Synopses & Reviews
Philip Pomper's
Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin examines the psychology and political interactions of three men who played a central role in shaping the Soviet Union. Pomper first discusses Lenin's personal and political development to the time of his emergence as leader of Russian Social Democracy. He then introduces Trotsky and Stalin. In each case, he shows the impact of family history and adolescent experiences upon political commitment.
Pomper places his subject in the events of late Imperial Russia, with special focus on the intersection of the biographies of the three men with the revolutionary subculture and the mass explosions of 1905 and 1917. He uses valuable new information on Lenin and Stalin, documents from Trotsky's and Max Eastman's archives, and writings of émigrés and dissidents. His skillful integration of these three figures, his original interpetations, and his lucid writing style make Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin engaging, illuminating, and significant.
Review
"A well-written, original, and significant contribution to the history of Bolshevism, based on a wealth of new archival materials and the new insights of psychology...a major rethinking of the lives of Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin." Robert Williams, Davidson College