Death Of "uncle Joe".

[icecreamicecream]

I see from the papers one of the greatest statesmen and politicians of the 20th century died exactly 62 yeas ago today.

[vetuste_ennemi]

Followed later that year by a loyal friend and ally:
http://www.historyinanhour.com/2010/12/23/lavrenti-beria-summary/

[vetuste_ennemi]

I loved this book when I read it in my twenties:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Great-Terror-A-Reassessment/dp/1845951441

[icecreamicecream]

Both got a bad press,however they did what was best for the Soviet Union in the early part of the 20th century.

[vetuste_ennemi]

Notable achievements were the great agrarian reforms of the '30s.

[ToraToraTora]

the best thing that happenned for the soviet union happenned in 1989 mate. Joe was worse than Adolf.

[anotheoldgit]

icecreamicecream

/// Both got a bad press,however they did what was best for the Soviet Union ///

You have to be joking.

BERIA

*** A brutish, inhumane man, Lavrenti Beria declared in 1937 that enemies ‘of the party of Lenin and Stalin [would] be mercilessly crushed and destroyed’. He was true to his word and played a major role in Stalin’s Great Purges of the 1930s, sending countless numbers to the gulags or to be executed. Stalin called Beria ‘our Himmler‘. It was meant as a compliment. - See more at: ***

STALIN

*** One of the most powerful and murderous dictators in history, Stalin was the supreme ruler of the Soviet Union for a quarter of a century. His regime of terror caused the death and suffering of tens of millions ***

[icecreamicecream]

I thought you were an admirer of Maggie Thatcher,3T?Uncle Joe was the man of steel,And Lady T was the Iron lady.

[Peter Pedant]

Uncle Joe like Maggie Thatcher ?

not even the pinkest wettest liberal would say that

[vetuste_ennemi]

Do you do Russian, Pyotr?

[Peter Pedant]

Uncle Joe - apparently died from a subarachnoid haemorrhage and his blood pressure went thro the roof...

good one liners - if one lived to record them

One death is a tragedy - a million deaths are a statistic

[vetuste_ennemi]

Knock once for da, knock twice for nyet.

[Peter Pedant]

Hey other fun facts:

I betcha wonder what happened to Madame Chekhova ? She what married Anton Chekhov er the famous dramatist. Well her real name was Olga Knipper and she spent the war hobnobing with German Generals in berlin, Naughty Girl ! and then in 1945 popped up in the Kremlin besides said Uncle Joe because she had been a Russian agent all along !

[icecreamicecream]

the worst you can say about him and others was that they were a product of their times.

[Peter Pedant]

um no actually I can say worse than that....

[ToraToraTora]

you're on the steam tugs mate!

[icecreamicecream]

Both JS and MT did what they perceived at the time to be the best for their countries.And after their deaths were vilified for it.

[ToraToraTora]

.....I smell a rat, nice try farrier.

[icecreamicecream]

Sorry-"steam tugs"-"farrier"-You've lost me there,old boy.