Young Stalin
He looks more like Johnny Depp than the Red Tzar, doesn't he? This picture of Stalin was taken in 1902, when he was twenty-four years old. Twenty years later, he was General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party and on his way to becoming one of most infamous tyrants of the twentieth century. How did a young Georgian with a taste for religion -- and a vocation to the priesthood -- become the man who masterminded the murder of between forty and sixty million people? The historian Simon Sebag Montefiore joins me on tomorrow's Sunday Sequence to talk about his fascinating new book, It's a tale of brigandry, sexual excess, religious obsession, political repression and mass killing; and Simon talks as brilliantly as he writes. Miss it at your peril.
Comments
I think he was worse that Hitler. Strange that Hitler gets such a worse press. Why is that? They were both homicidal maniacs but Stalin was the cleverer and more ingenious of the two - and the one who killed more people. Could it be that the left0wing bias of journalists and historians has helped Stalin's reputation?
I think he looks more like Keanu Reeves than Johnny Depp.
Nah, def more like Johnny Depp. And Johnny's more intelligent than Keanu, bless him.
Interesting idea from Alice. I've often wondered why Stalin seemed to get let off lightly by western commentary. Prob partly the whole Yalta thing as well - UK and US did a deal with him and weren't likely to emphasise that they've done a deal with the devil, right?
#1 There's a little truth in what you say, in that the communists had some sympathy in the West, but the main reason Hitler got a worse press (owned by the rich, don't forget, who hardly love communism) is that his crimes could be readily demonstrated because he was defeated. Soviet crimes could be denied or covered up. Further, false charges could be and were made for propaganda purposes, so there was no easy way to know what had or had not happened for a long time.
More recent historical accounts indeed show him to be worse than Hitler in terms of people killed (though there was no official ethnic cleansing that I know of). But popular memory is shaped by the information available around the time events occur-- the crimes (in defeat) of Hitler were clear. The "crimes" (state sanctioned) of Stalin were not.
People who suggest "the press" is left wing rarely seem to say why. Reporters are, sometimes. Editors rarely are, and risk their careers in being so in the wrong way, and owners have strong incentives to be the exact opposite.
he was one of the greatest generals and governors in the world. he saved whole ussr from facists and built the iron impery with atomic and nuclear weapons. DEAR PEOPLE FIRST READ HISTORY AND WRITE YOUR STUPID COMMENTS THEN. DONT READ THE LIES WRITTEN BY MODERN POLITICIANS!!!
Stalin is generally seen as responsible for more deaths than occured in the Holocaust, but the Holocaust was an attempt at genocide, whereas the Stalin's deaths were (fairly arbitrary) political purges directed broadly at petty criminals, intellectuals, artists and party members. Stalin was responsible for the massive man made famines in Ukraine, but this may not have been intentional, and likely not a genocide attempt. Further, one can argue that Hitler, being the aggressor in the European side of WWII, is responsible for all of the deaths, German, Jewish, Russian, French, British and American, from the war. This would raise his death count higher than Stalin's. As well, Stalin's reign lasted from the start of the 30s into the late 50s, so his killings were less intensive.
you stalin lovers are sick.
if I was hitler, I'd want to go in there and kick his butt from Moscow to Cairo.
Germans were doing Russia a favor, and tried to liberate them but the Soviet propaganda deceived the people to fight... and if they didn't fight, they would face Stalin's wrath.
Be serious. Roosevelt was making trade deals knowing Christian Death Camps existed. Trade on slave labor of Christians. Welcomed that Commie swine into the League of Nations knowing of the 14.5 (1931-1934) death toll. Don't compare Hitler to this evil twisted monster. Quit lying for the Communists.. Katyn Massacre.. Roosevelt and Churchill LIED through their teeth, to their nations, censored the press and covered for Stalin's crimes against humanity. They weren't "the good guys". Germany was blamed for crime upon crime, the soviets were guilty for. Katyn was just the tip of the iceberg. And look into just how that Nuremberg Law came to be. *rolling eyes* at the Show Trials, no cross examination of witnesses, hearsay accepted for evidence, etc.
Stuff your Communist propaganda. It's 2008, not 1948.
you stalin lovers are sick.
if I was hitler, I'd want to go in there and kick his butt from Moscow to Cairo.
Germans were doing Russia a favor, and tried to liberate them but the Soviet propaganda deceived the people to fight... and if they didn't fight, they would face Stalin's wrath.
Be serious. Roosevelt was making trade deals knowing Christian Death Camps existed. Trade on slave labor of Christians. Welcomed that Commie swine into the League of Nations knowing of the 14.5 (1931-1934) death toll. Don't compare Hitler to this evil twisted monster. Quit lying for the Communists.. Katyn Massacre.. Roosevelt and Churchill LIED through their teeth, to their nations, censored the press and covered for Stalin's crimes against humanity. They weren't "the good guys". Germany was blamed for crime upon crime, the soviets were guilty for. Katyn was just the tip of the iceberg. And look into just how that Nuremberg Law came to be. *rolling eyes* at the Show Trials, no cross examination of witnesses, hearsay accepted for evidence, etc.
Stuff your Communist propaganda. It's 2008, not 1948.
wow, so many nazi sympathizers disparate to trash Stalin and act like Hilter got bad press. Are you people serious? How many deaths have UK, US and others as western nations caused to further our interests? HOw about our allies? Imagine if we lost some big conflict, you think all those deaths won't be linked to us as some sort of genocide? The millions in Vietnam, Korea, Iraq? Winners create casualties, losers murder people but in the end they are all the same sort of dead.
Stalin was a ruthless leader of a huge country. And no it isn't a good thing that so many die (hardly the 40-60 million claimed in the original post though, JC, what are you on?) but compared to any other country he is in good company. At least he and the soviets fought on our side, and you want to hand Hilter the misunderstood guy award?
I'm Georgian, but I hate Stalin,as 60% of Georgians,The most of people who respect stalin are from Gori (The town where stalin was born)