Your opinion of Stalin?

[DisturbedPervert]

He describes him/his motivations as a case of non-sexual sadism.

He had an awfully large rape army for a non sexual sadist

[ulmont]

From what I have read of Stalin, most notably the Simon Sebag Montefiore books - http://www.simonsebagmontefiore.com/ - the overwhelming impression I have gotten is that there was a type of person present in pre-Fall-of-Tsar Russia (ruthless, cold, paranoid), and that Stalin was simply the one of the type that rose to power.  If he had failed, another just like him would have sprung up.  Perhaps it's the depiction in "Young Stalin" that seems to describe Stalin as the rough equivalent of a Jack Welch type, avoiding family for "higher commitments."

As such, Stalin has always struck me as the "best of the worst."

[The Brain]

A profoundly unintellectual man

Source? IIRC the Teabag Montefiore Red Tsar book indicated otherwise.

[Syt]

A profoundly unintellectual man

Source? IIRC the Teabag Montefiore Red Tsar book indicated otherwise.

grumbler will now cite an obscure academic paper of 639 pages. It will mention Stalin's unintellectuality in a half sentence in a footnote on page 562. Of course grumbler will refuse to tell you where to find it exactly.

[Grallon]

snip

Is there ever a moment when grumbler does not pontificate?

-----

As for Stalin, I'll simply quote Pétain:

Plus tard, le dictionnaire Larousse dira d'Adolf Hitler: "Chef de bande de l'époque stalinienne..."

or

In later days the Larousse dictionary will write about Adolf Hitler: "Gang leader during the stalinist era."

G.

[CountDeMoney]

A profoundly unintellectual man

Source? IIRC the Teabag Montefiore Red Tsar book indicated otherwise.

grumbler will now cite an obscure academic paper of 639 pages. It will mention Stalin's unintellectuality in a half sentence in a footnote on page 562. Of course grumbler will refuse to tell you where to find it exactly.

ITS FUNNY BECAUSE ITS GRUMBLER

[The Brain]

grumbler, you may be interested in Chapter 7 Stalin the Intellectual of Montefiore's Red Tsar book. Pages 93-101.

[Darth Wagtaros]

He was supposed to be very crude adn vulgar.  Once while his daughter was serving tea to he and his minions he asked the room at large, "I wonder who is fucking her lately?" or something to that effect.

[grumbler]

snip

Is there ever a moment when grumbler does not pontificate?

Why don't you give the whiny emo thing a rest?

[grumbler]

grumbler, you may be interested in Chapter 7 Stalin the Intellectual of Montefiore's Red Tsar book. Pages 93-101.

You might be interested in that as well.   

Do a gooble books search.  That chapter is mostly in there.

[Ed Anger]

He was supposed to be very crude adn vulgar.  Once while his daughter was serving tea to he and his minions he asked the room at large, "I wonder who is fucking her lately?" or something to that effect.

Sounds like a concerned father. 

[The Brain]

grumbler, you may be interested in Chapter 7 Stalin the Intellectual of Montefiore's Red Tsar book. Pages 93-101.

You might be interested in that as well.   

Do a gooble books search.  That chapter is mostly in there.

I have the book in front of me. Aren't you gonna shoot down the contents?

[grumbler]

I have the book in front of me. Aren't you gonna shoot down the contents?

  You feeling okay?  Are you drunk?  Unfunny babbling like this isn't typical of the Brain we have come to know and love.

[The Brain]

I have the book in front of me. Aren't you gonna shoot down the contents?

  You feeling okay?  Are you drunk?  Unfunny babbling like this isn't typical of the Brain we have come to know and love.

You don't make much sense now. I am almost getting the feeling you're avoiding the topic we are discussing.

[grumbler]

You don't make much sense now. I am almost getting the feeling you're avoiding the topic we are discussing.

I thought you were babbling about "shoot down the contents" of some book.  I have no interest in that, so there isn't a "discussion" going on there.

The discussion I was participating in was "your opinion of Stalin," and I have no interest in engaging in some side discussion about "shoot down the contents" of a book I haven't even read.

You wanna discuss Stalin, join the conversation the rest of us are having.  You want to discuss Montefiore's book, find someone who cares about that and discuss away.