>>23008
>Made me wonder how different things would have played out if someone removed him.

It depends on time and who would replace him. For example, Beria was a pretty liberal person (in original sense of course) and may do many different reforms to USSR, although he was part of Stalin's team and would be removed from power at any anti-Stalin coup (and it happened).

Considering Stalin's Jewishness - it is hard to tell. Of course there is always a theory that every ruler of USSR/Russia (and not only) was a Jew. But for Stalin proofs are pretty weak (Khazarian ancestry, Jewish wifes, "Koba" nickname), although it is debatable, and many proofs look suspicious.