Great video interview and documentary!    I am also passionate about this Russian history.   My wife is Russian.   One question I would have liked you to ask Dr. Stephen Kotlin is his estimation of Staline's education level.   Based on what I've heard is that he has no more than a high school level.   Staline wanted to study to become a priest but it didn't workout.   Staline had a profound hatred for intellectuals because he was not one, in fact he killed off many Russian intellectuals and upper class people.    Yes, Staline was a true believer of communism, but it's an appreciation from a uneducated, ignorant person.   How can a person with such limited intellect decide the best economic system of a big country like Russia?  This stupidity hurt Russian greatly.   One other aspect of Staline I would have like to ask Dr. Stephen Kotlin is about the obscure background of Staline.    Can Dr. Stephen Kotlin shed light about Staline's background?   How can a person like him be such efficient killer?,(reply>), @Jeannie Seibert I've seen many video biographies of Stalin and one thing that can't be hidden are his tens of millions of killings or deaths due to his policy.,(reply>), @Kirstin Strand Good point!   But a smart, above average person would not have adopted a policy of killing so many people to implement a "tough papa knows best policy....but papa only has secondary school education" that destroyed the bulk of social layers in Russia.   Do you know what that means?  He killed off many in the military that might compete with him for power that he almost made Russia lose the Second World War.   There were no competent officers left!   If it wasn't for one remaining competent general left that lead Russia to win against the Germans.   He surpasses Hitler as the biggest killer in history!   Stalin was certainly below average IQ.   He feared and despised all bourgeois, upper class people with education, culture, ...etc.   He wanted everyone to be like him or less than him, dumb, uneducated peasant.  That is not the mark of smart person.   Read Stalin history to see for yourself.    Whatever they say about him is only partial.   Even today, when they demolish old buildings across Russia," they often find old skeletons from the time of Stalin killings.           <a href=""https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugeUGnxvm_U&amp;t=526s"">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugeUGnxvm_U&amp;t=526s</a>",(reply>), I certainly know nothing about Stalin, but UNEDUCATED does not usually correlate with low IQ.