It was weird reading Stalin for the first time, because I had gotten so used to reading Marx and Lenin. Those two were firebrands, constantly belittling their opponents, mocking people, using grandiose language. It's awesome.
So I expected Stalin to take that even further, since he's so much more widely demonized. I thought he was going to be flinging the spiciest insults I'd ever read. I was stoked.
I was kinda shocked to see he was actually very polite and chill compared to them. He wrote a lot more clearly too. I've read that one interview Stalin did with HG Wells a bunch of times. Wells is kinda rude to Stalin a bunch of times, and says a boatload of liberal claptrap. But Stalin just remains composed and even compliments Wells a few times. Stalin was way more respectful to his political opponents than Marx was to his allies lmao