en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_of_Stalin
2 corrections found
In addition to Russia, the film was banned in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
The Kazakhstan part of this sentence is incorrect: contemporary reporting said the film was shown in Kazakhstan and that there was no outright ban there, only no general commercial release.
Full reasoning
This sentence overstates what happened in Kazakhstan.
Contemporary reporting from Kazakhstan said The Death of Stalin was screened in Almaty as part of the Clique festival, and that its absence from wide commercial release was attributed to distribution/commercial decisions rather than a state prohibition. Sputnik Kazakhstan reported on January 25, 2018 that the film "will be shown in Kazakhstan as part of the Clique festival" and quoted cinema representatives saying there was "no political subtext" behind the lack of a regular release. Eurasianet likewise reported that while the movie did not get a general release in Kazakhstan, "there was also no outright ban."
So, while Russia did revoke the film's screening license, describing Kazakhstan as having banned the film is not supported by these reports. A more accurate description would be that the film was not given a general theatrical release in Kazakhstan, but it was screened there and was not subject to an outright ban.
2 sources
- "Смерть Сталина": где покажут в Казахстане и почему нет в прокате - Sputnik Казахстан
Французско-британский комедийный фильм "Смерть Сталина" покажут в Казахстане в рамках фестиваля Clique ("Клик"). ... Фильм не выйдет и в казахстанский прокат, однако отечественные кинотеатры утверждают: в этом нет никакой политической подоплеки.
- Rumors of The Death of Stalin's Death in Kazakhstan Exaggerated | Eurasianet
The movie might not have got a general release in Kazakhstan, but there was also no outright ban.
to succeed Stalin as General Secretary
Khrushchev did emerge as Stalin’s successor, but not as "General Secretary": after Stalin’s death the party post was called First Secretary, and Khrushchev was elected to that office in 1953.
Full reasoning
This phrase gets Khrushchev's office title wrong.
After Stalin's death, Nikita Khrushchev rose to power as First Secretary of the Communist Party, not "General Secretary." History.com's account of September 12, 1953 says Khrushchev succeeded Stalin through his election as first secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Encyclopedia.com likewise notes that after Stalin's death in 1953, the position was renamed first secretary, and that Khrushchev used that post to become the USSR's dominant leader.
So the broader idea that Khrushchev became Stalin's successor is fair, but saying he did so as General Secretary is inaccurate: the title in Khrushchev's period was First Secretary, with "General Secretary" restored later under Brezhnev.
2 sources
- Nikita Khrushchev announced as the Soviet Union's new leader | September 12, 1953 | HISTORY
Six months after the death of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev succeeds him with the September 12, 1953 announcement of his election as first secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
- General Secretary | Encyclopedia.com
After Stalin's death in 1953, the position was renamed first secretary of the Communist Party (CPSU) in an attempt to reduce its significance. Nonetheless, Nikita S. Khrushchev (1953-1964) succeeded in using the position of first secretary to become the single most powerful leader in the USSR.