Why were Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky good but Joseph Stalin bad ?

Comments ( 5 )

1. Andy says

   All were mad diabolical evil men. They subscribed to the theories of Darwin, Marx and Engles who denied God……therefore rendering the atrocities that followed the revolution.

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   • shawn says

     you don't have to be religious to want the best for humanity. Lenin and Trotsky wanted the best for humanity. Stalin, on the other hand…

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2. Gorkbark Porkduke Ge says

   Lenin was worse than Stalin, and Stalin may have learned from him. Lenin's reputation for killing was so bad that once, when given a list of 5,000 names he placed a check mark on it and all 5,000 were promptly executed. When asked about it later he said the check mark was just to show he had seen the list, not that they were to be executed. No big loss, anyway.

   Stalin then became worse. Some estimates place the number of Russians he killed at upwards of 35 million; Mao is said to have killed off around 25 million Chinese. Hitler paled in comparison; the real killing machines were Stalin and Mao.

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3. Mongolia loves Asash says

   Lenin and Trotsky are both regarded as great theorists and communist intellectuals of a high order. They had intellectually built up the Russian version's framework, and when they had power after the revolution, they attempted to create a communist society by decree. The radical shift in society only lasted a few years, but this was probably the most radical society ever was in Russia–homosexuality was decriminalized, as was abortion, and the party was open to women and ethnic minorities as well. Factories voted for the bosses, and Army regiments chose their officers.

   The result was anarchy and swift losses of territory in WW1. To survive and win the Civil War against the Tsarists and Nobility, a more authoritarian approach was needed. Also, since the USSR socialized labor and practicedf distribution of goods as per command economy, the entire economy broke down, so Lenin instituted the New Economic Policy, which was a much more cautious and market-based economic system.

   Trotsky was banished from the Party after Lenin died, so neither of these Leaders were stained with the horrors that intensified in the 1930's, 40's, and early 50's, and then the 40 year decay and oppression of the Soviet regime that followed.

   So because of the optimistic and flowery writings of pre-revolutionary communists namely Lenin and Trotsky, their legacy is more imaginary than the daily opression and tyranny of the reality of Soviet life. They were both dreamers, and Lenin and Trotsky both died deeply bitter and disillutioned, since their dream had failed.

   You know why Stalin isn't looked upon fondly. Stalin is second only to Mao in the number of people he killed–in the entire history of the world, most likely. Stalin killed more people than Hitler, and he killed his own people. Nothing quite as large scale as the "final solution" of Hitler, but Stalin was no stranger to genocide and ethnic cleansing. Nowadays, some Russians have fond memories of Stalin, the strong man who kept order in society. But ask a Ukrainian elderly person–Stalin deliberately starved the country and killed several million, which decimated the population. And that is only one of the incidents.

   So I guess by comparison, Lenin and Trotsky (who were equally ruthless to the average people) look not so bad.

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4. Joseph says

   Both Lenin and Trotsky were intellectuals. And everyone knows that is the brillian, intellectuals who start all wars and revolutions. These two are no exceptions. Did you know that Stalin was Lenin's "second in command'? And that one lenin;s death bed, he wrote instructions as to how the Russian world should operate after his demise. And included is the definite instructions to 'Not trust Mr. Stalin' and 'Not make him #1'. That letter didn't see the light of day until 50 years after lenin's death. I guess in some things, Lenin knew what he was talking about!

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