As one of the great figures of the 20th century, Stalin’s legacy is the topic of great debate. Over the last few years, Stalin’s popularity among Russians has grown at an unprecedented rate. How should we interpret this phenomenon? How should we recognize and judge Stalin? For this purpose, on 25 November 2005, the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Peking University School of International Studies convened a seminar on Stalin. 20 experts from the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Peking University, the Central Compilation and Translation Bureau, Party School of the CPC Central Committee, Renmin University and Beijing Foreign Studies University discussed understanding, evaluation and other issues relating to Stalin.