How many Soviet republics were there?

I don't blame Stalin for everything (and I don't even know where you got that from). It's silly to blame Stalin alone for the deaths of millions. And who killed those millions? Just other people.
I'm not saying that you specifically blame Stalin. It's just that many people who excuse the atrocities of the communists tend to do this. They say, "It wasn't us, it was all Stalin."
And also, Sage, your comparison of communism and democracy isn't quite accurate. It's like comparing an orange to a rhinoceros. Which one is better? Democracy is a type of political regime (democratic, authoritarian, totalitarian), and communism is a socio-economic formation (primitive communal, slave-owning, feudal system, capitalism, communism). So, if communism is to be compared to anything in this case, it should be compared to capitalism.

Added 7 minutes later
Bloody? - yes. But do you know of any countries without bloody pages in their history? I'm not sighing because I think it would be nice to go back there, but because our current rulers don't want to do almost anything for the well-being and prosperity of their country.

Rulers, rulers... Sage, maybe a slightly rhetorical question: what have you... no, what have we, all those present on the forum, done for the prosperity of our country?