Joseph Stalin

[Adler17]

Well, estimations about the deaths because of Stalin are between 20 and 40 millions within about 30 years. No one can seriously say all of them were death enemies by Stalin! Also here we do have a figure including the real victims and no statistical ones. However they are still estimations as the real figure is unknown.

Adler

 

[Kan' Sharuminar]

What reaction? I understand that at the beginning of the Operation, Stalin didn't even think the Germans were really invading. He actually went so far as to order the frontline troops not to engage the Germans. Thank God they disobeyed.

Effectively one of total shock. He had given orders that the Soviet troops were to defend themselves, but not to provoke the Germans. When the Germans did invade, the bulk of the Soviet commanders were confused over what to do (would shooting back 'provoke' the enemy?) for fear of being shot (legacy of the purges). Even when some form of strategy was worked out in Moscow, it was little help as most communication lines had been severed.

Stalin was essentially worried that this was some sort of German rouse to frighten him into surrendering parts of the Ukraine and western Russia, not an actual invasion. I believe he even opened the possibility of offering these to Hitler in the early weeks of Barbarossa.

 

[Thorvald of Lym]

Ah yes... That I can understand. In any event, I think we can agree that Stalin did not treat the opening days of the invasion as seriously as he should have.

 

[RulerOfDaPeople]

This thread has given me much more understanding. I admire the resolve of the russian people but I do NOT like Stalin from what I have learned.

 

[ktsk]

And as for the actual fighting... true, the Red Army practiced the policy of 'deserters will be shot', but what really carried them forward was their own determination. The event was called "The Great Patriotic War", when the Soviet Union no longer fought for Stalin, but for victory over the Germans.

Aren't you mixing up the post-war propaganda to make the end justify the means? Deserters were not only shot, their families were also sent to prison camps.

For all interested in Stalin's era, I recommend reading the stories of dissidents, intellectuals and writers to get a bit different picture for example of the Great Patriotic War. The biograph of Alexander Solzhenitsyn and his "The Gulag Archipelago" is a good starting point, although a bit on the heavy side but you can also get a briefing in Wikipedia. See also the article about The Great Purge for the information about Stalin's actions before WW2.

In my opinion, it was a clever political move from Stalin to turn the attention of the people from internal problems to outside world by WW2, but as this already was a well known fact before his time, I can't give him much credit of anything.

 

[Nylan]

By the way does any one know of a good read online to Stalin's history from the 2 world wars and beyond?

Access to History: Bolshevik and Stalinist Russia 1917-1956 (or whenever it was Stalin died)

Comprehensive, and it will give you a real look at what Stalin did to Russia.

 

[Lone Wolf]

He died in 1953.

 

[Ecofarm]

Stalin should be removed from civ4 and any mumbling about adding Hitler should be met with brutal mockery. These were not great leaders, merely historically significant pieces-o-crap.

 

[Adler17]

Ecofarm, I can only agree.

Adler

 

[amaterasu]

His smoke stack industries were ineficent also, they had to be dismantled after he died, so even his industrial legecy is questionable.

 

[BEHIND_THE_MASK]

Stalin should be removed from civ4 and any mumbling about adding Hitler should be met with brutal mockery. These were not great leaders, merely historically significant pieces-o-crap.

Lets not go so far...

I actually like hunting old Stalin down, retaking Russia for the good of the people and then applying my new communist methods.

Ya can be Stalin or you can kill him. And I like killing him.