Stalin. Worse than Hitler?

[David Floyd]

Actually, I think Kid is kinda onto something with his hypocrisy comment. No one should be shocked or surprised that Hitler basically did EXACTLY WHAT HE SAID he was going to do.

Stalin, however, never claimed to support wiping out tens of millions in pursuit of ideology, but he did so anyway.

[BeBMan]

Well, in the early years after '33 Hitler said he was for peace in Europe or somesuch

But yeah, I do agree with the hypocrisy point re Stalin (fits for Mao as well IMO). I just looked more towards the results...

[Cort Haus]

I strongly suspected that the numbers for Stalin have been over-cooked and exaggerated to suit cold war anti-Soviet rhetoric.

[Joseph]

I strongly suspected that the numbers for Stalin have been over-cooked and exaggerated to suit cold war anti-Soviet rhetoric.

In late 08, the history channel did a story on Stalin and in the story they interview the KGB guys who job was to provide names of people to be killed, and they said it was around 50 mil. or so. Stalin was working on his own list the day he died. When they found him dead, his head was on the desk, and under his head was the list.

[Kidlicious]

I've been putting some thought to this lately since someone on TV said that if Hitler would have repented he would have been saved.

Actually Hitler had very strong beliefs about Christianity and considered himself a very loyal Christian. Of course he was loyal first to his race and his country, but then a lot of Christians back then took a similar attitude.

Stalin on the other hand really didn't seem to be loyal to any particular belief. He was just plain evil.

[Jon Miller]

He was definitely not a traditional Christian (you can meet many Christians, like in Sweden, who don't believe in God even). Note that Nazism wasn't too nice to Christianity either.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler%27s_religious_views

Goebbels notes in a diary entry in 1939: "The Führer is deeply religious, but deeply anti-Christian. He regards Christianity as a symptom of decay. Rightly so. It is a branch of the Jewish race."[22] Albert Speer reports in his memoirs of a similar statement made by Hitler: "You see, it's been our misfortune to have the wrong religion. Why didn't we have the religion of the Japanese, who regard sacrifice for the Fatherland as the highest good? The Mohammedan religion too would have been much more compatible to us than Christianity. Why did it have to be Christianity with its meekness and flabbiness?"[23]

Stalin had strong beliefs as well. As did others.

JM

[Kidlicious]

Stalin had strong beliefs as well. As did others.

JM

Stalin had strong beliefs? That implies that he had some loyalty. He killed his own wife.

[N35t0r]

Stalin killed based on ideology, Hitler based on race. I have a bit more respect for the former than the latter.

[Dr Strangelove]

In late 08, the history channel did a story on Stalin and in the story they interview the KGB guys who job was to provide names of people to be killed, and they said it was around 50 mil. or so. Stalin was working on his own list the day he died. When they found him dead, his head was on the desk, and under his head was the list.

How old was this guy? Stalin had been deade for over 55 years by 2008? The guy couldn't have been very old during the years that Stalin did most of his dirty work, i.e. the 1920's and the early 1940's. Furthermore, how could one guy supply 50 million names?

The SU had a population of 150 million when Stalin took power, its population rose to 196 million by the beginning of WW2, fell to 175 million by the end, then reached 185 million by the time Stalin died. I don't see any room there for 50 million deaths, unless you're blaming Stalin for WW2. Hey guys! It's Ned! He's back!

[Serb]

Well?

Personally I think so. Hitler was an amateur compared to him when it came to purging his own ranks, killing his own people (he never even bothered with excuses like Hitler), making Hitler take the fall, surviving WWII in a stronger position, etc...

Anyway, if I make Stalin look worse than Hitler, I'm hoping I can reclaim comparing people to Hitler without being Godwinised out of hand.

Calling someone a little Stalin doesn't have the same ring to it, despite being arguably a worse insult...

Discuss...

Discuss?

You are an idiot. That's pretty obvious. There is nothing to discuss.

[Ecofarm]

An aside, Russian nationalists are worse than US nationalists.

[Kidlicious]

Stalin killed based on ideology.

Well I doubt that. I think it's pretty clear that he killed more like a serial killer kills, just out of convenience and thrill.

[Ecofarm]

Stalin also had a good dose of paranoia.

[Kidlicious]

Stalin also had a good dose of paranoia.

That can be misinterpreted for a total disregard for human life.

[Wezil]

An aside, Russian nationalists are worse than US nationalists.

I guess that's a matter of perspective. There are a couple US posters here that are very Serbish.