Best Leader of the Soviet Union

[jokerman]

Stalin, once he fully embraced collectivization, did wonders with the Soviet economy.  I don't see how anyone, communist or capitalist, cannot recognize some merit in the advancements made by the Soviets before and during World War II and their spectacular recovery afterwards.  Ultimately his autarkic policies stimied the ability of the Soviet Union to grow at the pace of the U.S., certainly, but that wasn't soley of his own doing.

Khrushchev was awful, though.  His agricultural programs were complete disasters.  It's not as if central planning in this area was doomed to failure; he simply ignored any consideration of environmental sustainability whatsoever.