How would communism have been in Russia if Stalin had not seized power?

Answer 1

Well, Trotsky probably would have take over instead of Stalin. Trotsky was more in line with Lenin than Stalin was. Trotsky probably would have gradually shifted to Communism in Russia like Lenin was under the NEP. Stalin ditched the NEP and went directly into collectivization. The peasants hated it and it the kulaks were killed off and millions of people died of starvation because the farms were not producing hardly anything. At least under Lenin's NEP they were producing because they had an incentive to do so rather than just get killled by KGB hitmen.

The communist experiment might have had a much different story if Trotsky, not Stalin, had taken over after Lenin's death. Oh well, just another one of those historical what ifs.


have a nice day.

Answer 2

I don't believe the USSR would have fared any better with their communism regime even if Josef Stalin had not siezed power in the 1920's. Communism simply cannot work at a national level; it takes away any incentive for innovation and progress and will thus erode advancement and the free enterprise system, which is crucial for a nation's survival.
Communism may work on a very small level, like that of a neighborhood, or maybe even a small town, but countries are simply too complex, andl also have to interact with other countries.
Some say that communism has never worked because it has never really been practiced as it was explained by Karl Marx in his Communist Manifesto. Indeed it seems like so often the new revolutionist, so-called"government of the people" ends up being more tyrannical than the monarchy they replaced! Look at China. I think that communism simply goes against human nature, which is in a way sad, since communism is supposed strives to "take from each according to his ability, and give to each, according to his needs" which sounds ideal.
But in reality this has just proved to be a Utopian fantasy.

Answer 3

I have always been and remain a Socilist, as far as "Communism" is concerned, I believe "Drummerbo" has an excellent grasp on it's weaknesses. The "USSR" under Lenin or Marx, could not function. I give them credit for good intentions, but that is all. When Stalin had Lenin murdered, and seized control, any resemblance to Communism/Socialism came to an abrupt end. Stalin was an absolute dictator and a very evil one to boot.
Democracy is nothing more than a beautiful concept that everyone in the world should be entitled to. However, it has one major flaw: It is the only door to capitalism.
Capitalism, and the human greed it fosters, is the terminal cancer that eventually consumes and destroys true democracy. People eventually become enraged at being raped by the rich and privileged, and rise up and revolt, and dictatorial government is the result.
The prime example of this simple fact is the wanton destruction of personal freedoms; the rape, murder, pillaging and occupation of other nations for their natural resources. .
The real tragedy of all this is that despots like George W. Bush claim they are doing this to preserve democracy in the U.S. The fact is Americans lost their democracy the day he became president. There is a way to preserve personal freedoms and democracy; it is called social democracy. Social democracy allows everyone to benefit, not just the wealthy. Social democracy is not communism.A perfect example of a Social Democracy is Denmark. I fully believe Casto had those intentions for Cuba, but because of the Blokeade & various other attempts to unseat him, "Bay Of Pigs" being one, but failed assasination plots, the destuction of a Cubana air plane enroute to Carasus, Poisoning of crops etc, forced him to maintain a semi-dictator role. Should the US lighten up, I'm sure you will see great democratic strides happen. Most countries in the world are hopeing for the same thing
Cuba has assumed the leadership of the Non-Aligned Movement after being elected to direct that 116-country organization for the next three years.
A few months ago, Cuba was supported in its bid to join the new UN Human Rights Council by 135 countries (significantly more than supported Canada!)
Last November, a Cuban motion at the UN General Assembly to condemn the U.S. embargo of that country was supported by 182 countries. Only four (the United States, Israel, Palau and the Marshall Islands) voted against.

Answer 4

It must be remembered that Papa Joe was a late-comer so far as Bolshevist inhumanity; it wasn't Stalin who savagely murdered the Romanovs, nor was he in the forefront of the other atrocities of the Revolution which were committed by the Reds (and the Whites). Trotsky and Beryia, to name but two, exerted far more influence on the brutal disregard for human life in the early formative years of the USSR. Stalin merely inherited that bloody legacy, and while his own excesses grant him the status of possibly the most horriffic monster who has yet darkened the stage of human affairs, there is no reason at all to believe that the great Marxist experiment would have gained any shred of compassion, mercy, or justice had he not risen to absolute power. As flawed and self destructive as Capitalism is, I think it is safe to say that Communism, at least Soviet Communism, was worse. Far worse.

Answer 5

If Stalin had not seized power, 20 million people would have lived, Communism would have been less harsh, but it would still suck to live there with Khrushchev, Brezhnev, Andropov, Chernenko, or Gorbachev as leader. It would have lasted NEARLY as long because he is the man who, sad to say, who transfered the USSR from a poor nation into a superpower.

Answer 6

There wouldn't have been a "Stalinist" state & probably no forced collectivism.

Stalin was also responsible for purging the top officer cadre of its rank to consolidate his power. If he wasn't around, many of the experienced officers would have been around & stopped the German tide long before Stalingrad.

Answer 7

Well, Central Europe may have been a lot better off. Stalin expected World War III to take place largely in Central Europe, which is why he created the Iron Bloc, sent all those Russian Troops there, and mass-industrialized (so that the factories could create war items) without regard to economic or environmental impacts.

Answer 8

It might have lasted through WWII. Alot more people in the former USSR would have lived if he hadn't taken power. However, I'm tempted to say that it would have been stamped out throughly by the Whermacht. (German Army)

Answer 9

A dismal failure nontheless. The communist system thru its elevation of the state as god necessarily lends itself to oppression, forfeiture of basic civil rights, corruption, and economic stagnation.

Answer 10

It wouldn't have lasted very long (read the first post).