The Western and the liberal consensus on Joseph Stalin:

Stalin was an evil autocrat who seized all power from his people to establish a brutal and murderous authoritarian regime.

Stalin in reality

Stalin: Please, let me resign in peace. This is the fourth time I am submitting my application.

The central comittee: Dear Comrade Stalin, we have rejected your request for the fourth time. See you at work tomorrow.

  • Samsuma@lemmy.ml
    14·
    10 days ago

    Fair… I guess a better question is: Why did he want to resign in the first place? Try as I might from avoiding Nazilib misinformation from search results, I found this in the ProleWiki:

    https://socialistmlmusings.wordpress.com/2017/02/23/stalins-four-attempts-at-resignation/

    but nothing seems cut-clear about his motivation to quit… There’s this baller quote though:

    What could I do? Desert my post? That is not in my nature; I have never deserted any post, and I have no right to do so, for that would be desertion. As I have already said before, I am not a free agent, and when the Party imposes an obligation upon me, I must obey.

    • La Dame d'Azur@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
      17·
      10 days ago

      Positions of power & leadership are stressful. He was probably just tired of it all. Especially considering he was in office for some of the most stressful periods of Soviet history.