Stalin Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928 [Paperback]

A magnificent new biography that revolutionizes our understanding of Stalin and his world
 
The product of a decade of intrepid research,Stalinis a landmark achievement. Stephen Kotkin offers a biography that, at long last, is equal to this shrewd, sociopathic, charismatic dictator in all his dimensions. We see a man inclined to despotism who could be utterly charming; a pragmatic ideologue; a leader who obsessed over slights yet was a precocious geostrategic thinker—unique among Bolsheviks—and yet who made egregious strategic blunders. Through it all, we see Stalin’s unflinching persistence, his sheer force of will—perhaps the ultimate key to understanding his indelible mark on history. Drawing on Kotkin’s exhaustive study of Soviet archival materials as well as vast scholarly literature,Stalinrecasts the way we think about the Soviet Union, revolution, dictatorship, the twentieth century, and indeed the art of history itself.

Jennifer Siegel,The New York Times Book Review
“A masterly account... Kotkin offers the sweeping context so often missing from all but the best biographies...Stalinis a complex work... but it presents a riveting tale, one 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.... This first volume leaves the reader longing for the story still to come.”

Richard Pipes, The New York Review of Books:
“This is a very serious biography that… is likely to well stand the test of time.” 

The Wall Street Journal:
“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 generaló>