Architectural practice in the Stalinist USSR saw the sudden and rapid revival of historical forms and styles. One approach interprets this development as part of a reactionary shift in Soviet temporal culture, a “Great Retreat” across all spheres of social and political life. The rival conception sees in historicism an aesthetic of “timelessness” and “perfection,” which expressed Stalinism's self-characterization as an eternal, utopian present. This paper presents a third perspective, arguing that the revival of historicism stemmed, paradoxically, from a future-oriented impulse. This revolved around the charge that Stalinist architecture “immortalize the memory” of the era, to ensure posterity's gratitude and admiration. Accordingly, Stalinist architects drew upon supposedly enduring historical styles, which they expected to remain understandable to future generations. Further, time-tested traditional materials, forms, and decorative mediums were employed to ensure the physical durability of Stalinist architectural monuments. The paper concludes by situating this logic in the global context of interwar monumental architecture and considering some implications for our understanding of Stalinist temporality.

中文翻译：

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历史主义建筑与斯大林主义未来

斯大林主义苏联的建筑实践见证了历史形式和风格的突然而迅速的复兴。一种方法将这种发展解释为苏联时代文化的反动转变的一部分，是社会和政治生活所有领域的“大撤退”。对立的观念在历史主义中看到了一种“永恒”和“完美”的美学，这表达了斯大林主义的自我描述为一个永恒的乌托邦式的现在。本文提出了第三种观点，认为历史主义的复兴自相矛盾地源于一种面向未来的冲动。这围绕着斯大林主义建筑“使那个时代的记忆永垂不朽”的指控，以确保后人的感激和钦佩。因此，斯大林主义建筑师借鉴了所谓经久不衰的历史风格，他们希望子孙后代能够理解这一点。此外，采用了久经考验的传统材料、形式和装饰媒介，以确保斯大林主义建筑纪念碑的物理耐久性。本文最后将这种逻辑置于两次世界大战间纪念性建筑的全球背景下，并考虑了对我们理解斯大林主义时间性的一些影响。