Der rote Styx

Thanatology as an interdisciplinary field has its roots in cultural sociology. For a long time, the sociology of the Soviet system was limited to political and economic structures. It was not until the collapse of communist rule in the 1990s that a clear view on everyday Soviet life became possible. This book is limited to the deaths and funerals of three communist leaders (Engels, Leviné and Lenin), putting related reflections and rituals into the social context of the respective eras. The necrophilic components of the communist system are presented as the result of the class struggle and its radicalization, class murder. The Stalinist system is examined here with the help of the "necrophilic character" model (Fromm) and the "oriental despotism" concept in order to investigate necrophilia.