Stalin: A Biography by Robert Service
Overthrowing the conventional image of Stalin as an uneducated political administrator inexplicably transformed into a pathological killer, Robert Service reveals a more complex and fascinating story behind this notorious twentieth-century figure.
Drawing on unexplored archives and personal testimonies gathered from across Russia and Georgia, this is the first full-scale biography of the Soviet dictator in twenty years.
Service describes in unprecedented detail the first half of Stalin's life--his childhood in Georgia as the son of a violent, drunkard father and a devoted mother; his education and religious training; and his political activity as a young revolutionary. No mere messenger for Lenin, Stalin was a prominent activist long before the Russian Revolution. Equally compelling is the depiction of Stalin as Soviet leader. Service recasts the image of Stalin as unimpeded despot; his control was not limitless. And his conviction that enemies surrounded him was not entirely unfounded.
Stalin was not just a vengeful dictator but also a man fascinated by ideas and a voracious reader of Marxist doctrine and Russian and Georgian literature as well as an internationalist committed to seeing Russia assume a powerful role on the world stage. In examining the multidimensional legacy of Stalin, Service helps explain why later would-be reformers--such as Khrushchev and Gorbachev--found the Stalinist legacy surprisingly hard to dislodge.
Rather than diminishing the horrors of Stalinism, this is an account all the more disturbing for presenting a believable human portrait. Service's lifetime engagement with Soviet Russia has resulted in the most comprehensive and compelling portrayal of Stalin to date.
About the Author
Robert Service is a Fellow of the British Academy and of St Antony's College, Oxford. He has written several books, including the highly acclaimed Lenin: A Biography, Russia: Experiment with a People , Stalin: A Biography and Comrades: A History of World Communism, as well as many other books on Russia's past and present. Married with four children, he lives in London.
Format: Paperback | 715 pages
Dimensions (cm): 19.8 x 13 x 4.6 | 664g -
Publication Date: 01 Jan 2010
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Imprint: Pan
Publication City/Country: London, United Kingdom
Language: English
Illustrations note: b&w photos
Edition Number: 1
ISBN10: 1447201833
ISBN13: 9781447201830
Condition: Good
A book that has been read but is in good condition. Very minimal damage to the cover including minor creasing along the edges, but no holes or tears. The book is covered with a clear homemade plastic dust jacket that juts out very little along the edges. The majority of pages are undamaged with no creasing or tearing, no pencil underlining of text, and no highlighting of text. A previous owner has written their name and dated the title page in black pen, but no other writing in margins. No missing pages.