Great Heros! Geh!

[Caius]

So, why do they choose Stalin? Because he was a communist or he was a tyrant?

[CrossLOPER]

So, why do they choose Stalin? Because he was a communist or he was a tyrant?

Of all the people who live and lived in the world, Stalin is among the last ones I would see as being so flat.

There were a few posts in the beginning which explored why Stalin's actions in life may have caused him to be so high in the list. Look them over.

[Spino]

So, why do they choose Stalin? Because he was a communist or he was a tyrant?

Because Stalin did what no Russian leader before or after has been able to accomplish; he brought Russia's empire (a.k.a the Soviet Union) closer to the coveted 'Alpha' position than anyone in history. In terms of land mass, raw materials, population and above all, military power, the Soviet Union was one of the greatest empires the world has ever seen. Shortcomings aside the Soviet Union inspired fear and loathing in all their enemies and everyone knew that with the exception of the United States, they could probably beat all comers in a conventional conflict. At least this was the understanding before the Soviet Union's military was exposed for the paper tiger it really was in Afghanistan. But since Afghanistan was considered a campaign and region of little concern few nationalistic Russians are willing to take seriously the terrible lessons learned there.

[CrossLOPER]

At least this was the understanding before the Soviet Union's military was exposed for the paper tiger it really was in Afghanistan.

That's a gross misrepresentation of what went wrong there.

But since Afghanistan was considered a campaign and region of little concern few nationalistic Russians are willing to take seriously the terrible lessons learned there.

The eighties were not a good time for the USSR. They tend to be disregarded as an anomaly.

[Furunculus]

the collapse of the soviet command economy and communism as an ideology was an anomaly?

[LittleGrizzly]

the collapse of the soviet command economy and communism as an ideology was an anomaly?

I think his point was something like it would be similar to basing US military power on thier defeat in vietnam, rather than taking into consideration other factors...

[Watchman]

Meh. The Eighties was just when the chronically dysfunctional Soviet system finally began approaching the end of its self-made leash.

[Caius]

the collapse of the soviet command economy and communism as an ideology was an anomaly?

One word: Perestoika.

[CrossLOPER]

the collapse of the soviet command economy and communism as an ideology was an anomaly?

I can bring up a mountain of ifs, but it is futile. What happened, happened.