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.
Later in life he asked his mom why she beat him so bad as a kid and she told him so that he would become the good man that he was.
I like telling people that bit if they think smacking kids is okay. Because they're usually reactionary fucks that think Stalin was the devil incarnate.
That's only going to reinforce their view that Stalin was a mindless barbarian then. It's like using a racist trope like saying, "we're sophisticated brits, don't act like an insert unsophisticated race here."
That's a good point I hadn't considered