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06-22-11, 11:57 AM

I think that the evidence indicates that there were no immediate intentions of the Soviet Union to invade Germany. Certainly the Red Army deployment on the eve of Barbarossa was consistent with a defensive stance according to Soviet military doctrine at that time.

Comparing Stalin to Hitler has always strikes as some sort of grotesque game show where the 'worst' dictator gets the chrome-plated steak knives or something equally silly. In short, an utter waist of time; something like debating how far is up. That said there is still much to be learned about both provided discussion does not descend into dogma and hyperbole.

I would suggest that they were more like syblings who are so much alike that they loathe each other and are indeed both loathesome to outsiders. Conventional wisdom places Hitler on the far right of the political spectrum and Stalin to the extreme left but is this really valid? The principle difference between National Socialism and Stalinism (as opposed to theoretical Marxist-Leninism) was that Hitler had successfully co-opted large segments of the German private industrial sector to buy into his version of the state controlled economy. Nazi control over the economy was every bit as real as in the Soviet Union, the principle difference is that Hitler let selected members of the business classes act as middle men and grow rich in the process. Stalin eliminated the middle men (often literally) and so the state had direct control over industry.

Rather than any definite Left-Right differences, both were entirely totalitarian and virtually identical in that they institutionalized the killing of their own citizens as a political tool. They were far more alike than different.

Stalin may have killed more people than Hitler but he had far longer to do so. Also the millions who slaved away and died in the Gulag frequently directly benefitted the Soviet state as many died building much needed infrastructure before the Great Patriotic War and to repair the ravages of that war after 1945. This excuses nothing of course but the fact that Stalin was more motivated to spend the lives of those perceived as enemies of the state in the service of the state stands in sharp relief to stated purpose behind Hitler's death camps. Also, as alluded to above, many of Stalin's excesses had definite political aims as opposed to Hitler's largely purely racial murders. The Soviet Union was a far more equal-opportunity tyranny than was Nazi Germany.

06-22-11, 11:57 AM	#8
Randomizer Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	I think that the evidence indicates that there were no immediate intentions of the Soviet Union to invade Germany. Certainly the Red Army deployment on the eve of Barbarossa was consistent with a defensive stance according to Soviet military doctrine at that time. Comparing Stalin to Hitler has always strikes as some sort of grotesque game show where the 'worst' dictator gets the chrome-plated steak knives or something equally silly. In short, an utter waist of time; something like debating how far is up. That said there is still much to be learned about both provided discussion does not descend into dogma and hyperbole. I would suggest that they were more like syblings who are so much alike that they loathe each other and are indeed both loathesome to outsiders. Conventional wisdom places Hitler on the far right of the political spectrum and Stalin to the extreme left but is this really valid? The principle difference between National Socialism and Stalinism (as opposed to theoretical Marxist-Leninism) was that Hitler had successfully co-opted large segments of the German private industrial sector to buy into his version of the state controlled economy. Nazi control over the economy was every bit as real as in the Soviet Union, the principle difference is that Hitler let selected members of the business classes act as middle men and grow rich in the process. Stalin eliminated the middle men (often literally) and so the state had direct control over industry. Rather than any definite Left-Right differences, both were entirely totalitarian and virtually identical in that they institutionalized the killing of their own citizens as a political tool. They were far more alike than different. Stalin may have killed more people than Hitler but he had far longer to do so. Also the millions who slaved away and died in the Gulag frequently directly benefitted the Soviet state as many died building much needed infrastructure before the Great Patriotic War and to repair the ravages of that war after 1945. This excuses nothing of course but the fact that Stalin was more motivated to spend the lives of those perceived as enemies of the state in the service of the state stands in sharp relief to stated purpose behind Hitler's death camps. Also, as alluded to above, many of Stalin's excesses had definite political aims as opposed to Hitler's largely purely racial murders. The Soviet Union was a far more equal-opportunity tyranny than was Nazi Germany.