NationStates Jolt Archive

By leader, I mean General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. By best, I mean the one who advanced Communist interests the most, while using relatively reasonable methods.

Stalin.

Gorbachev, he brought an end to that mess.

I voted for Gorbachev.

Stalin.

"...using relatively reasonable methods."

-Parkus

"...using relatively reasonable methods."

-Parkus

Define relatively reasonable.

Everyone after Stalin ran it into the ground. So none of them advanced it. It's him or nothing.

By leader, I mean General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. By best, I mean the one who advanced Communist interests the most, while using relatively reasonable methods.

I would have to say Stalin. He advanced Communist interests the most.

Of course, they were all nasties.

None of them advanced Communism, but Stalin did the most for the cause of 20th-century Russian Imperialism.

Nikita Khrushchev. Best shoebanger of them all.

Gorbachev.

I voted for Gorbachev, but that was before I read the qualifiers. The only one who substantially advanced Communist interests was Stalin, by turning the USSR into a superpower and helping to set up Communist regimes in China, Korea, and Eastern Europe.

As much as I dislike him, Stalin was the best one.

Nikita Khrushchev. Not only did he destroy the cult of Stalin and bring some justice for his victims, but he reversed many of the disastrous situations left by his predecessor and built a far more equal, far more humane socialist state than any that had existed previously. The economy boomed and produced real, considerable gains in material well-being for the Soviet people and the country raced ahead in many advanced scientific and technical fields.

Plus, compared to what came before and after, his administration was one of true progress and true steps towards a freer, more open society. It was far from perfect, but nonetheless foreshadowed reforms in the future, reforms that would have quite possibly saved the Soviet state had they not been implemented after more than a decade of stagnation and cynical manipulation of the state apparatus for personal gain by Leonid Brezhnev and his cronies.

Frankly, I'd flat out say Leonid Brezhnev was the worst Soviet leader of all time.

Kruschchev. For starters, he was into Ekranoplans, which are mega awesome. That and removing the cult of Stalin, freeing a lot of people from Gulags etc. etc.

Kruschchev also had the balls to actually negotiate with JFK and back down by pulling the missiles in Cuba, as opposed to listening to the hard liners who wanted him to attack.

I think this thread shows one of the main reasons that the US won. Soveit Leadership sucked. I mean Gorbachev?! Since when's losing good?! I though everyone liked a winner. I voted for Andropov. He got assasinated before doing anything bad.

I think this thread shows one of the main reasons that the US won. Soveit Leadership sucked. I mean Gorbachev?! Since when's losing good?! I though everyone liked a winner. I voted for Andropov. He got assasinated before doing anything bad.

Gorbachev had the balls to realize it was over, be a man, and tear down the Berlin wall.

Kruschchev also had the balls to actually negotiate with JFK and back down by pulling the missiles in Cuba, as opposed to listening to the hard liners who wanted him to attack.

Khruschev should've demanded that JFK publicly withdraw missiles from Turkey, not be private about it. You don't hide your victories.

Gorbachev had the balls to realize it was over, be a man, and tear down the Berlin wall.

And let Yeltsin f*ck Russia in the a** while he gave speeches in the West.

And let Yeltsin f*ck Russia in the a** while he gave speeches in the West.

Yeltsin trained Putin. He clearly wasnt all bad.

Yeltsin trained Putin. He clearly wasnt all bad.

Riiight. Suuure. Umm, Putin booted Yeltsin from office. Notice that very few Yeltsin cronies are in Putin's Administration. And that's only for a while, hopefully. Yeltsin "resigned" and in Russia politicians don't "resign" all of the sudden. When Putin left the presidency, it was with fanfare. When Yeltsin left it, he didn't even get to do a decent interview. KoL - I like you, but saying that Yeltsin "wasn't all bad" can only be supported by Russia's Vodka Manufacturing Industry and Shady Politicians.

Khruschev should've demanded that JFK publicly withdraw missiles from Turkey, not be private about it. You don't hide your victories.

I think he wanted to make sure JFK didn't lose face with the American people, either, since he felt he could negotiate with the man and that they could build upon his policy of peaceful coexistence far more effectively than any of the other hardliners in his administration. He and his predecessor Eisenhower were both strongly respected and liked by Khrushchev because he felt they were men with whom he could negotiate.

This is also why I'm pretty sure any claims of Soviet involvement in the JFK assassination are 100% bullshit.

I love how no one voted for Brezhnev. I hope it stays that way.

I think he wanted to make sure JFK didn't lose face with the American people, either, since he felt he could negotiate with the man and that they could build upon his policy of peaceful coexistence far more effectively than any of the other hardliners in his administration. He and his predecessor Eisenhower were both strongly respected and liked by Khrushchev because he felt they were men with whom he could negotiate.

This is also why I'm pretty sure any claims of Soviet involvement in the JFK assassination are 100% bullshit.

Yeah, but in the USSR, Khruschev was overthrown because of his actions during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Maybe forcing JFK to go public could have been a factor to prevent the overthrow.

Vladimir Ivashko.

Gorb. he had the common sense to end it.

By leader, I mean General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. By best, I mean the one who advanced Communist interests the most, while using relatively reasonable methods.

I voted for Khrushchev. I think that both Andropov and Gorbachev was much more progressive, but Gorbachev’s reforms was crushed by his enemies and Andropov just died too soon.

I voted for Andropov. He got assasinated before doing anything bad.

Andropov was not assassinated. He was just old and very ill when he took the power.

By leader, I mean General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. By best, I mean the one who advanced Communist interests the most, while using relatively reasonable methods.

Krushchev.

Ivan Drago

Ivan Drago

Don't mess with the Siberian Express.

Феликс Эдмундович Дзержинский

Феликс Эдмундович Дзержинский

I didn't know he was actually Polish.

I didn't know he was actually Polish.

Nor did I

Феликс Эдмундович Дзержинский

Not a Leader of the USSR.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Edmundovich_Dzerzhinsky

Anyways, Drago would crush him.

Not a Leader of the USSR.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Edmundovich_Dzerzhinsky

Anyways, Drago would crush him.

True, but was certainly in a position of power

True, but was certainly in a position of power

Honestly, the Cheka was really the political apparatus in power at the time, the same way that the SD and SS were the powerbrokers in the Nazi regime, or the Stasi in the GDR, or any other major secret police force around the world. In the USSR's case, I'd go so far as to say the various iterations of secret police forces wielded the real power in the Soviet regime at least until 1953. It appears even Stalin himself was quite possibly done in by Beria as a precautionary measure against a new round of purges.

Okay, who voted for Andropov?

Okay, who voted for Andropov?

It could have been worse...somebody could have voted for Chernenko. And the poll forgot Malenkov, who did serve as de facto leader for the first couple of years after Stalin's death. He did some pretty important things domestically as well as mark the beginning of detente as a diplomatic policy.

It could have been worse...somebody could have voted for Chernenko. And the poll forgot Malenkov, who did serve as de facto leader for the first couple of years after Stalin's death. He did some pretty important things domestically as well as mark the beginning of detente as a diplomatic policy.

Yes, if you're going for the one that died the quickest, Chernenko would be the correct answer.

Yes, if you're going for the one that died the quickest, Chernenko would be the correct answer.

Even Andropov actually did something during his time in office other than steal everything that wasn't tied down. Hell, even Brezhnev did something when he wasn't awarding himself Orders of Lenin and Hero of the Soviet Union...and stealing everything that wasn't tied down.

Don't mess with the Siberian Express.

Hellz Yeah.

I'm not quite sure what to make of this question, because I don't know what the metric of the question is. If you're asking who showed greatest fidelity to Marxist principles, than none ranked very high, but Lenin was closest.

If you mean who maximized Russian national interest, Stalin. The man did what no leader in 200 years had managed to do with Russia: turn it from a backwater agricultural nation into an industrial powerhouse, and far from what Ayn Rand would suggest, collectivization did in 20 years what it took 100 years for capitalism to do in Britain and the United States. He also led the nation that quite literally cold-cocked the most potent land army of its day at Leningrad and then again at Stalingrad.

If we mean who ruled at the apex of power, then clearly Krushchev is the pick. There's a reason why we were building suicidal weapons like the Davy Crockett (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett_(nuclear_device)), a nuclear mortar with a blast radius wider than it's firing range: because we were scared witless by just how large and how good the Soviet military was.

If we look at who was best to the Russian people, Gorbachev gets highest marks, but it needs to be pointed out that his efforts at dissolution of the Soviet Union also left the people of that nation economically devastated for the next decade and a half; there's a reason why people remember Krushchev and Stalin so fondly in Russia today.

If we look at who was best to the Russian people, Gorbachev gets highest marks, but it needs to be pointed out that his efforts at dissolution of the Soviet Union also left the people of that nation economically devastated for the next decade and a half; there's a reason why people remember Krushchev and Stalin so fondly in Russia today.

Khrushchev had the economic and military power of Stalin moderated with a dose of Gorbachev's social liberalization and his own focus on consumer goods. It's not hard to see how that mix might register quite fondly with most people; I know I'd love a leader who boosted my living standards considerably while helping push our power to unprecedented levels on all fronts.

Gorbachev ended the cold war.

Andropov was not assassinated. He was just old and very ill when he took the power.

Here's your power. Don't forget to take your vial. Don't worry, it's not poison, it's ummm, cure for an upset stomach, yes that's what it is!

Okay, who voted for Andropov?

I did. I'm sorry, but there's no one to really vote for. Stalin - I can't forgive him for the purges and the Gulags. Khruschev enabled Brezhnev to come to power. BTW, who voted for Brezhnev? Gorbachev collapsed the country. Brezhnev - don't get me started.

Edit: yeah ok, maybe I should've voted for Chernenko. But then again, Andropov had the best efficiency/year ruled ratio in terms of helping out the Soveit People (in comparison with others mentioned above, not with FDR).

Here's your power. Don't forget to take your vial. Don't worry, it's not poison, it's ummm, cure for an upset stomach, yes that's what it is!

Hmm, even Gorbachev and Khrushchev were not assassinated, so why do you think that someone did this with Andropov?

Stalin did nothing to "advance communist interests". He tarnished the ideology and provided moral justification to those opposed to it in spite of industrial gains on paper - a legacy that endures today. The only one with a credible claim to improving the system as it was practiced in the USSR is Gorbachev, despite his failings and overall spotty record.

Nikita Khrushchev. Not only did he destroy the cult of Stalin and bring some justice for his victims, but he reversed many of the disastrous situations left by his predecessor and built a far more equal, far more humane socialist state than any that had existed previously. The economy boomed and produced real, considerable gains in material well-being for the Soviet people and the country raced ahead in many advanced scientific and technical fields.

Plus, compared to what came before and after, his administration was one of true progress and true steps towards a freer, more open society. It was far from perfect, but nonetheless foreshadowed reforms in the future, reforms that would have quite possibly saved the Soviet state had they not been implemented after more than a decade of stagnation and cynical manipulation of the state apparatus for personal gain by Leonid Brezhnev and his cronies.

Frankly, I'd flat out say Leonid Brezhnev was the worst Soviet leader of all time.

Vetalia, you have just described a leader who did the least to advance Communist interests. If we remember that Communism is glorified slavery, then we must look to Stalin as the best leader as he advanced that notion the most.

Hmm, even Gorbachev and Khrushchev were not assassinated, so why do you think that someone did this with Andropov?

Khruschev was needed to take down Stalin. After that, he took down Beria. Was quite useful initially. Then came the Cuban Missile Crisis and out he went. He was never enough of a threat to be assasinated. Gorbachev, personally I think there were attempts on his life, but considering his would be assasins couldn't even kidnap him properly.... Andropov on the other hand wasn't useful (didn't take down Stalin and Beria) and could have been a great leader. I mean JFK was assasinated, why not LBJ?

Andropov was the head of KGB for a long time before he became the leader of USSR. With the support of KGB he was protected from secret assassinations much better than any other leader of USSR. Considering the fact that he was already pretty old when he took the power, I am absolutely do not believe that his death was not natural.

Andropov was the head of KGB for a long time before he became the leader of USSR. With the support of KGB he was protected from secret assassinations much better than any other leader of USSR. Considering the fact that he was already pretty old when he took the power, I am absolutely do not believe that his death was not natural.

Fair enough. I concede my argument. Does that mean I have to change my vote to Chernenko?

There's a reason why we were building suicidal weapons like the Davy Crockett (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett_(nuclear_device)), a nuclear mortar with a blast radius wider than it's firing range: because we were scared witless by just how large and how good the Soviet military was.


You're quite wrong about the usefulness of the Davy Crockett. It wasn't a mortar, it was a rocket launcher, and it had plenty of range to get beyond the Primary Blast Radius. Damn Interesting has an article on the weapon, but it's server seems to be having problems at the moment.

I voted for Khruschev, as he and Gorbachev were the only two reformers post Lenin, and things were already too far gone by the time Gorbachev got in. Khruschev was the man who could have saved the Soviet Union - and got canned for trying.