--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Remind me: who was the greater mass…" description: "\"Remind me: who was the greater mass murderer, Stalin or Hitler? Well, Stalin is thought to have been responsible for about 50 million deaths, and Hitle..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/368/boris-johnson-2701_achievement_remind-me-who-was-the-greater-mass-murde_1246099.jpg" --- # Remind me: who was the greater mass murderer, Stalin or… ![“Remind me: who was the greater mass murderer, Stalin or Hitler? Well, Stalin is thought to have been responsible for about 50 million deaths, and Hitler for a mere 25 million. What Hitler did in his concentration camps was equalled if not exceeded in foulness by the Soviet gulags, forced…” quote by Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/368/boris-johnson-2701_achievement_remind-me-who-was-the-greater-mass-murde_1246099.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/368/boris-johnson-2701_achievement_remind-me-who-was-the-greater-mass-murde_1246099.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/368/boris-johnson-2701_achievement_remind-me-who-was-the-greater-mass-murde_1246099.jpg) > “Remind me: who was the greater mass murderer, Stalin or Hitler? Well, Stalin is thought to have been responsible for about 50 million deaths, and Hitler for a mere 25 million. What Hitler did in his concentration camps was equalled if not exceeded in foulness by the Soviet gulags, forced starvation and pogroms. What makes the achievements of communist Russia so special and different, that you can simper around in a CCCP T-shirt, while anyone demented enough to wear anything commemorating the Third Reich would be speedily banged away under the 1986 Public Order Act?” [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He compares Stalin and Hitler, arguing Stalin’s death toll was higher and that Soviet atrocities were as vile as Nazi crimes, questioning why Soviet history is less condemned. **In simple terms:** Stalin killed more people than Hitler; both were brutal. Key Takeaway Recognize all historical atrocities equally. Themes history politics morality Mood critical thought‑provoking Type political historical When to use this quote - educational curricula - political discourse - memorial design Key Concepts totalitarianism comparative genocide public memory Questions to Reflect On - How should societies balance narratives of different regimes? - What criteria determine historical condemnation? A Different Perspective Simplifying complex histories can mislead. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Achievement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achievement/) [Cold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold/) [Cold war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold-war/) [Communist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communist/) [Concentration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration/) [Concentration camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration-camp/) [Concentration Camps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration-camps/) [Gulags](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gulags/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Murderer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murderer/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Russia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russia/) [Soviet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviet/) [Starvation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starvation/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“How could a large land empire thrive and dominate in the modern world without reliable access to world markets and without much recourse to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/how-could-a-large-land-empire-thrive-and-dominate-in-the-modern-world/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“If Stalin or Hitler arrested me and tossed me into one of those camps, I would carve words with my fingernails. If they cut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-wesselhoeft/if-stalin-or-hitler-arrested-me-and-tossed-me-into-one-of-those-camps/) [Conrad Wesselhoeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-wesselhoeft/) > [We got a wonderful present from Stalin and Hitler that they never meant to give us. We were immune for 60 years or so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/we-got-a-wonderful-present-from-stalin-and-hitler-that-they-never/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [The vital thing for me is to integrate the history from above with the history from below because only in that way can you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-beevor/the-vital-thing-for-me-is-to-integrate-the-history-from-above-with/) [Antony Beevor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-beevor/) > [There is no denying that Hitler and Stalin are alive today... they are waiting for us to forget, because this is what makes possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-wiesenthal/there-is-no-denying-that-hitler-and-stalin-are-alive-today-they-are/) [Simon Wiesenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-wiesenthal/) > [“I thought about my family. It was small by any standard, shrunken to a handful by Hitler, Stalin, and divorce.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-rojstaczer/i-thought-about-my-family-it-was-small-by-any-standard-shrunken-to-a/) [Stuart Rojstaczer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-rojstaczer/) > [Then, after the war it was impossible to travel, after so many years of Hitler and Stalin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gyorgy-ligeti/then-after-the-war-it-was-impossible-to-travel-after-so-many-years-of/) [Gyorgy Ligeti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gyorgy-ligeti/) > [“What Hitler and Stalin had in common was the same aspiration that animated the first inquisitors - the simple but deadly notion that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kirsch/what-hitler-and-stalin-had-in-common-was-the-same-aspiration-that/) [Jonathan Kirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kirsch/) > [The Jews, I find, are very, very selfish. They care not how many Estonians, Latvians, Finns, Poles, Yugoslavs or Greeks get murdered or mistreated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/the-jews-i-find-are-very-very-selfish-they-care-not-how-many/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [“Hitler and Stalin, are too big to let each other live in the same world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/time-inc/hitler-and-stalin-are-too-big-to-let-each-other-live-in-the-same-world/) Time Inc > [Men like Hitler and Stalin and their immediate lieutenants cannot plead in defence of their actions that these were justified by the accepted values…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-hurd/men-like-hitler-and-stalin-and-their-immediate-lieutenants-cannot/) [Douglas Hurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-hurd/) > [He thought of men like Hitler, Stalin, and Napoleon. All it took was a lot of seemingly decent people to put the wrong person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/he-thought-of-men-like-hitler-stalin-and-napoleon-all-it-took-was-a/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“Hitler and Stalin both accepted a late-nineteenth-century Darwinistic modification: progress was possible, but only as a result of violent struggle between races or classes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/hitler-and-stalin-both-accepted-a-late-nineteenth-century-darwinistic/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Among the nations of Earth in all its history, ours is one of the precious few that has not brought forth its Hitler, its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/among-the-nations-of-earth-in-all-its-history-ours-is-one-of-the/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [If you will not have God (and He is a jealous God), you should pay your respects to Hitler or Stalin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-will-not-have-god-and-he-is-a-jealous-god-you-should-pay-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Boris Johnson > [It's not reasonable for companies that have chief executives and board members who are paid very considerable sums to subsidise low pay through in-work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/it-s-not-reasonable-for-companies-that-have-chief-executives-and/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [The difference between Hitler's speeches and Churchill's speeches was that Hitler made you think he could do anything; Churchill made you think you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/the-difference-between-hitler-s-speeches-and-churchill-s-speeches-was/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [One thing you have got to do politically is to identify the ties that bind society together and try to strengthen them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/one-thing-you-have-got-to-do-politically-is-to-identify-the-ties-that/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [If we get outside the EU, if we leave the EU system, we will be relieved of a huge amount of unnecessary regulation that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/if-we-get-outside-the-eu-if-we-leave-the-eu-system-we-will-be/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [I'm afraid Sadiq Khan is completely wrong. The European Court of Justice is the supreme legal authority in our country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/i-m-afraid-sadiq-khan-is-completely-wrong-the-european-court-of/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [I would ban sweets from school - but this pressure to bring in healthy food is too much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/i-would-ban-sweets-from-school-but-this-pressure-to-bring-in-healthy/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [As a Scot Gordon Brown will find it hard to convince people in England he should be prime minister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/as-a-scot-gordon-brown-will-find-it-hard-to-convince-people-in/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [He is the resounding human rebuttal to all Marxist historians who think history is the story of vast and impersonal economic forces. The point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/he-is-the-resounding-human-rebuttal-to-all-marxist-historians-who/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [I believe in immigration. But I feel people think it would be better if there was an Australian-style points based system so we could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/i-believe-in-immigration-but-i-feel-people-think-it-would-be-better/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [The next Tory leader would have to unify his party and ensure that Britain stood tall in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/the-next-tory-leader-would-have-to-unify-his-party-and-ensure-that/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [This is not a time to quail, it is not a crisis, nor should we see it as an excuse for wobbling or self-doubt.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/this-is-not-a-time-to-quail-it-is-not-a-crisis-nor-should-we-see-it/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [Churchill decides from very early on that he will create a political position that is somehow above left and right, embodying the best points…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/churchill-decides-from-very-early-on-that-he-will-create-a-political/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [It is just flipping unbelievable. He is a mixture of Harry Houdini and a greased piglet. He is barely human in his elusiveness. Nailing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/it-is-just-flipping-unbelievable-he-is-a-mixture-of-harry-houdini-and/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [“My hero is the mayor in Jaws . He's a fantastic guy, and he keeps the beaches open, if you remember, even after it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/my-hero-is-the-mayor-in-jaws-he-s-a-fantastic-guy-and-he-keeps-the/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [Hitler showed the evil that could be done by the art of rhetoric. Churchill showed how it could help to save humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/hitler-showed-the-evil-that-could-be-done-by-the-art-of-rhetoric/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) [Explore all 153 Boris Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) ## More Achievement quotes > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [One achieves true human dignity only when one serves. Only he is great who subjects himself to taking part in the achievement of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-primo-de-rivera/one-achieves-true-human-dignity-only-when-one-serves-only-he-is-great/) Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera > [Needs cause motivation. Deep-rooted desires for esteem, affection, belonging, achievement, self-actualization, power, and control motivate us to push for what we want and need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorii-myers/needs-cause-motivation-deep-rooted-desires-for-esteem-affection/) [Lorii Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorii-myers/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [It's tragic what America has become because there is a great segment of society that now resents luxury and success and achievement by others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-leach/it-s-tragic-what-america-has-become-because-there-is-a-great-segment/) [Robin Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-leach/) > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/) Chaz Brenchley > [The main substantive achievement of neoliberalism has been to redistribute rather than to generate wealth and income.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harvey/the-main-substantive-achievement-of-neoliberalism-has-been-to/) [David Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harvey/) > [Every profession has an ideology and a drive for power that goes far beyond its achievements and it is the task of democracy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/every-profession-has-an-ideology-and-a-drive-for-power-that-goes-far/) [Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/) > [We have Internet now and people are not stupid. But it seems that some people are trying to push the same agenda of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/we-have-internet-now-and-people-are-not-stupid-but-it-seems-that-some/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [“If you find a way where there seems to be no way, that’s what we call miracle, not personal achievement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkwachukwu-ogbuagu/if-you-find-a-way-where-there-seems-to-be-no-way-that-s-what-we-call/) [Nkwachukwu Ogbuagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nkwachukwu-ogbuagu/) > [The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God's Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-carter/the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is-something-every-player-dreams-about-but/) [Gary Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-carter/) > [Cease speaking of enemies when an achievement can kindle a great light. Solitude will transmit the message better than the murmurs of crowds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-roerich/cease-speaking-of-enemies-when-an-achievement-can-kindle-a-great/) Nicholas Roerich > [Every scene is a challenge. There are technical challenges, but often it's the simplest challenge where you feel a sense of achievement when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-deakins/every-scene-is-a-challenge-there-are-technical-challenges-but-often/) [Roger Deakins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-deakins/) [Browse all 3,867 Achievement quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achievement/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Remind me: who was the greater mass murderer, Stalin or Hitler? Well, Stalin is thought to have been responsible for about 50 million deaths, and Hitler for a mere 25 million. What Hitler did in his concentration camps was equalled if not exceeded in foulness by the Soviet gulags, forced starvation and pogroms. What makes the achievements of communist Russia so special and different, that you can simper around in a CCCP T-shirt, while anyone demented enough to wear anything commemorating the Third Reich would be speedily banged away under the 1986 Public Order Act?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Boris Johnson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/remind-me-who-was-the-greater-mass-murderer-stalin-or-hitler-well/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Achievement" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/remind-me-who-was-the-greater-mass-murderer-stalin-or-hitler-well/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/368/boris-johnson-2701_achievement_remind-me-who-was-the-greater-mass-murde_1246099.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/368/boris-johnson-2701_achievement_remind-me-who-was-the-greater-mass-murde_1246099.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/368/boris-johnson-2701_achievement_remind-me-who-was-the-greater-mass-murde_1246099.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Remind me: who was the greater mass murderer, Stalin or Hitler? Well, Stalin is thought to have been…” — Boris Johnson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Boris Johnson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Remind me: who was the greater...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/remind-me-who-was-the-greater-mass-murderer-stalin-or-hitler-well/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/remind-me-who-was-the-greater-mass-murderer-stalin-or-hitler-well/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```