Depends on what scenario you're going with for the 1950's. If Ike wins, and Nixon succeeds him, you could have a Cuban Missile Crisis. The Bay of Pigs was doomed air-support and marines or not, as I've tried to hammer home in a thread some time ago, and which I'd rather avoid the details of because of the length of that argument. Such a scenario with Stalin would be scary to say the least. Then again, he could be a senile old puppet by that time, so it may not be too different outside of a US perspective that Stalin is running the show and is aggressive and crazy, while a coalition of saner people actual pull the strings and have his withered old fingers rubber stamp whatever they decide on.If you think it is scary having Nixon as president during the cuban missile crisis would be bad, try having Stalin. Of course, this is assuming that there would still be a cuban missile crisis, or a president kenedy.
If you think it is scary having Nixon as president during the cuban missile crisis would be bad, try having Stalin. Of course, this is assuming that there would still be a cuban missile crisis, or a president kenedy.
Stalin may not have been stupid, but he was aggressive and wouldn't cave in so easily. Khrushchev was willing to remove the missiles for the propaganda coup of saying "I saved Cuba from US invasion" (which Kennedy knew thanks to I believe it was the Ambassador to Russia who had stayed with Khrushchev at his home on and off for some years). Stalin may not care about such things, and therefore the strategy would be different. And don't forget that Kennedy originally had the mindset that they'd never get those missiles removed and they'd have to work around that, and with Stalin that may indeed have been the case.For all Stalin was a nasty piece of business, he wasn't stupid. He'd know he'd be screwed by attacking the US/NATO at that time, and would back off like Khrushchev.
He wasn't stupid, but he was insane. Of course, he also wasn't particularly aggressive, so I doubt he would really stand up all that hard to NATO.For all Stalin was a nasty piece of business, he wasn't stupid. He'd know he'd be screwed by attacking the US/NATO at that time, and would back off like Khrushchev.
I think it may have only been deportation, and I'm not sure of the validity of those claims either way.Wasn't Stalin preparing to kill the rest of the Jews right before he died?
Stalin moved from target to target with startling alacrity. I've looked through the relevant claims, and as far as I can see there's not nearly enough evidence to support the idea that he wasn't 'satisfied' by the 1945-1949 pogroms against Jews in the Soviet Union. If he lived to 1963 I can see him turning on them again at some point, but he wasn't that interested in OTL.I think it may have only been deportation, and I'm not sure of the validity of those claims either way.