Was Stalin a "great" leader?

in the ancient sense of the word, of course

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>>2772444
the greatest there has been after Napoleon. He's the most important figure of the 20th century in my opinion.

not that I like the man or what he did. Most of the world would have been better without him. but he did achieve more than any other leader in recent history and i admire him for that.

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>>2772444
Stalin would be history footnote without his greatest lackey

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> both sides of my family come from Mennonite ancestors
> MFW I see people justifying the Soviet Union

No.

>>2772444
He had one important skill people in his position often lack, he knew when to back down and let competent people do their jobs.

>>2772498
This. Under Stalin, Russia went from a backwards feudalist shithole to an industrialized and somewhat developed nation. This isn't so much because of Stalin himself but I think pretty much any semi-competent leader of Russia in the 20th century would have been just as influential for Russians and the world.

>>2772444
His government turned a backwards agricultural shithole into a space-faring superpower. Stalin himself was overly paranoid, obsessed with micromanagement, oftentimes incompetent, and insufficiently trustworthy of his subordinates.

There's no reason why all of his victories had to come on the backs of millions shot or starved.

>>2772530
Why the fuck are you using a computer?

>>2772444
Yeah. Beloved by his people and had many victory under his belt.

He was great, but not as great as Mao.

>>2772843
I'm not Amish

>>2772444
Yes he was based

>leader f the most successful socialist society in history
>industrialises Soviet Union and raises standard of living for millions of people
>turns feudal backwater into a superpower in less than 30 years
>is instrumental in the defeat of fascism in Europe by commanding the forces that dealt the most damage to Nazi tyranny
>protected the socialist state from internal and external enemies, crushing counter revolutionaries, bourgeois elements and revisionists
>spread socialism further than anyone in history

>>2772444
Great in terms of influence and ability to rule? Absolutely. Great in terms of morality or justice? Hell no.