text: No, Stalin was a paltry excuse for a leader. Politically he failed to unify the minorities of the Soviet Union, instead focusing on persecution and forced Russianization. His foreign policy was horrible, his plans with Finland disasterous, and his look towards Western Europe miserable. Economically, he failed to take advantage of Russia's ever-growing wheat feilds, instead creating a ration system, which immediately led to starvation. He took total advantage of the Soviet satillite states after WWII without realizing their needs and desire for freedom. Militarily, he failed by using choking tactics (cramming as many troops to meet the enemy in hopes of winning through sheer numbers) without any real manuvering. His part in the invasion of Poland was considerably easy, as Poland was still using horses instead of tanks and cars. Although he ballooned the military in the pre- and post-war years, he was weary of insurrection and kept the army underfed, never realizing that a shabby army will eventually rebel. He took to scaring people, often to the point of bullying them, which is really the only way he'd get any work done.