[jumpy]

Stalin was a manipulative bandit with absolutely no humanity.
Right from the very beginning he used those around him to further his goals, then disposed of them when he deemed their usefulness obsolete. Not to mention his characteristic vindictiveness, almost childlike in its application.
His only talent seemed to be having insight into others in order to use them.
Any freedom during ww2 that stalin used to resist hitler (through the army structure and initiative, and some of the civil side of things) was crushed after the end of the war. Having used them to win, they were no longer useful, but dangerous.

You can argue he was a great leader (and I'd doubt this myself*), but he never had anything but his own interests at heart.
Something the americans in ww2 completely miscalculated to start with. Churchill knew what he was about, but also knew that sometimes you have to deal with monsters in order to get rid of monsters.

I think it's an irony that goebles said that the tide of bolshevism would descend on europe like an 'iron curtain', long before that reality (and iconic phrase) came to pass. But I suppose it takes a monster to recognise another for what they are.


* the chaotic way he handled the nazi invasion, sticking to ruthless political and ideological thinking instead of practical military planning cost a lot of territory and russian lives. It was only when he relaxed his grip slightly on the military that things started to change.
But like hitler, his inexperienced meddling in matters he did not understand almost cost the war. However, stalin allied himself with britain and america and so did not fall entirely foul of his own megalomania as did hitler.