We often argue over who is the "best" ruler in ASOIAF—Stannis (duty), Daenerys (idealism), or Aegon V (reform). But we miss the fundamental point GRRM makes through Arya at Harrenhal or when discussing the smallfolk: Feudalism is the horror.
The real "good guy" isn't the king who is honorable; it's the one who burns the entire system down to stop the wheel. That, folks, is Stalin. Or specifically, the ideology Stalin represents, applied to Westeros.
Here is why a Stalin-like figure is the only "good" choice for the realm.
The Seven Kingdoms are stuck in a medieval stalemate. Lords like Tywin Lannister or Randyll Tarly thrive on the oppression of the peasantry. A ruler who plays the game of thrones—Daenerys or Aegon—just replaces one set of oppressors with another.
Stalin's "Five Year Plan" isn't about communism; it's about industrialization via centralization. A ruler who purges the high-born (the lords) and installs "commissars" (smallfolk administrators, or perhaps intelligent Maesters) directly accountable to the Iron Throne is the only way to end the "feudal boot at their neck".
Everyone calls Stalin paranoid, similar to how we see Aerys Targaryen or Cersei. But ASOIAF is a world where everyone is plotting to kill you. Tywin Lannister is a war criminal who ordered the slaughter of a baby.
Stalin’s purges weren’t just cruelty; they were a total dismantling of potential rival power structures (the Boyars/the Great Houses). If Stalin were on the Iron Throne, Tywin would be fed to a dragon by book 2, and the "game of thrones" would end because the players would be dead.
We love characters who struggle with morality. But "power resides where men believe it resides." The only way to stop the "cycle of systemic violence" is with overwhelming, absolute violence that makes further violence impossible.
Stalin is the ultimate "Ruthless Ruler" trope, acting without conscience to secure a better future for the smallfolk, much like how Daenerys thinks she needs to "break the wheel" to help the slaves. He is the ultimate "ends justify the means" character.
In a world of Lannisters, Boltons, and Freys, a ruthless dictator isn't the villain—they are the only thing protecting the smallfolk from the chaos of Westeros. The "Man of Steel" is the only one who can destroy the Iron Throne and build something better on its ashes.
The Westerosi feudal system is too broken to be reformed by a "good" ruler. Only a Stalin-like figure who wipes out the nobility can truly "break the wheel."