Lenin suomalaisessa kulttuuriympäristössä: Tampereen Lenin-museon pysyvät näyttelyt vuosina 1946-1991

Abstract

<p>Summary<br>The article examines the permanent exhibitions of the Lenin Museum in Tampere from<br>1946 to 1991. It analyses how narratives about Lenin have taken shape during the given<br>period and how social and political changes have affected its display. Methodologically,<br>the article draws on exhibition analysis and contextual close reading. The study shows<br>that the most radical change in the narratives associated with Lenin occurred after the<br>destalinization process. Prior to this, Stalin appeared alongside Lenin as his successor,<br>but after the destalinization, references to Stalin were removed. It took a comparatively<br>long time for the Tampere Lenin museum to remove Stalin, partly because one of the<br>cornerstones of the foundation of the museum was the first encounter between Lenin<br>and Stalin in Tampere at the very place where the museum was founded. Since the<br>early 1960s, the only main character of the museum was Lenin and his role as a friend<br>of Finland began to be highlighted in a special “Lenin and Finland” section. The narratives<br>related to Lenin’s life, revolutionary activities and works remained surprisingly<br>unchanged during the period under study.<br></p>