Synopses & Reviews
The terror and purges of Stalinandrsquo;s Russia in the 1930s discouraged Soviet officials from leaving documentary records let alone keeping personal diaries. A remarkable exception is the unique diary assiduously kept by Ivan Maisky, the Soviet ambassador to London between 1932 and 1943. This selection from Maiskyand#39;s diary, never before published in English, grippingly documentsand#160;Britainandrsquo;s drift to war during the 1930s, appeasement in the Munich era, negotiations leading to the signature of the Ribbentropandndash;Molotov Pact, Churchillandrsquo;s rise to power, the German invasion of Russia, and the intense debate over the opening of the second front.
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Maisky was distinguished by his great sociability and access to the key players in British public life. Among his range of regular contacts were politicians (including Churchill, Chamberlain, Eden, and Halifax), press barons (Beaverbrook), ambassadors (Joseph Kennedy), intellectuals (Keynes, Sidney and Beatrice Webb), writers (George Bernard Shaw, H. G. Wells), and indeed royalty. His diary further reveals the role personal rivalries within the Kremlin played in the formulation of Soviet policy at the time. Scrupulously edited and checked against a vast range of Russian and Western archival evidence, this extraordinary narrative diary offers a fascinating revision of the events surrounding the Second World War.
Review
"In this fascinating account of the events leading up to the June 22,1941 invasion of the Soviet
Union by Hitler's forces, Gorodetsky draws on established sources and newly available material to provide his interpretation of the machinations and thinking that preceded the fateful decision to attack. While it is obviously a work of historical research based on solid facts, the writing is thoroughly engrossing and agreeable to the point that the reader has the feeling of reading a novel rather than what could be a history textbook. In a very convincing manner, Gorodetsky argues that rather than being a successful surprise, and necessary, preemptive strike by Hitler that simply outwitted Stalin and his plans against Germany, the initial success of the attack was actually due to Stalin's genuine desire to remain at peace. Whether or not convinced by the arguments, the reader must be impressed by the author's research and reason. An important contribution." Reviewed by Andrew Witmer, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)
Synopsis
Highlights of the extraordinary wartime diaries of Ivan Maisky, Soviet ambassador to London
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 324-393) and index.
About the Author
Gabriel Gorodetsky is a Quondam Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, and emeritus professor of history at Tel Aviv University.