Synopses & Reviews
A magnificent new biography that revolutionizes our understanding of Stalin and his world
The product of a decade of intrepid research, Stalin is a landmark achievement. Stephen Kotkin offers a biography that, at long last, is equal to this shrewd, sociopathic, charismatic dictator in all his dimensions. We see a man inclined to despotism who could be utterly charming; a pragmatic ideologue; a leader who obsessed over slights yet was a precocious geostrategic thinker, unique among Bolsheviks, and yet who made egregious strategic blunders. Through it all, we see Stalin's unflinching persistence, his sheer force of will,perhaps the ultimate key to understanding his indelible mark on history. Drawing on Kotkin's exhaustive study of Soviet archival materials as well as vast scholarly literature, Stalin recasts the way we think about the Soviet Union, revolution, dictatorship, the twentieth century, and indeed the art of history itself.
Review
"Authoritative and rigorous....Staggeringly wide in scope, this work meticulously examines the structural forces that brought down one autocratic regime and put in place another." Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Review
"Superb . . . Mr. Kotkin's volume joins an impressive shelf of books on Stalin. Only Mr. Kotkin's book approaches the highest standard of scholarly rigor and general-interest readability." The Wall Street Journal
Review
"A masterly account... Kotkin offers the sweeping context so often missing from all but the best biographies... Stalin is a complex work... but it presents a riveting tale, one written with pace and aplomb. Kotkin has given us a textured, gripping examination of the foundational years of the man most responsible for the construction of the Soviet state in all its brutal glory.... This first volume leaves the reader longing for the story still to come." The New York Times Book Review
Synopsis
A magnificent new biography that revolutionizes our understanding of Stalin and his world
The product of a decade of intrepid research, Stalin is a landmark achievement. Stephen Kotkin offers a biography that, at long last, is equal to this shrewd, sociopathic, charismatic dictator in all his dimensions. We see a man inclined to despotism who could be utterly charming; a pragmatic ideologue; a leader who obsessed over slights yet was a precocious geostrategic thinker unique among Bolsheviks and yet who made egregious strategic blunders. Through it all, we see Stalin s unflinching persistence, his sheer force of will perhaps the ultimate key to understanding his indelible mark on history. Drawing on Kotkin s exhaustive study of Soviet archival materials as well as vast scholarly literature, Stalin recasts the way we think about the Soviet Union, revolution, dictatorship, the twentieth century, and indeed the art of history itself.
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