“Even in Stalin’s time there was collective leadership. The Western idea of a dictator within the Communist setup is exaggerated. Misunderstandings on that subject are caused by a lack of comprehension of the real nature and organization of the Communist’s power structure. Stalin, although holding wide powers, was merely captain of a team and Krushchev will be the new captain. However, it does not appear that any of the present leaders will rise to the stature of Lenin and Stalin, so that it will be safer to assume that development in Moscow will be along the lines of what is called collective leadership, unless Western policies force the Soviets to streamline their power organization. The present situation is the most favorable from the point of view of upsetting the Communist dictatorship since the death of Stalin.”
Direct quote from the CIA, never meant to be released to the public.
Stalin was a brutal, cruel leader. So was Andrew Jackson, who committed genocide against Indigenous Americans. Stalin was even more brutal than that. However, two things remain true:
People aren’t defending Stalin’s atrocities, nor desiring a system that gives people absolute power
This theoretical absolute power ML state has never existed.