Who was more of a terror leader: Hitler or Stalin?

Answer 1

Stalin. Anyway you look at it, Stalin was worse.

Stalin had the higher body count. While Hitler killed approximately 12 million people during the reign of Nazi Germany, the historically-accepted body count during Stalin' Purges was roughly 61 million. However, some argue that fewer were killed, in the ballpark of 20 million, based on documents released in the 90's after the fall of Soviet Russia. The problem is, during Stalin's reign this was mostly done in secrecy, after Stalin died many documents about his reign were destroyed during the "De-Stalinization" of Russia. Either way, every respected historian agrees that Stalin killed more people than Hitler.

Which probably has you asking, why is Hitler considered the worse of the two? It's simple: Nazi Germany fell in 1945 with the end of World War II whereas Soviet Russia didn't fall until 1989, well after the fact of these atrocities. When Nazi Germany fell, they were defeated in war and there was enough evidence to figure out what they were doing. The Allied armies found the death camps and saw the records of what was done to the prisoners in these camps. There were tons of first-hand accounts of what was going on.

We fought a total, open war with Hitler whereas we fought a long, Cold War with Stalin that, at least in some way, allowed these atrocities to remain secret. By comparison, Stalin's reign ended the exact opposite way. When he died, his predecessors destroyed most of the records of what he did and basically tried to pretend it never happened. The US and NATO, who had knowledge that this was going on, classified all of the documents detailing these atrocities to protect the spies who witnessed them. By the end of Communism in the 90's, there was very little evidence left behind. So while we have a vivid idea of what life was like in Germany's death camps, we have a vague, blurry idea of what life was like in Russia's.

Answer 2

I would say Stalin. Although Hitler targeted mainly the Jews, majority of the German people supported him. Hitler's SS either killed or arrested his political opponents. But he is considerate to those within his circle. Furthermore, Hitler had never killed anybody by his own hands. He let his SS do the killing.

Stalin targeted everybody, even his comrades in the Bolshevik revolution. Shortly before WW2, none of his Bolshevik colleagues are still alive, Trotsky being the last Bolshevik assasinated through Stalin's orders. Stalin ordered anybody executed simply because of suspicion and paranoia. He even encouraged his most loyal followers to spy on each other, even one against his own family. During his younger days, Stalin was said to be a hit-man, personally doing some killings for the Bolsheviks.
Even Lenin himself, before his death was wary that Stalin might be his successor (he preferred anyone in the Communist Party to be the next leader, other than Stalin). Stalin caused the Great Famine in Ukraine, the worst man-made famine in history.

Answer 3

Good question. Worth doing some research and exploring.

Most say Hitler, but once major difference between Hitler and Stalin during WW II was the side of the fence they were on during the conflict. The USSR sided with the allies against axis Germany, Japan, and Italy. As a result, western history has a greater focus on the atrocities of Hitler than those of Stalin during that time.

No doubt they were both unimaginably cruel dictators.

Answer 4

I personally believe it was Stalin since Hitler's atrocities was not all his fault.Most of "his" atrocities were really perfomed by his military leaders.New sources support that Hitler did not get so many decisions during his reign but his assistants.On the other hand,Stalin, I believe , has full responsibility for the murders he performed.What is more, Stalin was a winner in the war and had little to be afraid of.

Answer 5

Adolf Hitler; labeled "The most evil man of the 20th century".
That has come from a "Concentration Camp" perspective and the fact that he was directly responsible for the slaughter of 6 million Jews throughout Europe and occupied Russia.

Joseph Stalin; "The most evil man after WWII".
This due to his expansionist policies in Europe primarily. What isn't widely known is the number of people HE slaughtered.

In the 1930's Stalin "Purged the Military" confining and executing nearly 2/3 of the General Staff and most of the countries officers. This 'beheading of the military" guaranteed him a loyal (if somewhat uneducated) officer corps but also gave him a very inexperienced and untrained group to lead his armies.

Beginning in 1939, Stalin began deporting huge numbers of people to Siberia and by 1949 it is estimated that over 3 million people were 'gone'. Estimates of the 'Soviet dead alone' run from as little as 3 million to as high as 60 million. We will never know for sure due to the amount of time that has elapsed. This does not include any of the 'captured territories' such as Poland and former East Germany where whole towns ceased to exist.

In Poland, after 1939, Stalin ordered the entire Polish Officers Corps executed, and 20,000 shallow graves have been found in the Katyn Forest alone. The Soviet armies were ordered to halt in 1945 outside of Warsaw in order to allow the Germans to win the 'Battle of the Warsaw ghettos" before the Soviets marched in triumphant.

Final score card;
Hitler - 6 million Jews executed in death camps
Stalin- 30(+) million Europeans and Russians executed in Gulags.

I'd say Stalin is a clear winner for the Noble "not-so-peace" Prize

Answer 6

This is a hard one. Stalin lasted longer and had more opportunity. Hitler managed in a very short space of time as history goes to carry out almost unimaginable horrors. On body count it has to be Stalin, on numbers per year it is very close but Hitler probably edges it. To the 6 million Jews that Hitler murdered you have to add several million Eastern Europeans. It is estimated he killed 6 million in Poland only half were Jews so that makes a minimum 3 million Eastern Europeans that he killed, bringing his total to at least 9 million.

All I know is, I wouldn't have wanted to live under either of their regimes.

Answer 7

They were definitely both terror leaders, and were very similar in this regard, but Hitler was not only a terror leader but also started the cruelest war of world history and was the main responsible person for the worst genocide of world history.

Answer 8

Stalin. His reign of terror lasted for twenty-two years and encompassed peoples and land from the Oder river in Germany to the Pacific Ocean to the arctic circle and the black sea in the south. Stalin inspired the terror of Mao Zehdong, Kim Il Sung, Pol Pot, Sadam Hussein.

Answer 9

To judge one more reigning more terror than the other, one would have to have been at both places to experience this form of 'terror' first hand.

All people know the feeling of 'fear'. Fear is what these people were exceptionally capable of at breeding amongst the masses.

As far as terror is concerned they both exerted enough of it as the 'emotions' they stirred amongst the people would have been experienced on many levels, some more than others. Their terror was to breed fear and this they both succeeded in.

Any innocent life taken is 'murder' no matter which way we try to look at it or how it was instigated, it can never be justified.

They both win an Academey Award each here.

Love, Light & Peace Always in Laughter,
Harriett Potty ;)

Answer 10

that is authentic Stalin replaced into on our area and he did not kill only a particular ethnicity, he killed all of us he did not like, yet considering Stalin died the Soviets and historic previous as a rule has positioned him in a detrimental mild for all of his large purges. under no circumstances in our historic previous have we ever seen communism as large as juntoamerica or maybe if claims, although many human beings were supportive of Nazism interior the late '30's this incorporates promient human beings like Charles Lindenburg.