Quote Originally Posted by Demonhero View Post
I don't know much about Zedong, but I do know a fair bit about Stalin, and he took Russia from essentially the Dark Ages, clear into present times within a very short span of time. He also instilled zealotry and bloodlust in his troops, making them a fierce (if not well-equipped) military.

Had he not run his country the way he did, Germany would have successfully conquered it, and the whole course of the world would have been changed. Had his troops not feared to lose so much (because they'd be executed depending on how they participated in the loss. Some commanders who were in charge of the defense of either Leningrad or Stalingrad were executed for losing this city during the German push to Moscow.)

Think about it. Russia's counterattack back into Germany left the German armored and Infantry divisions scrambling in panic to set up adequate defenses before Russia could get to the capital. And they were also trying to fend off the slow-moving but powerful Allied forces coming in from the west. Had Germany successfully taken Russia, which was held by Stalin's policies and his changes to the way things were done, they could have turned back and put a stop to the Allied advance. At which point, Europe would have been screwed.


So, Communism, and Stalin, saved Europe from the Nazis.

Err... that wasn't my point. Oh right, Stalin did more for the world and his own country. He was a better leader.
I share practically the same viewpoint as Demon here,

Both were highly influential leaders, Both did a lot to completely overhaul their own countries. Although, one thing I have to point out is what happened after removing some of the things they did to improve their countries. Khrushchev removed a lot of Stalin ideals and weakened the USSR in return with his De-Stalinization, while attempting to make the average life of the citizen better with domestic plans. He meant well but his methods often didn't work and only made things worse for the country. While on China's end, Economic Reformation replaced a lot of Maoism policies and were much more successful in the end. Showing that Maoism could be replaced and Stalin's plans couldn't.

Essentially it boils down to both leaders being almost equal until you add what Stalin did for the entire Eastern World by being a huge part in stopping the Nazi's.