Me and my girlfriend pretty often have heated but respectful political discussions and recently we were discussing Stalin. She thinks that he was awful, mainly because of repressions, cult of personality etc.
When I say that repressions were actually good and Stalin didn't kill enough fuckers, she gets a little angry, but I can't seem to explain my position in great detail because of lack of knowledge.
In the case of the cult of personality, I say that Stalin WAS loved by the majority of soviet citizens because he did a shit ton of good for them, but she still doesn't quite get it.
What arguments would you suggest to use, or maybe something to read in order to deepen my knowledge on the topic?
Why are you arguing for a position before you know about it? Seems a bit strange
Well I'm not going in completely blind + I can't know everything about every topic. But I'm seeking more knowledge, thus the reason why I made a post.
As Mao would say, "No Investigation, No Right to Speak"
This should be the default position when you take on any discussion, and by far the most sensible advice in this thread.