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Both , of course, were psychopaths, but Stalin was also paranoid; if he even THOUGHT you were a potential threat, you were eliminated. These were evil men, through and through, but, for what it's worth, Hitler had some sense of culture and the arts; Stalin was an unlettered brute from Georgia. He was, though, ruthless, intelligent, and imbued with animal cunning.
If you failed Hitler, you may have still survived, and even enjoyed a forced retirement, as did a number of generals. With Stalin, at best a trip to the Gulag, or, more likely, a bullet in the back of the neck. Just think of the purges of the 1930's in the USSR, and, especially, how many senior Red Army oficers were executed, which came back to haunt old Joe in 1941.
From a personal standpoint, if I had lived back then. I would have been wary around Hitler, not necessarily fearful, but I would have been in a state of at least constant apprehension around Stalin, probably interrupted by bouts of sheer terror.
Last edited by hornet67; 08-19-2010 at 12:09 PM..
Reason: spelling
By no means do I mean this be be interpreted wrongly, but with Hitler, you knew where you stood. If you were a member of a persecuted group, that was it.
given the proclivities of both men, i think stalin was the lesser of two evils. stalin was to a point content to create a buffer zone around russia, and try to influence other countries from behind the scenes. hitler on the other hand was more than willing to go to war to make his vision of the world happen.
Stalin and communists in general are more dangerous.
Nazis were defeated and their symbols were abolished, but Communists are still pontificating and present in many governments. For many ignoramus, they are still the saviours of humanity and are present in many western governments desestabilizing and creating turmols.
They are loved and admired by the "anti-system liberal crowd".
given the proclivities of both men, i think stalin was the lesser of two evils. stalin was to a point content to create a buffer zone around russia, and try to influence other countries from behind the scenes. hitler on the other hand was more than willing to go to war to make his vision of the world happen.
I believe if you spoke to the citizens of Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, etc., they would not express much happiness as being part of that "buffer zone." Trust me, if the armies of the Western Allies weren't still in the field in 1945, the Red Army would have rolled onward to the Channel. How's that for a "buffer zone" ?
Stalin and communists in general are more dangerous.
Nazis were defeated and their symbols were abolished, but Communists are still pontificating and present in many governments. For many ignoramus, they are still the saviours of humanity and are present in many western governments desestabilizing and creating turmols.
They are loved and admired by the "anti-system liberal crowd".
Absolutely correct ... we have been led to believe that Hitler and the Nazis were the absolute worst when in reality they were kindergarten students compared to Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, etc.
Stalin butchered 7 million people in the Ukraine between 1932 and 1933 alone. I won't even touch on Mao.
By no means do I mean this be be interpreted wrongly, but with Hitler, you knew where you stood. If you were a member of a persecuted group, that was it.
Stalin was much more capricious.
Stalin has always struck me as the more scary guy.
I remember reading about a show trial where the accused was protesting his innocence proclaiming only if Uncle Joe knew about this he would put a stop to the wrongful persecution. All the sudden the lighting malfunctioned illuminating a balcony with no other but Joe Stalin watching the proceedings. That sent a chill down my back.
No way, very good question.
In Europe, openly Nazi politicians are in jail, but there are important Stalinist and Communist parties that are allies of the "Social-Democrats".
Communist politicians are as deranged as always and a danger.
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Absolutely correct ... we have been led to believe that Hitler and the Nazis were the absolute worst when in reality they were kindergarten students compared to Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, etc.
