Stalin - The Court of the Red Tsar
(2003)
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Front Cover |
Book Details |
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Genre |
Non-Fiction |
Subject |
Heads of state - Soviet Union - Biography; Soviet Union - History - 1925-1953; Stalin, Joseph, 1879-1953 |
Publication Date |
2003 |
Format |
Hardcover |
Publisher |
Knopf |
Extras |
Dust Jacket; Dust Jacket Cover |
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Description |
Fifty years after his death, Stalin remains a figure of powerful and dark fascination. The almost unfathomable scale of his crimes -- as many as 20 million Soviets died in his purges and infamous Gulag -- has given him the lasting distinction as a personification of evil in the twentieth century. But though the facts of Stalins reign are well known, this remarkable biography reveals a Stalin we have never seen before as it illuminates the vast foundation -- human, psychological and physical -- that supported and encouraged him, the men and women who did his bidding, lived in fear of him and, more often than not, were betrayed by him. |
Personal Details |
Store |
Barnes & Noble |
Purchase Price |
$14.95 |
Condition |
As New |
Rating |
0 |
Links |
Library of Congress
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Product Details |
LoC Classification |
DK268.S8 M573 2003 |
Dewey |
947.084/2/092 B |
ISBN |
9780307291448 |
Cover Price |
$30.00 |
First Edition |
No |
Rare |
No |
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Notes/Review |
This biography of Stalin emphasizes his interactions with his closest associates and their families.
My goal in reading this was to get a better idea of who these associates were: Beria, Molotov, Malenkov, Khruschev, Kalinin, and so on. Any student of Soviet history knows their names. But to me, they all pale in comparison to Stalin. Even after finishing the book, they're all more or less interchangeable cardboard cutouts for me. Toadies, ever anxious to please their master, willing to do or say anything, at first to gain Stalin's favor, then to preserve their own skins.
I found the book well written and entertaining. It was thoroughly researched, including many interviews with the children and grand children of all the major figures.
Contains photos, index, notes, and an extensive bibliography. |
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