"The other interesting thing about studying Stalin is that very few people liked him enough to hide his dirty laundry after he died."
I think that comes naturally, if everyone important around him, had to fear for their life for years. One wrong look, or just one bad mood of the great leader - and someone gone again. They never knew what to expect, when being summoned, praise or prison - and that was intentional. Absolute power. Reign of terror. And always in paranoid fear, of a plot against the great leader.
I think there was a great relief in the inner circles, with his death.
"The First Circle" by Solzhenitzyn is a great read. The caricature of Stalin in that book is absurd, I am not talking about that.
There is a historical character Abakumov [1], and in one of his reflections, (from my memory) he rues the fact that he was inducted into the inner circle of Stalin. One moment of displeasure, and he could be gone. And there is no way out of the inner circle other than perhaps, death.
Mikoyan, the guy who started the aircraft design bureau, was the only one in Stalin's inner circle to stay there the whole time, not get executed and have a good career in the next administration after Stalin died. He was the ultimate political survivor.
I think that comes naturally, if everyone important around him, had to fear for their life for years. One wrong look, or just one bad mood of the great leader - and someone gone again. They never knew what to expect, when being summoned, praise or prison - and that was intentional. Absolute power. Reign of terror. And always in paranoid fear, of a plot against the great leader.
I think there was a great relief in the inner circles, with his death.