Ivan the Terrible

The dramatic novella “Ivan the Terrible” was created by A. N. Tolstoy in the 1930s of the 20th century, during mass repressions in the USSR. In that period, Stalin, seeking historical confirmation for the necessity of lawlessness, brutality, and tyranny prevailing in the country, issued an order for the unrestrained glorification of Ivan IV and his circle—above all, Malyuta Skuratov. And in this work the writer was forced to step away from historical truth, trying to elevate and rehabilitate the image of the cruel autocrat.

1950 recording.