Stalin: Triumph and Tragedy (ISBN 1842120263)

A Very Concise Biography:
There are literally hundreds of books on Joseph Stalin to choose from. But if you are looking for a basic entry-level book that is easy to read and for a low price, I would definitely recommend this one. Although this book is short (just a little over a hundred pages), it contains the most significant information about Stalin's personal and political life; his youth, early adulthood, rise to power, the insanity of his murderous crimes, his own personal paranoia and ultimately, his execrable death. Some of the events that are reported in this book are quite fascinating, in my opinion, which make this book a very interesting read. Stalin's relationship to his comrades and a few family members are also accounted. From my perspective, this enlightening biography on Stalin is perfect for those who don't have the time or motive to read an encyclopaedia-size book on the former dictator. I think that high school and College students will particularly enjoy reading this book. Fantastic work!

Too subjective but interesting:
I agree with a_reader_999 (review elsewhere on this page) that Mr. Volkogonov allows his judgement to be clouded by his own Leninist views, blames everything bad on Stalin, and like a lot of Marxists, still lives in denial. For someone having spent his whole life on something, accepting defeat can be a very giant step indeed, so one tends to be sympathetic, but it does not make for quality objective history writing. But minus the diatribes and the nitpicking, this work provides a lot of details for the history buff, and is also quite interesting reading.

Historical text, not a popular read:
The book is the detailed biography of Stalin. Not an easy read, it is probably more suited to be a dry academic reference text, rather than bedtime reading. But I enjoyed it. Starting and finishing it is tedious, the book is just too big. But each chapter may be read separately, depending on what topic interests you most. Assasination of Kirov, Stalin's disposal of colleagues on his way to power, his policies during war, Stalin's last years - these and other topics may be read separately. No historical book can be absolutely objective, and this one carries opinions and impressions of the author. There is very little personal input, though. And there is no hype that often accompanies bokks on tyrants. As I said, I like the book. I learned a lot and actually re-read a few chapters.

Good first post-glasnost Russian bio of Stalin, but a bit "heavy":
This book is four-star worthy because of Volkogonov's look inside Soviet archives and his insider position. Perhaps it sounds and reads a bit heavy not just because it's written at least somewhat to an academic office but also because it's reflecting Stalin's bureaucratic personality in that way. One of the best parts of this book was the chapters covering the period between the purges and Stalingrad, where we see just how paralyzed, thinned out and more the post-purge Red Army was. That said, I do agree with many reviewers that this book was a bit heavy, and more designed for professional use. And that said, I've got books far more footnoted, and one on the history of the Goths that has at least as many names unpronounceable by many modern American lips. It would be interesting to have a revised edition based on 20 more years of looks at the Soviet archives, and with better editing.

STALIN, HEART OF STEEL:
Harold Shukman is a professional historian, an Emeritus fellow of St. Anthony's College, Oxford University and a prolific author of major works on Rasputin, Stalin, Trotsky, and is an expert on the communist-socialist period of Russia in general. This 110-page work, published in 1999, is highly readable and covers its complex material with expert balance, selecting and compressing the extremely rich detail and competing interpretations (held to an absolute minimum) with ease. The overall impression is very factual and objective, the author's attitude to the man Stalin confined to very brief comment on pages 1 and 98. All in all this is an ideal introduction to the man and the period, suitable for GCSE (age 15/16) students, first year undergraduates, or the interested layman. Mr Shukman all but ignores the complexities of Soviet economic disasters, but this would require a much larger book. (Anyone interested in a selection of basics would do well to try `Basic Economics' by Thomas Sowell, professor of economics at Stanford University, a book which is an veritable education in itself. Anyone interested in professional analysis covering the period of Lenin's NEP to the point of Soviet collapse, by two top Soviet economists, would do well to consult `The Turning Point' by Shmelev & Popov (English translation, 1989).) It should also be borne in mind that the large bulk of previously secret archive materials of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (terminated: 1989) is still being declassified and carefully studied, so the fact that reports of these atrocities apparently get worse as the 21st century progresses is simply due to the process of the full truth taking time to get its boots on. In 2005 an analysis of the Soviet Gulag (concentration camps) gave a tally of 43 million Russians killed: 30 million died in the camps, 13 million died in the freezing transport trains en route. A good summary of the period of East German socialist tyranny has yet to come to my attention, but the 2006 German film on DVD `The Lives of Others' (Das Leben der Anderen) will do if you want a dramatic sample of life behind the Iron Curtain under der Stasi. Although the books in this series can seem expensive on a cost per page basis, it is the quality that counts, and as a fast overview they represent good value. This book on Stalin makes an interesting comparison to another in the series: `Mao Zedong' by Delia Davin. This is especially instructive in revealing some of the Soviet dominance of China in the twentieth century, which killed millions of peasants there too. But what really burns me is that socialists are so holier-than-thou. CONTENTS Chronology (birth of Stalin 1878, to death 1953) 1. Introduction Thumbnail sketch of his career, as the `outstanding mediocrity' 2. Beginnings 1878- : Georgia, home and education; Lenin and Trotsky; early criminal tendencies 3. Party worker 1903- : armed bank robbery; journalism; Bolsheviks and Mensheviks vie for party control 4. Power 1914- : war and Revolution; Molotov; the Red Guard, state and party apparatus set up, Cheka secret police; German-Soviet peace pact made at Brest-Litovsk in 1918 at huge cost to Russia Photographs: including his police mug-shot and one with an unpopular former colleague airbrushed out (the Marxist approach to history!) 5. Lenin's Heir 1918- : Lenin orders murder of Tsar and his family; Lenin's NEP (New Economic Policy); The Red Terror, Orthodox churches and priests destroyed, Stalin and Trotsky clash; peasant farmers suffer State collectivisation; Lenin dies; Trotsky deported; Stalin rules) 6. The Great Turn 1929- : kulak farmers resist State robbery of grain for the cities and are dekulakised by Stalin (class warfare!); millions starve or are killed by the NKVD secret police; first Five Year Plan for industrialisation; economists face firing squad for pointing out flaws in plans; Stalin's private life) 7. Stalin the Executioner The 1930s: State and party purges of opponents; the `Big Lie' re-writes history from Marxist view; Stalin aspires to become a god; law courts controlled by party; powers of NKVD secret police enlarged; Trotsky assassinated in 1940, in Mexico by NKVD using the `ice pick to the head' technique; 7 million enemies of the State shot; Moscow underground Metro opens - so it's not all bad then) 8. The Nation Revived 1939- : Nazism and Stalinism - mutually hostile but similar in many ways; Hitler and Stalin make secret pact to allow USSR to annex Polish, Ukrainian, and Baltic territory; Hitler invades USSR in 1941; war excuses any degree of Soviet tyranny over its own people; church partly restored to boost national feeling; Churchill declares existence of the `Iron Curtain' in 1946; communist party purge - 2000 shot in Leningrad; paranoia affects his judgement, retreats from public exposure; targets Jews to create a scapegoat; dies 1953; his top henchman Beria is executed by the new rulers Conclusion Russian memories today are short and selective - many hanker for the basics provided for all by Stalin but forget the starvations, fear of the Gulag, and injustice of the secret police. Notes (chapter references to more academic works and sources) Bibliography (main general sources, some by insiders, eg Molotov and Trotsky) So: people aren't equal, you can't make them equal, and it's wrong to try.