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"Under the Sign of Scorpion" by Juri - Gnostic Liberation Front

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disfigured <strong>by</strong> ugly pockmarks. Besides, he was a paranoid alcoholic<br />

psychopath. Perhaps that was why he was also so cowardly that he<br />

commanded a double <strong>of</strong> himself to be found in <strong>the</strong> spring <strong>of</strong> 1935. The<br />

secret police found a suitable man in Vinnitsa. He was called Yevsei<br />

Lubetsky. Make-up artists arranged his face so well that not even Stalin's<br />

secretary could tell <strong>the</strong> difference between him and his real master.<br />

Everyone who had been involved in <strong>the</strong> process <strong>of</strong> organising Stalin's<br />

double was eliminated. Only Kaganovich, Molotov and Malenkov knew<br />

that Stalin had a double. Comrade Lubetsky also lived in a villa. The<br />

servants in <strong>the</strong> house actually believed <strong>the</strong>ir master to be <strong>the</strong> real Stalin.<br />

He visited <strong>the</strong>atres, stood on top <strong>of</strong> Lenin's mausoleum, received foreign<br />

delegations... Lubetsky was arrested in 1952 but was saved <strong>by</strong> Stalin's<br />

death. He died in 1981 in <strong>the</strong> capital <strong>of</strong> Tadjikistan, Dushanbe.<br />

Up to 1929, <strong>the</strong>re was hardly any sign <strong>of</strong> a Stalin cult in <strong>the</strong> Soviet<br />

Union. He visited various institutions without bodyguards to play <strong>the</strong><br />

democrat - available to all. It was Kaganovich and Mekhlis who changed<br />

that. Towards <strong>the</strong> end <strong>of</strong> 1929, <strong>the</strong> first rose-tinted pictures <strong>of</strong> Stalin began<br />

to turn up. After that, Stalin grew into an ever greater genius.<br />

The Great Famine and O<strong>the</strong>r Crimes<br />

In 1929, <strong>the</strong>re was open unemployment in <strong>the</strong> cities and concealed<br />

unemployment in <strong>the</strong> countryside. The population could eat <strong>the</strong>ir fill in<br />

that year and <strong>the</strong> Soviet Union exported 2.5 million tons <strong>of</strong> grain. On <strong>the</strong><br />

9th <strong>of</strong> October 1930, Stalin <strong>of</strong>ficially abolished unemployment <strong>by</strong> law.<br />

The payment <strong>of</strong> unemployment benefits ceased at <strong>the</strong> same time.<br />

Kaganovich believed it necessary to reduce <strong>the</strong> population at this point.<br />

There were too many people left. The best means to get rid <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m was to<br />

bring about a famine. That was why forced collectivisation was introduced<br />

in 1929. It was called "de-kulakisation", that is to say - <strong>the</strong> land was taken<br />

away from <strong>the</strong> land-owning farmers (kulaks). Many smallholders were<br />

also affected, sometimes entire villages, regardless <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> inhabitants'<br />

social class. On <strong>the</strong> 27th <strong>of</strong> December 1929, Stalin began using Kagano-<br />

vich's slogan: "Liquidation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> kulaks as a class!" Kulak ('fist' in<br />

Russian) was used to refer to a capable and wealthy farmer. Kaganovich<br />

caused <strong>the</strong> dissolution <strong>of</strong> village life in Russia.<br />

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