[Section Leader]

I have mixed views on Stalin's actual policies and the character of the regime, purging the Trots, large scale industrial development and his nationalist tendancies are all positives of Stalin's rule. The negatives include promoting people like Trofim Lysenko to high levels in the government for political reasons and his bouts of paranoia. Other than that I disagree ideologically, of course, but I don't find all that much fault in his actions.

That said, I will use him as a stick to beat the left, usually to demonstrate how the Allies of WWII weren't necessarily all wonderful freedom loving democrats

In some ways I view the defeat of the Axis as a blow for western civilization, but from a Slavic point of view Stalin cannot be viewed as anything other than a hero.

[Decky]

In some ways I view the defeat of the Axis as a blow for western civilization, but from a Slavic point of view Stalin cannot be viewed as anything other than a hero.

Not just Slavs, if Hitler had won there were plenty more groups he would have wiped out. All of them owe their very existence to the Soviet Union and the inspired leadership of the man of Steel.

[Mazhi]

from a Slavic point of view Stalin cannot be viewed as anything other than a hero.

There is no "Slavic point of view". This is a superficial reading of things that ignores major differences in historical experience between Slavic nations as well as differences within particular Slavic nations (especially regarding collaboration, resistance and civil wars), and even differences between different time periods. The experince of Slovaks was very different from that of Czechs, and both were different from that of Poles whose experience differed from that of Ukrainians in many complex ways, and then there are the nations of Yugoslavia where all sorts of complex stuff went on, then we have the much different situation of Bulgaria, and so on and so on.

But what would you say if I told you that, rightly or not, the average Slav outside of Russia holds a bigger grudge against Stalin than against Hitler?

Which are the European states that are the most fond of making the EU pass all sorts of resolutions condemning Stalinism?