Richie begins with the premise that Stalin's Russia was a Communist regime. It wasn't. It was a Facist regime. They are NOT the same thing at all.

Joseph Stalin was a corrupt bureaucrat that warped the Socialist ideals of Marx and Lenin (and other Marxists) into a totalitarian regime where the state controlled absolutely everything. Communism by default is highly against a state even existing. Stalin was not a Communist or a Socialist by any means. He was a fascist and used force to control everyone and everything.

The only difference between Stalin and Hitler was Stalin did not kill people because they were of a certain race. Hitler was a facist who tried eliminating Jews, Poles, homosexuals, Poles, and others.