Description
After the death of Lenin in 1924, his body was embalmed by the Soviet government so that it could be displayed in a mausoleum. Lenin’s corpse became the focus point of a Leninist cult of personality throughout the Soviet period, and this precedent inspired both Stalin and foreign communist leaders to will a similar practice upon their own deaths. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the question of whether to bury Lenin remains a hotly-debate topic that reflects Russia’s current struggles with its Soviet memories.