Under Stalin’s leadership the Soviet Union went from a backward, semifeudal, destitute, beaten, trammeled, exploited, poverty-stricken basket case of pitiful peasants with a horrendous illiteracy rate enduring medical conditions that were little short of appalling to unquestionably the second most advanced nation on earth.  By the time of Stalin’s demise in 1953 the Soviet Union was an economic, political, and military powerhouse.  In fact it had advanced so far so rapidly that the United States became very alarmed and instituted a period of fascist repression euphemistically called the McCarthy Era to silence its domestic supporters.
         In virtually every category the improvement in the lives of the Soviet people was little short of fantastic when you consider the obstacles they overcame and what they had to work with.  And they did it despite the devastation brought upon the Soviet Union by WWI, the Civil War, the Intervention to save the Whites, and the horribly destructive Fascist invasion by approximately 280 divisions.  Fourteen allied powers and the whites destroyed what they could during the Civil War and the Intervention and the fascists destroyed or stole everything they could from Stalingrad to Leningrad in WWII.  And the Soviet people made all these advancements without draining the mass of humanity for everything they could get.  That is an achievement almost beyond belief.
         When people mention that lines existed in the Soviet Union they should note that the majority of mankind would be happy just to have a queue to stand in.  And 10% of the capitalist world does not usually stand in a queue because the other 90% does.  The Soviet Union made all of its gains, especially under Stalin's superb leadership, WITHOUT stealing everything they could obtain in the process from other nations.  On the other hand, for even one capitalist nation to live well, approximately 9 others have to live little better than animals, a ratio that is an excellent rule of thumb.  That is why, for example, the entire Western Hemisphere of this planet south of the Rio Grande is little more than a sewer in which you run from oasis to oasis through a sea of garbage, excluding Cuba, of course.
         Failure to realize the accomplishments of Stalin and the incredible number of lies that have been devised against him is a tremendous mistake.  Indeed, what man in history has had more lies, half-truths, innuendos, insinuations, accusations, and slanders written about him than Koza.  All with good reason of course, because the bourgeoisie are well aware of the fact that one would have a tremendous task trying to find a man who did more to successfully combat world capitalism.  When you look back over the 20th century a couple of facts stand out boldly.  With the exception of Cuba, the socialist world gained every square foot under Stalin’s leadership and has not gained a square foot since he died.  Indeed, the trend has been in precisely the opposite direction ever since his demise giving rise eventually to the Soviet Union’s collapse.
         What marks the Left today is the pathetic situation in which it finds itself as a result of having left Stalin/Lenin's philosophy.  From a world wide powerhouse encompassing 1/3 of humanity at the apex of Stalin's leadership it has deteriorated to a small group of powers and organizations trying to merely retain what they already possess, nearly all of which was gained while Stalin was leading or was obtained from those who Stalin aided.  That is an incredible record of which any man who ever led a nation could be proud and one that puts to shame Stalin’s detractors, nearly all of whom haven't accomplished anything more stunning than leading a strike.