i remember my father was very sceptical about Stalin's bad press. you see during the war - he had a very good press - being our ally.

the sharp reversal caught a lot of people off guard.

however when you consider the enormity of his nastiness - i think the jury came in on him quite a while back. i suppose when his brother was hanged by the czar's men, it must have exounged a lot of human feeling from him.