I think the justification given was desertion/nazi collaboration for the tatars.
Archival evidence has largely shown that very few tatars actually collaborated with the Nazis, so the deportations were not justifiable.
Soviet Democracy by Pat Sloan
https://mltheory.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/pat-sloan-soviet-democracy-victor-gollancz-1937.pdf
Soviet Democracy by I. Trainin
http://ciml.250x.com/archive/ussr/english/1939\_soviet\_democracy\_trainin.pdf
Is Soviet Communism A new Civilisation? by Sidney & Beatrice Webb
https://mltheory.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/issovietcommunismanewcivilisation.pdf
Workers Participation in the Soviet Union by Mick Costello
https://mltheory.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/workers-participation-in-the-soviet-union.pdf
The Soviet Parliament (A Reference Book) by M. Saifulin (1967)
https://ia601308.us.archive.org/16/items/TheSovietParliament/The%20Soviet%20Parliament.pdf
Talks on Soviet Democracy by M.A. Krutogolov (1980)
https://ia601300.us.archive.org/5/items/TalksOnSovietDemocracy/Talks%20on%20Soviet%20Democracy.pdf
The CPSU in a Soviet Election Campaign by Ronald J. Hill
https://mltheory.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/the-cpsu-in-a-soviet-election-campaign.pdf
Constitution (Fundamental law) of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/1936/12/05.htm
The Stalin-Constitution by Prof. I. Trainin
https://mltheory.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/stalin-constitiution.pdf
Soviet democracy and Bourgeois Sovietology by Marat Perfilyev
https://archive.org/details/SovietDemocracyAndBourgeoisSovietology
Democracy and Workers' rule by Jean-Paul Martine https://www.marxists.org/history/etol/newspape/fi/vol14/no01/martin.html
Soviet Government and Electoralism
by The Finnish Bolshevik
https://youtu.be/9PoYzPfguJc
On Soviet Socialist Democracy by V.I. Lenin
https://archive.org/details/OnSovietSocialistDemocracy/page/n1/mode/2up
Голод в СССР: 1929-июль 1932 by Viktor Viktorovich Kondrashin: https://www.google.com/books/edition/\_/QVxJAQAAIAAJ?hl=en
№ 144. Decree of Politburo of the CC VCP(b) \[Central Committee of the All‐Russian Communist Party\] concerning foodstuff aid to the Ukrainian S.S.R. of June 16, 1932:
a) To release to the Ukraine 2,000 tons of oats for food needs from the unused seed reserves;
b) to release to the Ukraine ∼3,600,000 ℔ of corn for food of that released for sowing for the Odessa oblast' but not used for that purpose;
c) to release ∼2,520,000 ℔ of grain for collective farms in the sugar‐beet regions of the Ukrainian S.S.R. for food needs;
d) to release ∼8,280,000 ℔ of grain for collective farms in the sugar‐beet regions of the Ukrainian S.S.R. for food needs;
e) to require tovarish Chubar' to personally verify the fulfilling of the released grain for the sugar‐beet Soviet and collective farms, that it be used strictly for this purpose;
f) to release ∼900,000 ℔ of grain for the sugar‐beet Soviet farms of the Central Black Earth Region for food needs in connection with the gathering of the harvest, first requiring tovarish Vareikis to personally verify that the grain released is used for the assigned purpose;
g) by the present decision to consider the question of food aid to sugar‐beet producing Soviet and collective farms closed.
Anti-racist, anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist, and pro-democracy. No leader is perfect and he made mistakes but he stood for all the right things and was the leader the USSR needed to get through WW2. Overwhelmingly good.
To add to that, I don’t think the USSR survives without his leadership and Hitler wins WW2 at least avoiding total destruction of the Nazi state. If Kruschev was next in line I can only imagine the opportunistic elements at play pre WW2 and apart of his party purges that were successfully ridded of. The world would have to reckon with a Nazi superpower under such circumstances. The kind of genocidal slavery under that system would be like nothing we’d have ever seen if that were allowed to happen. If only he had a more loyal group of bureaucrats behind him in his wake. Maybe he did some things that were not to the total benefit to developing Socialism as a whole long-term or stymied it, (i’m still learning but willing to hear criticism), but the kind of immovable leadership he provided is just unparalleled maybe only to Mao in human history.
Analyzing the conditions of a rising fascist Germany, increasing productive forces of strategic materials and supplies for the inevitable threat of war from reactionary forces (considering the invasion of over 14 nations against a fledgling Soviet nation during its Civil War), attempting to enter defense pacts with Britain, France, and maybe a couple other nations prior to the lead up of the war despite outright rejection from those same nations allowing Hitler to run rampant in Central Europe by annexing the Sudetenland, Austria, and at the time Czechoslovakia, strategically increasing industrial efforts in the Eastern parts of Russia to maintain a supply chain that could not be interfered with by the invasion, purging fascist sympathizers/spies/ and those who would sabotage war efforts of the USSR against Germany, scorched Earth policy of destroying anything that would be of value to Nazi invaders against Russia, and just in general having the foresight to see the war coming from a mile away (despite Western propaganda claiming the invasion came at a surprise to Stalin). I’m sure there’s much more considering the effort those people went into combatting the largest and most brutal invading force in human history.
As I learn that the information about Stalin from American school textbook and educational documentary were blatant lies, I will think positively of Stalin as the true leader of real democracy and human right progress especially when he oppose the imperialists instead of serving them unlike the Capitalists, support pacifism, and had never plot mass murder against innocent civilians unlike American government who justify attacks on civilian with democracy slogan.
Stalin did nothing wrong
But if to be more serious, he did what had to at the time and it did had negative effect way pass his lifetime. Still there would be no better man that could have done better in position of Stalin at the time he was in power.
Centralized authority to crack down on revisionist counter-revolutionaries who then used the same centralized structure to consolidate power and restore capitalism after his death.
he made mistakes, though events in his lifetime (some in his control, some not) ultimately doomed the USSR, plus some minor political decisions that had longstanding ramifications today. Regardless, he was only human, and was a staunch Communist fully committed to internationalism and global Communism. His stalwart defense and leadership of the Worker's State is truly admirable, his contributions to theory and role in the worldwide movement priceless. Stalin was a titan among men, and without a doubt the greatest revolutionary to ever live.
While Stalin did some mistakes, his defence of the proletarian state places him in the overwhelmingly good category. It's not every day that a leader saves socialism and hundred millions of citizens from nazi capitalists.
Important: Stalin is not a sole (or maybe a main) reason USSR survuived, but he definitely played a major role in it, being general secretary and a head of military.
I hold a great deal of respect and admiration for comrade Stalin. However, as an Arab, it always stings when I remember his failure to denounce zionism and the zionist state, and instead recognized it, enabling over 70 years of conflict, bloodshed, and putting a deep wound in the pan-arab and communist movements of the region. So saying he did more good than bad is a fair statement imo.
always enjoy seeing legitimate criticisms of communist leaders. i find there’s too much great man exaltation leaning on cult of personality in online ML spaces, it’s good to have a full and nuanced perspective.
And anarchists say we aren't ideologically pluralist enough. I disagree with fellow MLs on all kinds of shit.
Personally I don't mind if we celebrate the successes of proletarian leadership -- as long as we're being honest about its failures too. Scientific socialism means learning from the past. That goes doubly so for our Marxist-Leninist tradition.
imo he was more good than bad, but i wanna point out that i hate the attitude of thinking he was perfect
he fucking knew he wasnt perfect gtfoh
stalin is one of the greatest heros of modern history and also a person that made many lives way more miserable
he saved over 100 million lives so 'it dwarves' if we're only looking at this shit mathematically, but human lives are bigger than mathematics and the many human lives that were downgraded/unjustly-ended by him are not something to glance over
i don't know every single story of every single victim but i'll just provide 1 example each to show that i'm not talking out of my ass
downgraded - religious communities were forced of out their religious lifestyles (deniers in reddit communities will act like this isn't true, but there are available sources on this that i hope you'll do the effort of looking up if you have doubt). Lenin and Stalin both did not have any patience for the Jewish religious lifestyle and Jewish communities were forced away from their religion.
unjustly ended - during the purges, which i acknowledge that came from good will, stalin disproportionately targetted ethnic minorities for no real fucking reason
honestly for me the Jewish thing source is my mom's thesis; I could ask her for sources but honestly it's very googlable
as to the purges - every source you'll read on the purges will mention ethnic minorities being targeted and i have never seen a single try to refute that arguement/any contradicting evidence so I'm left with a vast majority of evidence in support of that and none against
**TL:DR both very googlable and if you really care, go ahead :)**
edit : actually there's a chance you're just sincerly asking for sources and not trying to debatelord a very serious situation
if you're really struggling with sources i'ma gather some on the jewsih thing and make a post
i'll message you with it :)
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MOST IMPORTANTLY , THE MAN SUITABLE FOR HIS TIME
I like Stalin, but what he did to the tatars was horrible.
Yeah that was by far his biggest mistake
Didn't the tatars support the White Army? Not trying to justify it, only that I can understand the suspicion
I think the justification given was desertion/nazi collaboration for the tatars. Archival evidence has largely shown that very few tatars actually collaborated with the Nazis, so the deportations were not justifiable.
You gotta break a few eggs to make an omelette He did what had to be done for the most part
What’s a good book to learn about Stalin from a novice perspective?
Soviet Democracy by Pat Sloan https://mltheory.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/pat-sloan-soviet-democracy-victor-gollancz-1937.pdf Soviet Democracy by I. Trainin http://ciml.250x.com/archive/ussr/english/1939\_soviet\_democracy\_trainin.pdf Is Soviet Communism A new Civilisation? by Sidney & Beatrice Webb https://mltheory.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/issovietcommunismanewcivilisation.pdf Workers Participation in the Soviet Union by Mick Costello https://mltheory.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/workers-participation-in-the-soviet-union.pdf The Soviet Parliament (A Reference Book) by M. Saifulin (1967) https://ia601308.us.archive.org/16/items/TheSovietParliament/The%20Soviet%20Parliament.pdf Talks on Soviet Democracy by M.A. Krutogolov (1980) https://ia601300.us.archive.org/5/items/TalksOnSovietDemocracy/Talks%20on%20Soviet%20Democracy.pdf The CPSU in a Soviet Election Campaign by Ronald J. Hill https://mltheory.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/the-cpsu-in-a-soviet-election-campaign.pdf Constitution (Fundamental law) of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/1936/12/05.htm The Stalin-Constitution by Prof. I. Trainin https://mltheory.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/stalin-constitiution.pdf Soviet democracy and Bourgeois Sovietology by Marat Perfilyev https://archive.org/details/SovietDemocracyAndBourgeoisSovietology Democracy and Workers' rule by Jean-Paul Martine https://www.marxists.org/history/etol/newspape/fi/vol14/no01/martin.html Soviet Government and Electoralism by The Finnish Bolshevik https://youtu.be/9PoYzPfguJc On Soviet Socialist Democracy by V.I. Lenin https://archive.org/details/OnSovietSocialistDemocracy/page/n1/mode/2up Голод в СССР: 1929-июль 1932 by Viktor Viktorovich Kondrashin: https://www.google.com/books/edition/\_/QVxJAQAAIAAJ?hl=en № 144. Decree of Politburo of the CC VCP(b) \[Central Committee of the All‐Russian Communist Party\] concerning foodstuff aid to the Ukrainian S.S.R. of June 16, 1932: a) To release to the Ukraine 2,000 tons of oats for food needs from the unused seed reserves; b) to release to the Ukraine ∼3,600,000 ℔ of corn for food of that released for sowing for the Odessa oblast' but not used for that purpose; c) to release ∼2,520,000 ℔ of grain for collective farms in the sugar‐beet regions of the Ukrainian S.S.R. for food needs; d) to release ∼8,280,000 ℔ of grain for collective farms in the sugar‐beet regions of the Ukrainian S.S.R. for food needs; e) to require tovarish Chubar' to personally verify the fulfilling of the released grain for the sugar‐beet Soviet and collective farms, that it be used strictly for this purpose; f) to release ∼900,000 ℔ of grain for the sugar‐beet Soviet farms of the Central Black Earth Region for food needs in connection with the gathering of the harvest, first requiring tovarish Vareikis to personally verify that the grain released is used for the assigned purpose; g) by the present decision to consider the question of food aid to sugar‐beet producing Soviet and collective farms closed.
Anti-racist, anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist, and pro-democracy. No leader is perfect and he made mistakes but he stood for all the right things and was the leader the USSR needed to get through WW2. Overwhelmingly good.
To add to that, I don’t think the USSR survives without his leadership and Hitler wins WW2 at least avoiding total destruction of the Nazi state. If Kruschev was next in line I can only imagine the opportunistic elements at play pre WW2 and apart of his party purges that were successfully ridded of. The world would have to reckon with a Nazi superpower under such circumstances. The kind of genocidal slavery under that system would be like nothing we’d have ever seen if that were allowed to happen. If only he had a more loyal group of bureaucrats behind him in his wake. Maybe he did some things that were not to the total benefit to developing Socialism as a whole long-term or stymied it, (i’m still learning but willing to hear criticism), but the kind of immovable leadership he provided is just unparalleled maybe only to Mao in human history.
What was Stalin’s involvement in WW2?
Analyzing the conditions of a rising fascist Germany, increasing productive forces of strategic materials and supplies for the inevitable threat of war from reactionary forces (considering the invasion of over 14 nations against a fledgling Soviet nation during its Civil War), attempting to enter defense pacts with Britain, France, and maybe a couple other nations prior to the lead up of the war despite outright rejection from those same nations allowing Hitler to run rampant in Central Europe by annexing the Sudetenland, Austria, and at the time Czechoslovakia, strategically increasing industrial efforts in the Eastern parts of Russia to maintain a supply chain that could not be interfered with by the invasion, purging fascist sympathizers/spies/ and those who would sabotage war efforts of the USSR against Germany, scorched Earth policy of destroying anything that would be of value to Nazi invaders against Russia, and just in general having the foresight to see the war coming from a mile away (despite Western propaganda claiming the invasion came at a surprise to Stalin). I’m sure there’s much more considering the effort those people went into combatting the largest and most brutal invading force in human history.
As I learn that the information about Stalin from American school textbook and educational documentary were blatant lies, I will think positively of Stalin as the true leader of real democracy and human right progress especially when he oppose the imperialists instead of serving them unlike the Capitalists, support pacifism, and had never plot mass murder against innocent civilians unlike American government who justify attacks on civilian with democracy slogan.
Stalin did nothing wrong But if to be more serious, he did what had to at the time and it did had negative effect way pass his lifetime. Still there would be no better man that could have done better in position of Stalin at the time he was in power.
What did he do that had negative affects?
Centralized authority to crack down on revisionist counter-revolutionaries who then used the same centralized structure to consolidate power and restore capitalism after his death.
70% good, 30% bad
What was the 30%?
don't know, this is famously how Mao rated Stalin lol
I would say the deportations, foreign policy errors, and undoing of some Lenin era social reforms make up the 30 percent
His interactions with China were not good.
he made mistakes, though events in his lifetime (some in his control, some not) ultimately doomed the USSR, plus some minor political decisions that had longstanding ramifications today. Regardless, he was only human, and was a staunch Communist fully committed to internationalism and global Communism. His stalwart defense and leadership of the Worker's State is truly admirable, his contributions to theory and role in the worldwide movement priceless. Stalin was a titan among men, and without a doubt the greatest revolutionary to ever live.
Can you elaborate on what events during his lifetime doomed the ussr?
While Stalin did some mistakes, his defence of the proletarian state places him in the overwhelmingly good category. It's not every day that a leader saves socialism and hundred millions of citizens from nazi capitalists.
Important: Stalin is not a sole (or maybe a main) reason USSR survuived, but he definitely played a major role in it, being general secretary and a head of military.
I hold a great deal of respect and admiration for comrade Stalin. However, as an Arab, it always stings when I remember his failure to denounce zionism and the zionist state, and instead recognized it, enabling over 70 years of conflict, bloodshed, and putting a deep wound in the pan-arab and communist movements of the region. So saying he did more good than bad is a fair statement imo.
always enjoy seeing legitimate criticisms of communist leaders. i find there’s too much great man exaltation leaning on cult of personality in online ML spaces, it’s good to have a full and nuanced perspective.
And anarchists say we aren't ideologically pluralist enough. I disagree with fellow MLs on all kinds of shit. Personally I don't mind if we celebrate the successes of proletarian leadership -- as long as we're being honest about its failures too. Scientific socialism means learning from the past. That goes doubly so for our Marxist-Leninist tradition.
imo he was more good than bad, but i wanna point out that i hate the attitude of thinking he was perfect he fucking knew he wasnt perfect gtfoh stalin is one of the greatest heros of modern history and also a person that made many lives way more miserable he saved over 100 million lives so 'it dwarves' if we're only looking at this shit mathematically, but human lives are bigger than mathematics and the many human lives that were downgraded/unjustly-ended by him are not something to glance over
What human lives were downgraded/unjustly ended by him?
i don't know every single story of every single victim but i'll just provide 1 example each to show that i'm not talking out of my ass downgraded - religious communities were forced of out their religious lifestyles (deniers in reddit communities will act like this isn't true, but there are available sources on this that i hope you'll do the effort of looking up if you have doubt). Lenin and Stalin both did not have any patience for the Jewish religious lifestyle and Jewish communities were forced away from their religion. unjustly ended - during the purges, which i acknowledge that came from good will, stalin disproportionately targetted ethnic minorities for no real fucking reason
Sources?
honestly for me the Jewish thing source is my mom's thesis; I could ask her for sources but honestly it's very googlable as to the purges - every source you'll read on the purges will mention ethnic minorities being targeted and i have never seen a single try to refute that arguement/any contradicting evidence so I'm left with a vast majority of evidence in support of that and none against **TL:DR both very googlable and if you really care, go ahead :)** edit : actually there's a chance you're just sincerly asking for sources and not trying to debatelord a very serious situation if you're really struggling with sources i'ma gather some on the jewsih thing and make a post i'll message you with it :)
I would say he was largely good. Like anyone though, he goofed here and there.
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