this post was submitted on 11 Dec 2024
21 points (67.8% liked)

Socialism

5249 readers
171 users here now

Rules TBD.

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 

I believe in socialism, but I feel Stalin shouldn't be idolised due to things like the Gulag.

I would like more people to become socialist, but I feel not condemning Stalin doesn't help the cause.

I've tried to have a constructieve conversation about this, but I basically get angry comments calling me stupid for believing he did atrocious things.

That's not how you win someone over.

I struggle to believe the Gulag etc. Never happened, and if it happened I firmly believe Stalin should be condemned.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] imogen_underscore@hexbear.net 29 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

highly recommend reading Losurdo's Stalin: History and Critique of a Black Legend. it's a very good historiography of stalin which dispels a lot of the western-propagated myths about his rule and the guy himself. near the end there's a very enlightening section about why "condemning" communist leaders and figures as somehow aberrations of communism is a dangerous road to go down. Stalin was not an aberration of communism, he was trying his best to further the cause and by all accounts he did quite a good job. we can critique without performing such a binary disavowal, ultimately that is liberalism