In my continued exposure to leftist spaces and a leftist view on history it has become clear that all I understand about Stalin is the reactionary rhetoric I've been fed my whole life. I have only just started on reading theory and exposing myself to a leftist view, so Stalin as a topic isn't something I've reached yet.
But I have to ask, and I think this is the place to ask it, what is the deal with Stalin?
The vibe I get is that people at a minimum don't hate Stalin, but also maybe at most appricate Stalin. I'm aware that the efforts of the USSR during WW2, especially in regards to Nazi aggression are a credit to his administration and leadership, but is that really where the vibe starts and stops?
I'm not looking for a dissertation on the guy, but just the notes or primary points. I'll take reading suggestions too.
Thanks comrades.
I think the most important thing is that Stalin pretty much saved the world from fascism and made enormous sacrifices to defeat Hitler, as you mentioned, yet NATO quickly formed after WW2 and changed the narrative surrounding him for the rest of history. The reason we emphasize the point so much is because of the prevalence of Double Genocide Theory, which, especially since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has really served to demonize him and the USSR, while minimizing Nazis. Red scare propaganda has used Stalin as a Hitler analogue and it's important that we try to clear up the myths about him. I don't have a lot of other material on him outside of that, though, hopefully some other people can chip in.
This is a good reminder. I was aware of double genocide theory but connecting it to the foundation of NATO and how it shaped our view of the USSR is important as well.
Blackshirts and Reds makes that point a lot better than I did, I forgot to mention it in the comment.
I gotta read that book
It's incredibly easy to get through, especially if you've already read other pieces of theory or books on history. Parenti doesn't write in a fancy or particularly sophisticated way, it's extremely entry level.
He always writes everything for a blue-collar audience, although the topics can still be pretty complicated he wants the topics to be accessible.
Short read, easy to get into and get through.
Super easy to reread when you need something to do.
You can find the audiobook on torrents.
I read it recently but I think I need to reread it.