Stalin Vol. 2 : Waiting for Hitler, 1929-1941 by Stephen. Kotkin (2017, Hardcover)

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STALIN: WAITING FOR HITLER, 1929-1941 by Stephen. Kotkin (2017 HC){F4}.

About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherPenguin Publishing Group
ISBN-101594203806
ISBN-139781594203800
eBay Product ID (ePID)236072638

Product Key Features

Book TitleStalin Vol. 2 : Waiting for Hitler, 1929-1941
Number of Pages1184 Pages
LanguageEnglish
TopicRussia & the Former Soviet Union, Military / World War II, Presidents & Heads of State, Political
Publication Year2017
IllustratorYes
GenreBiography & Autobiography, History
AuthorStephen. Kotkin
FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height2.1 in
Item Weight58.3 Oz
Item Length9.5 in
Item Width6.5 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade
Dewey Edition23
Reviews"A well-written, finely detailed installment in a definitive biography--sure to receive many prize nominations this year." - Kirkus Starred review Praise for Stephen Kotkin's Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928 "Masterly.... Kotkin offers the sweeping context so often missing from all but the best biographies. In his introductory chapter he makes the lofty assertion that a history if Stalin Is akin to "a history of the world"... and he delivers not only a history of the late imperial Russia and of the revolution and early Soviet state, but also frequent commentary on the global geopolitics at play. [Stalin] presents a riveting tale, written with pace and aplomb. Kotkin has given us a textured, gripping examination of the foundational years of the man most responsible for the construction of the Soviet state in all its brutal glory. The first volume leaves the reader longing for the story still to come." -- The New York Times Book Review "Superb... Mr. Kotkin's volume joins an impressive shelf of books on Stalin. Only Mr. Kotkin's book approaches the highest standard of scholarly rigor and general-interest readability." -- The Wall Street Journal "This is a very serious biography that... is likely to well stand the test of time." --Richard Pipes, The New York Review of Books "An exceptionally ambitious biography... Kotkin builds the case for quite a different interpretation of Stalin--and for quite a few other things, too. The book's signature achievement... is its vast scope: Kotkin has set out to write not only the definitive life of Stalin but also the definitive history of the collapse of the Russian empire and the creation of the new Soviet empire in its place." --Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, "Monumental . . . Drawing on an astonishing array of sources, Kotkin paints a richly variegated portrait, delving into Stalin's peculiar personality even while situating him within the trajectories of Soviet history and totalitarianism more generally. . . Kotkin teases out his subject's contradictions, revealing Stalin as both ideologue and opportunist, man of iron will and creature of the Soviet system, creep who apparently drove his wife to suicide and leader who inspired his people. . . will surely stand for years to come as a seminal account of some of the most devastating events of the 20th century." -- The New York Times Book Review "A magisterial second entry in this multivolume biography. He integrates a massive body of newly available documents with extant scholarship, comprehensively detailing the development of the U.S.S.R. and the nature of Stalin's rule. . . Kotkin's account is a hefty challenge, but an eminently worthwhile one." - Publishers Weekly , starred review "A well-written, finely detailed installment in a definitive biography--sure to receive many prize nominations this year." - Kirkus, starred review Praise for Stephen Kotkin's Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928 "Masterly.... Kotkin offers the sweeping context so often missing from all but the best biographies. In his introductory chapter he makes the lofty assertion that a history if Stalin Is akin to "a history of the world"... and he delivers not only a history of the late imperial Russia and of the revolution and early Soviet state, but also frequent commentary on the global geopolitics at play. [Stalin] presents a riveting tale, written with pace and aplomb. Kotkin has given us a textured, gripping examination of the foundational years of the man most responsible for the construction of the Soviet state in all its brutal glory. The first volume leaves the reader longing for the story still to come." -- The New York Times Book Review "Superb... Mr. Kotkin's volume joins an impressive shelf of books on Stalin. Only Mr. Kotkin's book approaches the highest standard of scholarly rigor and general-interest readability." -- The Wall Street Journal "This is a very serious biography that... is likely to well stand the test of time." --Richard Pipes, The New York Review of Books "An exceptionally ambitious biography... Kotkin builds the case for quite a different interpretation of Stalin--and for quite a few other things, too. The book's signature achievement... is its vast scope: Kotkin has set out to write not only the definitive life of Stalin but also the definitive history of the collapse of the Russian empire and the creation of the new Soviet empire in its place." --Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, Praise for Stephen Kotkin's Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928 "Masterly.... Kotkin offers the sweeping context so often missing from all but the best biographies.  In his introductory chapter he makes the lofty assertion that a history if Stalin Is akin to "a history of the world"... and he delivers not only a history of the late imperial Russia and of the revolution and early Soviet state, but also frequent commentary on the global geopolitics at play. [Stalin] presents a riveting tale, written with pace and aplomb.  Kotkin has given us a textured, gripping examination of the foundational years of the man most responsible for the construction of the Soviet state in all its brutal glory.  The first volume leaves the reader longing for the story still to come." -- The New York Times Book Review   "Superb... Mr. Kotkin's volume joins an impressive shelf of books on Stalin. Only Mr. Kotkin's book approaches the highest standard of scholarly rigor and general-interest readability." -- The Wall Street Journal "This is a very serious biography that... is likely to well stand the test of time." --Richard Pipes, The New York Review of Books "An exceptionally ambitious biography... Kotkin builds the case for quite a different interpretation of Stalin--and for quite a few other things, too. The book's signature achievement... is its vast scope: Kotkin has set out to write not only the definitive life of Stalin but also the definitive history of the collapse of the Russian empire and the creation of the new Soviet empire in its place." --Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic  , "A magisterial second entry in this multivolume biography. He integrates a massive body of newly available documents with extant scholarship, comprehensively detailing the development of the U.S.S.R. and the nature of Stalin's rule. . . Kotkin's account is a hefty challenge, but an eminently worthwhile one." - Publishers Weekly , starred review "A well-written, finely detailed installment in a definitive biography--sure to receive many prize nominations this year." - Kirkus, starred review Praise for Stephen Kotkin's Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928 "Masterly.... Kotkin offers the sweeping context so often missing from all but the best biographies. In his introductory chapter he makes the lofty assertion that a history if Stalin Is akin to "a history of the world"... and he delivers not only a history of the late imperial Russia and of the revolution and early Soviet state, but also frequent commentary on the global geopolitics at play. [Stalin] presents a riveting tale, written with pace and aplomb. Kotkin has given us a textured, gripping examination of the foundational years of the man most responsible for the construction of the Soviet state in all its brutal glory. The first volume leaves the reader longing for the story still to come." -- The New York Times Book Review "Superb... Mr. Kotkin's volume joins an impressive shelf of books on Stalin. Only Mr. Kotkin's book approaches the highest standard of scholarly rigor and general-interest readability." -- The Wall Street Journal "This is a very serious biography that... is likely to well stand the test of time." --Richard Pipes, The New York Review of Books "An exceptionally ambitious biography... Kotkin builds the case for quite a different interpretation of Stalin--and for quite a few other things, too. The book's signature achievement... is its vast scope: Kotkin has set out to write not only the definitive life of Stalin but also the definitive history of the collapse of the Russian empire and the creation of the new Soviet empire in its place." --Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, "Monumental . . . Drawing on an astonishing array of sources, Kotkin paints a richly variegated portrait, delving into Stalin's peculiar personality even while situating him within the trajectories of Soviet history and totalitarianism more generally. . . Kotkin teases out his subject's contradictions, revealing Stalin as both ideologue and opportunist, man of iron will and creature of the Soviet system, creep who apparently drove his wife to suicide and leader who inspired his people. . . will surely stand for years to come as a seminal account of some of the most devastating events of the 20th century." -- The New York Times Book Review "It is the most gripping of reads, packed with epoch-shaking events and human tragedy. This volume sweeps through the collectivisation of agriculture and the mass famine of the early 1930s, the Great Terror of 1936-38, the outbreak of the second world war, the disastrous winter war against Finland, and the macabre diplomatic dance between Stalin and Hitler ahead of the Nazi invasion of June 1941. This is, as close as it is possible to imagine, the definitive biography of Stalin." -- Financial Times "Against all odds considering their grim topics, these Stalin volumes from Kotkin, in addition to being definitive, are the kind of infectiously entertaining that only comes from perfect match of topic and storyteller." - Open Letters Monthly "A magisterial second entry in this multivolume biography. He integrates a massive body of newly available documents with extant scholarship, comprehensively detailing the development of the U.S.S.R. and the nature of Stalin's rule. . . Kotkin's account is a hefty challenge, but an eminently worthwhile one." - Publishers Weekly , starred review "A well-written, finely detailed installment in a definitive biography--sure to receive many prize nominations this year." - Kirkus, starred review Praise for Stephen Kotkin's Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928 "Masterly.... Kotkin offers the sweeping context so often missing from all but the best biographies. In his introductory chapter he makes the lofty assertion that a history if Stalin Is akin to "a history of the world"... and he delivers not only a history of the late imperial Russia and of the revolution and early Soviet state, but also frequent commentary on the global geopolitics at play. [Stalin] presents a riveting tale, written with pace and aplomb. Kotkin has given us a textured, gripping examination of the foundational years of the man most responsible for the construction of the Soviet state in all its brutal glory. The first volume leaves the reader longing for the story still to come." -- The New York Times Book Review "Superb... Mr. Kotkin's volume joins an impressive shelf of books on Stalin. Only Mr. Kotkin's book approaches the highest standard of scholarly rigor and general-interest readability." -- The Wall Street Journal "This is a very serious biography that... is likely to well stand the test of time." --Richard Pipes, The New York Review of Books "An exceptionally ambitious biography... Kotkin builds the case for quite a different interpretation of Stalin--and for quite a few other things, too. The book's signature achievement... is its vast scope: Kotkin has set out to write not only the definitive life of Stalin but also the definitive history of the collapse of the Russian empire and the creation of the new Soviet empire in its place." --Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic
Dewey Decimal947.0842092
SynopsisPulitzer Prize-finalist Stephen Kotkin has written the definitive biography of Joseph Stalin, from collectivization and the Great Terror to the conflict with Hitler's Germany that is the signal event of modern world history In 1929, Joseph Stalin, having already achieved dictatorial power over the vast Soviet Empire, formally ordered the systematic conversion of the world's largest peasant economy into "socialist modernity," otherwise known as collectivization, regardless of the cost. What it cost, and what Stalin ruthlessly enacted, transformed the country and its ruler in profound and enduring ways. Building and running a dictatorship, with life and death power over hundreds of millions, made Stalin into the uncanny figure he became. Stephen Kotkin's Stalin: Waiting for Hitler, 1929-1941 is the story of how a political system forged an unparalleled personality and vice versa . The wholesale collectivization of some 120 million peasants necessitated levels of coercion that were extreme even for Russia, and the resulting mass starvation elicited criticism inside the party even from those Communists committed to the eradication of capitalism. But Stalin did not flinch. By 1934, when the Soviet Union had stabilized and socialism had been implanted in the countryside, praise for his stunning anti-capitalist success came from all quarters. Stalin, however, never forgave and never forgot, with shocking consequences as he strove to consolidate the state with a brand new elite of young strivers like himself. Stalin's obsessions drove him to execute nearly a million people, including the military leadership, diplomatic and intelligence officials, and innumerable leading lights in culture. While Stalin revived a great power, building a formidable industrialized military, the Soviet Union was effectively alone and surrounded by perceived enemies. The quest for security would bring Soviet Communism to a shocking and improbable pact with Nazi Germany. But that bargain would not unfold as envisioned. The lives of Stalin and Hitler, and the fates of their respective dictatorships, drew ever closer to collision, as the world hung in the balance. Stalin: Waiting for Hitler, 1929-1941 is a history of the world during the build-up to its most fateful hour, from the vantage point of Stalin's seat of power. It is a landmark achievement in the annals of historical scholarship, and in the art of biography.

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  • well worth reading.

    Excellent work on the evolution of Stalin into a monstrous dictator. An incredible look into life in the Soviet Union in the 1930's and that of its ruling class.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: New

  • Fascinating read

    Excellent book

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned

  • Item was nicely packed.

    Item was nicely packed.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned