Stalin, by many people today, would be considered a horrible man who had caused much damage to the world. This, of course, is in modern terms. History has a way of reshaping the “morality” of events over a period of time. Take the Crusades for example. The majority of Europeans of the time largely agreed with their purpose. Now, however, they are seen as an abuse of power by a religious leader and an unfortunate loss of life. Will the same reversal in Stalin's point of view occur? After all, he completely reshaped a backward society. Since it is not possible to travel to the future, Stalin will be evaluated by acclaimed figures from the past. These people will not have any prejudice against Stalin in their ideals because they will not have known Stalin or the Soviet Union. However, their general opinions will not swing based on Stalin and therefore Stalin will be judged. Stalin will be evaluated by the following three illustrious historical intellectuals: Plato, Machiavelli and Sir James G. Frazer. The first person we will present to judge Stalin is the Athenian philosopher Plato. Plato, in his dialogue in the First Book of the Laws, suggests a very simple, but effective, test for selecting and educating men who can be trusted as statesmen. This test, which later became known as the wine test, supported Plato's views. It was not enough to simply be a wise ex-soldier, as many people believe that Plato singles them out as the most qualified. In the dialogue Plato states that drunkenness loosens a man's tongue, which gives the audience present an idea of ​​what he is really like. With this simple test, Plato would have readily supported Stalin. Stalin was known for drinking everyone else “under the table”. Indeed, Stalin absorbed much more than his British colleague, Sir Winston Churchill, and his successor, Khrushchev. Stalin, being Georgian, was very proud of being raised on a diet of mutton and wine and, as he grew up, found that wine was not potent enough, preferring to consume vodka. The wine, he said, was simply “juice.” Stalin, when drinking, rarely wavered from what he said when sober, proving himself to be a very consistent man. However, the people he had at his small meetings were not, and he often used the information obtained here to "purge" subsequent victims. Plato saw tasting wine not as a means of getting himself or others drunk, but instead loosening the tongue.