Good books on Stalin

Panzer Leader · Post by **Panzer Leader** » 20 Jul 2006 04:06

Does anyone know of any good books on Stalin?

Uncle Joe · Post by **Uncle Joe** » 20 Jul 2006 21:20

"Stalin" by Simon Sebag-Montefiore is OK as is Edvard Radzinski´s Stalin bio. The former is definitely more objective and the latter seems to allow poetic license to take over objectivity (he is a playwriter). BTW, one Russian person I had a chance to meet was very furious over Radzinski´s work as "every Russian name ending with "-nski" is Jewish". So claimed she.

Panzer Leader · Post by **Panzer Leader** » 02 Aug 2006 00:20

When were these written?

Kunikov · Post by **Kunikov** » 02 Aug 2006 04:07

"Stalin: Triumph and Tragedy" by Dmitri Volkogonov, excellent biography.

Kim Sung · Post by **Kim Sung** » 02 Aug 2006 09:06

'Stalin and His Hangmen' : The Tyrant and Those Who Killed for Him by Donald Rayfield

This is a wonderful book on Stalin.

Richard Hargreaves · Post by **Richard Hargreaves** » 02 Aug 2006 19:59

I'll second the Volkogonov book. Excellent. Sebag-Montefiore's is a good read, but not a typical biography. If you can find a copy, Bialer's Stalin & His Generals, is an excellent anthology of Soviet war memoirs.

V67 · Post by **V67** » 19 Jan 2007 05:03

Try: "Stalin in Power- The Revolution from Above, 1928-1941" Robert Tucker.
"The Great Terror- A Reassessment" Robert Conquest.
"Hitler and Stalin" Alan Bullock, a good comparison.

Regards.

Panzer Leader · Post by **Panzer Leader** » 20 Jan 2007 06:37

VANCEPOLK wrote:Try: "Stalin in Power- The Revolution from Above, 1928-1941" Robert Tucker.
"The Great Terror- A Reassessment" Robert Conquest.
"Hitler and Stalin" Alan Bullock, a good comparison.

Regards.

I've heard of Hitler and Stalin. So maybe I will try to get it at Borders tomorrow.

Marcus · Post by **Marcus** » 22 Jan 2007 19:03

A discussion on Robert Conquest now has a thread of its own.

/Marcus

Qvist · Post by **Qvist** » 23 Jan 2007 18:20

Montefiore's book is in my opinion quite sensational, in that it has been written with access to Stalin's personal archives. Very well worth a read.

cheers

Hanski · Post by **Hanski** » 30 Apr 2007 14:41

I just finished reading "The Court of the Red Czar" http://www.simonsebagmontefiore.com/sta ... dtsar.aspx .

It is actually quite interesting to have a human face to this monster of a dictator, and I think Montefiore's tracking of his whole life gives a useful perspective to the various dimensions of his personality. Changing the angle of view is quite refreshing for those who only look Stalin as a WWII adversary.

Some Russian members of the Forum have belittled the value of Montefiore's book, saying he is not a trained historian. But can significant factual historical errors really be pointed out in the contents of this book?

Boby · Post by **Boby** » 30 Apr 2007 14:51

Outdated, but very good work: Stalin, by Maximilien Rubel.

Mikko H. · Post by **Mikko H.** » 06 May 2007 17:38

There's a recent biography by Robert Service, and if it's anything like his bio of Lenin, it's bound to be excellent.

I've had the book for almost two years now, but still haven't had the opportunity to read it!

Soon, soon...

Nicolas7507 · Post by **Nicolas7507** » 12 Feb 2023 13:52

Did anyone read the bio by Antonow-Owssejenko?

DT-SC · Post by **DT-SC** » 12 Feb 2023 15:46

Antonov’s book is completely outdated. It was written without access to archives and now is interesting only as historical artifact

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Good books on Stalin

Good books on Stalin

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