Lenin's early success larger followed from the catastrophic fuck-ups of his liberal peers. But the bolsheviks did make tough choices during Lenin's era. Just ask anyone who lived through the Russian Civil War. Lenin brought the country out stronger and more united for it all.
Stalin's big failure was in his inability to maintain unity across the Internationalist Movement. Retreating to Communism in One (extremely large) Country after envoys to western europe and the US failed, pissing off Tito in Yugoslavia, failing to establish a democratic foundation for transitioning power, failing to build out Soviet system that could survive his death...
His grip was too tight and his shadow loomed too large such that modern day Russians laud Stalinism without the Communism.
Lenin's early success larger followed from the catastrophic fuck-ups of his liberal peers. But the bolsheviks did make tough choices during Lenin's era. Just ask anyone who lived through the Russian Civil War. Lenin brought the country out stronger and more united for it all.
Stalin's big failure was in his inability to maintain unity across the Internationalist Movement. Retreating to Communism in One (extremely large) Country after envoys to western europe and the US failed, pissing off Tito in Yugoslavia, failing to establish a democratic foundation for transitioning power, failing to build out Soviet system that could survive his death...
His grip was too tight and his shadow loomed too large such that modern day Russians laud Stalinism without the Communism.