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Stalin, Volume II
- Waiting for Hitler, 1929-1941
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 49 hrs and 44 mins
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-
Stalin, Volume I
- Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928
- Written by: Stephen Kotkin
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 38 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 58
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 50
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 48
Volume One of Stalin begins and ends in January 1928 as Stalin boards a train bound for Siberia, about to embark upon the greatest gamble of his political life. He is now the ruler of the largest country in the world, but a poor and backward one, far behind the great capitalist countries in industrial and military power, encircled on all sides. In Siberia, Stalin conceives of the largest program of social reengineering ever attempted.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Brilliant
- By Vladimir Zhivov on 2020-09-01
Written by: Stephen Kotkin
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Armageddon Averted
- The Soviet Collapse, 1970-2000
- Written by: Stephen Kotkin
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 11
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 9
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 9
Combining historical and geopolitical analysis with an absorbing narrative, Kotkin draws upon extensive research, including memoirs by dozens of insiders and senior figures, to illuminate the factors that led to the demise of Communism and the USSR. The new edition puts the collapse in the context of the global economic and political changes from the 1970s to the present day. Kotkin creates a compelling profile of post-Soviet Russia.
Written by: Stephen Kotkin
-
Mao
- The Unknown Story
- Written by: Jung Chang, Jon Halliday
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 29 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 51
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 44
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 44
Based on a decade of research and on interviews with many of Mao's close circle in China who have never talked before, and with virtually everyone outside China who had significant dealings with him, this is the most authoritative biography of Mao ever written.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent
- By Thor on 2019-02-24
Written by: Jung Chang, and others
-
Gulag
- A History
- Written by: Anne Applebaum
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 27 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 54
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 46
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 47
The Gulag - a vast array of Soviet concentration camps that held millions of political and criminal prisoners - was a system of repression and punishment that terrorized the entire society, embodying the worst tendencies of Soviet communism. In this magisterial and acclaimed history, Anne Applebaum offers the first fully documented portrait of the Gulag, from its origins in the Russian Revolution, through its expansion under Stalin, to its collapse in the era of glasnost.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Essential reading in today's times
- By Kendall L. Harding on 2022-04-10
Written by: Anne Applebaum
-
The Gulag Archipelago, Volume 1
- An Experiment in Literary Investigation
- Written by: Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 25 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 48
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 42
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 42
Volume 1 of the gripping epic masterpiece, Solzhenitsyn's chilling report of his arrest and interrogation, which exposed to the world the vast bureaucracy of secret police that haunted Soviet society. Features a new foreword by Anne Applebaum.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
A must read for the budding western communists
- By Aaron C on 2021-12-31
Written by: Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn
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The Third Reich at War
- Written by: Richard J. Evans
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 35 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 31
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 31
Evans interweaves a broad narrative of the war’s progress with viscerally affecting personal testimony from a wide range of people - from generals to front-line soldiers, from Hitler Youth activists to middle-class housewives. The Third Reich at War lays bare the dynamics of a nation more deeply immersed in war than any society before or since. Fresh insights into the conflict’s great events are here, from the invasion of Poland to the Battle of Stalingrad to Hitler’s suicide in the bunker.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Grim
- By RushFanForLife on 2021-06-18
Written by: Richard J. Evans
-
Stalin, Volume I
- Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928
- Written by: Stephen Kotkin
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 38 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 58
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 50
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 48
Volume One of Stalin begins and ends in January 1928 as Stalin boards a train bound for Siberia, about to embark upon the greatest gamble of his political life. He is now the ruler of the largest country in the world, but a poor and backward one, far behind the great capitalist countries in industrial and military power, encircled on all sides. In Siberia, Stalin conceives of the largest program of social reengineering ever attempted.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Brilliant
- By Vladimir Zhivov on 2020-09-01
Written by: Stephen Kotkin
-
Armageddon Averted
- The Soviet Collapse, 1970-2000
- Written by: Stephen Kotkin
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 11
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 9
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 9
Combining historical and geopolitical analysis with an absorbing narrative, Kotkin draws upon extensive research, including memoirs by dozens of insiders and senior figures, to illuminate the factors that led to the demise of Communism and the USSR. The new edition puts the collapse in the context of the global economic and political changes from the 1970s to the present day. Kotkin creates a compelling profile of post-Soviet Russia.
Written by: Stephen Kotkin
-
Mao
- The Unknown Story
- Written by: Jung Chang, Jon Halliday
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 29 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 51
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 44
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 44
Based on a decade of research and on interviews with many of Mao's close circle in China who have never talked before, and with virtually everyone outside China who had significant dealings with him, this is the most authoritative biography of Mao ever written.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent
- By Thor on 2019-02-24
Written by: Jung Chang, and others
-
Gulag
- A History
- Written by: Anne Applebaum
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 27 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 54
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 46
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 47
The Gulag - a vast array of Soviet concentration camps that held millions of political and criminal prisoners - was a system of repression and punishment that terrorized the entire society, embodying the worst tendencies of Soviet communism. In this magisterial and acclaimed history, Anne Applebaum offers the first fully documented portrait of the Gulag, from its origins in the Russian Revolution, through its expansion under Stalin, to its collapse in the era of glasnost.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Essential reading in today's times
- By Kendall L. Harding on 2022-04-10
Written by: Anne Applebaum
-
The Gulag Archipelago, Volume 1
- An Experiment in Literary Investigation
- Written by: Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 25 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 48
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 42
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 42
Volume 1 of the gripping epic masterpiece, Solzhenitsyn's chilling report of his arrest and interrogation, which exposed to the world the vast bureaucracy of secret police that haunted Soviet society. Features a new foreword by Anne Applebaum.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A must read for the budding western communists
- By Aaron C on 2021-12-31
Written by: Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn
-
The Third Reich at War
- Written by: Richard J. Evans
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 35 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 31
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 31
Evans interweaves a broad narrative of the war’s progress with viscerally affecting personal testimony from a wide range of people - from generals to front-line soldiers, from Hitler Youth activists to middle-class housewives. The Third Reich at War lays bare the dynamics of a nation more deeply immersed in war than any society before or since. Fresh insights into the conflict’s great events are here, from the invasion of Poland to the Battle of Stalingrad to Hitler’s suicide in the bunker.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Grim
- By RushFanForLife on 2021-06-18
Written by: Richard J. Evans
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Red Famine
- Stalin's War on Ukraine
- Written by: Anne Applebaum
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 17 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 91
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 82
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Story5 out of 5 stars 82
In 1929 Stalin launched his policy of agricultural collectivization - in effect a second Russian Revolution - which forced millions of peasants off their land and onto collective farms. The result was a catastrophic famine, the most lethal in European history. At least five million people died between 1931 and 1933 in the USSR. But instead of sending relief, the Soviet state made use of the catastrophe to rid itself of a political problem.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A must read
- By Amazon Customer on 2018-04-09
Written by: Anne Applebaum
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One Nation Under Blackmail, Vol. 1
- The Sordid Union Between Intelligence and Crime that Gave Rise to Jeffrey Epstein
- Written by: Whitney Alyse Webb
- Narrated by: Grace Noble
- Length: 18 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7
Volume one of One Nation Under Blackmail traces the origin of the network behind Jeffrey Epstein and his associates to the merging of organized crime and intelligence networks during World War II, following their most notable activities through the decades.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Convoluted Garbage
- By Huggy Bear Johnson on 2023-08-02
Written by: Whitney Alyse Webb
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Social Justice Fallacies
- Written by: Thomas Sowell
- Narrated by: Brad Sanders
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 23
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 19
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Story5 out of 5 stars 19
The quest for social justice is a powerful crusade of our time, with an appeal to many different people, for many different reasons. But those who use the same words do not always present the same meanings. Clarifying those meanings is the first step toward finding out what we agree on and disagree on. From there, it is largely a question of what the facts are. Social Justice Fallacies reveals how many things that are thought to be true simply cannot stand up to documented facts, which are often the opposite of what is widely believed.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Well researched and much needed viewpoint.
- By Terry on 2023-10-02
Written by: Thomas Sowell
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Collapse
- The Fall of the Soviet Union
- Written by: Vladislav M. Zubok
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 23 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 11
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 11
In 1945, the Soviet Union controlled half of Europe and was a founding member of the United Nations. By 1991, it had an army four million strong, 5,000 nuclear-tipped missiles, and was the second biggest producer of oil in the world. But soon afterward, the union sank into an economic crisis and was torn apart by nationalist separatism. Its collapse was one of the seismic shifts of the 20th century.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A phenomenal history of the dissolution of the USSR
- By Anonymous User on 2023-05-24
Written by: Vladislav M. Zubok
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The Romanovs
- 1613-1918
- Written by: Simon Sebag Montefiore
- Narrated by: Simon Beale
- Length: 28 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 42
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 37
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 36
This is the intimate story of 20 tsars and tsarinas, some touched by genius, some by madness, but all inspired by holy autocracy and imperial ambition. Simon Sebag Montefiore's gripping chronicle reveals their secret world of unlimited power and ruthless empire building, overshadowed by palace conspiracy, family rivalries, sexual decadence, and wild extravagance, with a global cast of adventurers, courtesans, revolutionaries, and poets, from Ivan the Terrible to Tolstoy and Pushkin.
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1 out of 5 stars
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the worst audiobook I have ever encountered
- By Wade Nelson on 2023-06-02
Written by: Simon Sebag Montefiore
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The Russian Revolution
- Written by: Richard Pipes
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 41 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 9
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 7
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Story5 out of 5 stars 7
Groundbreaking in its inclusiveness, enthralling in its narrative of a movement whose purpose, in the words of Leon Trotsky, was "to overthrow the world", The Russian Revolution draws conclusions that aroused great controversy. Richard Pipes argues convincingly that the Russian Revolution was an intellectual, rather than a class, uprising; that it was steeped in terror from its very outset; and that it was not a revolution at all but a coup d'etat - "the capture of governmental power by a small minority."
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5 out of 5 stars
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Worth it!
- By Jonathan Lalonde on 2020-08-24
Written by: Richard Pipes
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Ardennes 1944
- The Battle of the Bulge
- Written by: Antony Beevor
- Narrated by: Sean Barrett
- Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 26
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 22
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Story5 out of 5 stars 22
On December 16, 1944, Hitler launched his "last gamble" in the snow-covered forests and gorges of the Ardennes in Belgium, believing he could split the Allies by driving all the way to Antwerp and forcing the Canadians and the British out of the war. Although his generals were doubtful of success, younger officers and NCOs were desperate to believe that their homes and families could be saved from the vengeful Red Army approaching from the east. Many were exultant at the prospect of striking back.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent.
- By James De Dood on 2023-01-21
Written by: Antony Beevor
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The Last Empire
- The Final Days of the Soviet Union
- Written by: Serhii Plokhy
- Narrated by: Alex Wyndham
- Length: 15 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 8
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7
On Christmas, 1991, President George H. W. Bush addressed the nation to declare an American victory in the Cold War: Earlier that day Mikhail Gorbachev had resigned as the first and last Soviet president. The enshrining of that narrative, one in which the end of the Cold War was linked to the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the triumph of democratic values over communism, took center stage in American public discourse immediately after Bush's speech and has persisted for decades. As Serhii Plokhy reveals, the collapse of the Soviet Union was anything but the handiwork of the US.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Detailed account of events leading to fall of USSR
- By Charles Martin on 2022-04-27
Written by: Serhii Plokhy
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The Civil War: A Narrative, Volume I, Fort Sumter to Perryville
- Written by: Shelby Foote
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 42 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 40
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 34
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 34
The Civil War: A Narrative, Volume 1 begins one of the most remarkable works of history ever fashioned. All the great battles are here, of course, from Bull Run through Shiloh, the Seven Days Battles, and Antietam, but so are the smaller ones: Ball's Bluff, Fort Donelson, Pea Ridge, Island Ten, New Orleans, and Monitor versus Merrimac.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Comprehensive narrative for involved listeners
- By Matt on 2017-10-16
Written by: Shelby Foote
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Iron Curtain
- The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1944-1956
- Written by: Anne Applebaum
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 26 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 19
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 17
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 17
At the end of World War II, the Soviet Union to its surprise and delight found itself in control of a huge swath of territory in Eastern Europe. Stalin and his secret police set out to convert a dozen radically different countries to Communism, a completely new political and moral system. In Iron Curtain, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anne Applebaum describes how the Communist regimes of Eastern Europe were created and what daily life was like once they were complete.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant and Informative
- By Josiah Logozar on 2021-03-30
Written by: Anne Applebaum
-
Stalin's War
- A New History of World War II
- Written by: Sean McMeekin
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 24 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 23
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 17
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 17
World War II endures in the popular imagination as a heroic struggle between good and evil, with villainous Hitler driving its events. But Hitler was not in power when the conflict erupted in Asia. His armies did not fight in multiple theaters, his empire did not span the Eurasian continent, and he did not inherit any of the spoils of war. That central role belonged to Joseph Stalin. Drawing on ambitious new research in Soviet, European, and US archives, Stalin’s War revolutionizes our understanding of this global conflict by moving its epicenter to the east.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Very well written and interesting, but bias
- By Paul M. Gareau on 2021-10-27
Written by: Sean McMeekin
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The Collapse of the Third Republic
- An Inquiry into the Fall of France in 1940
- Written by: William L. Shirer
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 48 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 26
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 24
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 23
As an international war correspondent and radio commentator, William L. Shirer didn't just research the fall of France. He was there. In just six weeks, he watched the Third Reich topple one of the world's oldest military powers - and institute a rule of terror and paranoia. Based on in-person conversation with the leaders, diplomats, generals, and ordinary citizens who both shaped the events of this time and lived through them on a daily basis, Shirer shapes a compelling account of historical events - without losing sight of the personal experience.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent
- By Kindle Customer on 2023-08-12
Written by: William L. Shirer
Publisher's Summary
Pulitzer Prize finalist Stephen Kotkin continues his definitive biography of Stalin, from collectivization and the Great Terror through to the coming of the conflict with Hitler's Germany that is the signal event of modern world history.
When we left Stalin at the end of Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928, it was 1928, and he had finally climbed the mountaintop and achieved dictatorial power of the Soviet empire. The vastest peasant economy in the world would be transformed into socialist modernity, whatever it took. What it took, or what Stalin believed it took, was the most relentless campaign of shock industrialization the world has ever seen.
This is the story of the five-year plans, the new factory towns, and the integration of an entire system of penal labor into the larger economy. With the Great Depression throwing global capital into crisis, the Soviet Union's New Man looked like nothing so much as the man of the future. As the shadows of the '30's deepen, Stalin's drive to militarize Soviet society takes on increasing urgency, and the ambition of Nazi Germany becomes the predominant geopolitical reality he faces when Hitler claims that communism is a global "Judeo-Bolshevik" conspiracy to bring the Slavic race to power.
But just because they're out to get you doesn't mean you're not paranoid. Stalin's paranoia is increasingly one of the most horrible facts of life for his entire country. Stalin's obsessions drive him to violently purge almost a million people, including military leadership, diplomatic corps, and intelligence apparatus, to say nothing of a generation of artistic talent. And then came the pact that shocked the world and demoralized leftists everywhere: Stalin's pact with Hitler in 1939, the carve-up of Poland, and Stalin's utter inability to see Hitler's buildup to the invasion of the USSR.
Yet for all that, in just 12 years of total power, Stalin has taken this country from a peasant economy to a formidable modern war machine that rivaled anything else in the world. When the invasion came, Stalin wasn't ready, but his country would prove to be prepared. That is a dimension of the Stalin story that has never adequately been reckoned with before, and it looms large here. Stalin: Waiting for Hitler: 1929-1941 is, like its predecessor, nothing less than a history of the world from Stalin's desk. It is also, like its predecessor, a landmark achievement in the annals of its field and in the biographer's art.
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What listeners say about Stalin, Volume II
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Josiah Logozar
- 2022-06-14
Detailed and Informative
Informative and presented in a play by play format. Paul Hecht's narration is perfectly fine.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mymonkeykitty
- 2022-06-14
Detailed, atmospheric
Very detailed examination of Stalin's consolidation and terrors. It's usefulness is in presenting a feel for the buildup and tensions prior to major conflict. Analogues to current conflict between Russia and Ukraine abound, only role reversed.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Benjamin Casey
- 2018-06-22
If you want the almost literal play by play account
Overall —-If you are already knowledgeable of other parts of USSR history and want a detailed account of this time period (29-41) this is your book. Be warned , this book is heavy on facts and is not in a narrative format (Tuchman or Beevor style ). What it does do is hit you with so many facts that you paint your own detailed picture of events . I feel like I hung out in the “Little Corner” and came to grasp a rich knowledge of this time period . So what I basically mean is I’m a history teacher and this kind of book is my cup of tea. But I would probably not recommend this book to any of my 11th grade students who might have a passing interest in the subject where this book will really “spark” their interest . You want to read this book ,if like me , you just have a thirst for deeper knowledge of this time period .
What you will learn ——This book has a rhythm to it that, if you can , you can really ride with to eventually come away in the end with an extremely well rounded knowledge of Stalin/USSR (is there really a difference)?
I came into this book with a lot of Soviet WWII-1989 knowledge . If you are like me , you always heard That in Soviet WWII history Stalin conducted a truly massive purge of Officers just before the war and as we all know it had some real exquisite outcomes for the Red Army in 1941. So basically I read this book because, what the hell were the purges all about ? This book will give you a vivid and detailed picture of how this horror movie quality shit went down .
You also get a very good insight into Soviet culture and how Stalin basically controlled all aspects of it . The author made a profound point that that the Soviet Central Government was more than just that , it was Wall Street , and Hollywood, and the newspapers , and the books , and the school lessons . And , if you do not already know this , Stalin in this time period could honestly declare “I am the State” . The dude micromanaged the USSR to levels I never considered . Stalin controlled virtually everything , and everyone .
The author also did a tremendous job of covering the build up to WWII up until June 22 41’, from the often unconsidered Soviet point of view AKA Stalin . You may have always wondered the exact details of these questions :
-Why exactly did the Soviets want Finland? What was the Winter War?
-How did the collectivization of farming and agriculture actually go ?
-How did Stalin choose who to purge ?
- how were Soviet forces deployed in June 1941?
-How did that little weezle Hitler surprise attack the USSR? What the hell was Stalin thinking ?
-What were all those 1930s border clashes with the Japanese in Manchuria all about?
- How did Stalin react to Germany’s first round K.O of France ?
- What did Stalin want out of the brewing conflicts and early stages of WWII? Expansion or peace ?
I could write more but maybe that sparked your Interests.
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16 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Good Morning London
- 2018-03-04
Would Be Riveting if Better Read
This superb narrative is poorly served by the reader whose monotone blunts the impact of a story of high drama and global consequence. At times I had to replay portions because the narrator’s delivery had put me in a daze so I’d missed significant observations or events. The material in the book itself is essential to understanding one of history’s most diabolical men and how a nation could succumb to authoritarianism.
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9 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- John
- 2018-02-04
A Mind Altering Achievement
A Mind Altering Achievement (My Mind; Professor Kotkin's achievement): 'Cannot recommend this book more highly.
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Paul in Towson, MD
- 2018-08-09
Started a bit slow ... then grabs
As reviewers of the print version noted, this volume is chronological, which means that conceptually distinct events are often juxtaposed in the narrative. It seemed odd at first, but as events progressed, it worked. Details of Stalin’s collectivizations and accompanying famines, subsequent purges and then his actions leading up to the Nazi invasion in 1941 are meticulous detailed, horrifying, and engrossing. The author makes his case that Stalin was motivated by a combination of twisted ideology and personal paranoia and insecurity. I look forward to volume 3.
Narration is good — occasionally the narrator breaks up sentences in the wrong place.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- kay
- 2018-09-07
well done
amazing. detailed. a great look into the dark mind of a giant. highly recommend
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dana
- 2018-08-22
Superb
Masterful and fascinating look at power. Prof. Kotkin again shows how biography and history can be one.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- History For History’s Sake
- 2018-06-29
A Brilliant Biography of Stalin & the Soviet Regime
This is an utterly brilliant, even handed and well written biography of the late despot. Though you could also call it a comprehensive biography of the Soviet regime as well from 1929 - 1941. This is definitely not for those new to the subject, as it requires a lot of background knowledge. Yet for those in the know, it is stuffed full of both political and personal knowledge of Stalin that had never been brought to light prior. I wait patiently for volume three.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jorge Santos
- 2018-04-10
Excellent Scholarship
An amazing text, in every respect, and well read, which is impressive given the number of foreign names and terms.
NOT for casual readers, but the depth means you do not need much background knowledge.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- brian
- 2018-01-18
Another look at Stalin, but, with more info.
It adds a lot to things about his rule I already know, and it does it well.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jim hines
- 2023-12-06
Excellent work. Worth every dime.
I really love the new information that I was never taught in college. What is also interesting is the items that were left out. Looks like the crap I was fed really was wrong.
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