-
tertheperestroikawasnotingloryandhewasnot
rehabilitatedposthumouslylNotanonpersonany-
more,hecanbeagainlinkedtodocumentaryre-
cords,heregainedhislegalstatusbutnothisfamel
ContrarytoYezhov,LevTrotskymanagedtoextri-
catehimselffromanobviousmorallabelandthe
estimationofhisroleinSovietrevolutionismore
ambiguouslAlthoughhewasoneofthemajor
figuresintheSovietPolitburo,deeplyinvolvedin
shapingthenewBolshevikorder,hisbeingousted
fromtheCommunistPartyandexilefromtheSo-
vietUnionsecuredhimcompassionintheWestern
worldlManyintellectualsbelievedhewasasymbol
ofthe“right”wayoftherevolution,interrupted
andwreckedbyStalinlOnthephotographfrom
5thMay1920wecanseehimstandingclosetoLev
KamenevnearthetribunewhereLeninisgiving
aspeechtoalargeaudiencelAnemptyspacewhere
bothofthemstoodwasallthatwasleftafterthey
fellintoStalin)sdisgracelItiswidelyknownnow-
althoughduringCommunisttimesPoleswerenot
allowedtosayitaloud-thattheRedArmywhich
liberatedourcountryfromtheNaziGermany)s
regimeimposeditsownterrorlPoleswererobbed
andabusedduringtheSovietArmyoffensivelAnd
thefamousphotographdepictingtheplacementof
theflagovertheReichstagshowstwowatcheson
theSovietsoldier)swristlOntheretouchedversion
thesoldierhasgotonlyonelAndrzejPoczobut,
ajournalistfrom“GazetaWyborcza”
,inhisarticle
Wyretuszowani(Theretouched)givesacontempo-
raryexampleofKirill,PatriarchofMoscowwith
aBrequetwristwatchlThewatchactuallydisap-
pearedfromtheretouchedphotobutitsreflection
remainedonthehighlypolishedtablel1
1Poczobut(2013:12-13)l
