Hotel Moskva, near the Red Square in the Russian capital, was one of the most powerful architectural symbols of the Stalinist era. Designed by the legendary Alexey Shchusev and opened in 1935, it had two different facades: one wing was straight-laced with small windows and simpler details, while the other was ornate and decorative with larger windows.
The story behind the twin design is that Shchusev had submitted two designs on the same sheet of paper. Stalin affixed his signature in between the two designs and sent it back. Afraid of checking with his boss about which one he had selected, Shchusev combined both designs into one structure, which stood tall in Moscow as a symbol of power and fear until 2004 when it was demolished. The Four Seasons Moscow stands in its place today.
This story is often told to show how Stalin was feared even by the most famous architect of Soviet Russia. Historically, the rulers of Russia followed the axiom that it is better to be feared than loved, and commanded absolute loyalty from both their subordinates and the public. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reign has not been entirely different, even though Mr. Putin has always emphasised “the constitutional order” and legitimacy. He maintained a tight grip over the system he presided over. As American academic Walter Russell Mead wrote recently, the man in the Kremlin can afford to do anything except being seen as weak.
