Stalin, Vol. I: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928
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- Author：Stephen Kotkin
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Summary
A magnificent new biography that revolutionizes our understanding of Stalin and his world
It has the quality of myth: A poor cobbler’s son， a seminarian from an oppressed outer province of the Russian empire， reinvents himself as a revolutionary and finds a leadership role within a small group of marginal zealots。 When the old world is unexpectedly brought down in a total war， the band seizes control of the country， and the new regime it founds as the vanguard of a new world order is ruthlessly dominated from within by the former seminarian until he stands as the absolute ruler of a vast and terrible state apparatus， with dominion over Eurasia。 But the largest country in the world is also a poor and backward one， far behind the great capitalist countries in industrial and military power， encircled on all sides。 Shortly after seizing total power， Stalin conceives of the largest program of social reengineering ever attempted: the root-and-branch uprooting and collectivization of agriculture and industry across the entire Soviet Union。 To stand up to the capitalists he will force into being an industrialized， militarized， collectivized great power is an act of will。 Millions will die， and many more will suffer， but Stalin will push through to the end against all resistance and doubts。 Where did such power come from？ We think we know the story well。 Remarkably， Stephen Kotkin’s epic new biography shows us how much we still have to learn。
The product of a decade of scrupulous and intrepid research， Stalin contains a host of astonishing revelations。 Kotkin gives an intimate first-ever view of the Bolshevik regime’s inner geography， bringing to the fore materials from Soviet military intelligence and the secret police。 He details Stalin’s invention of a fabricated trial and mass executions as early as 1918， the technique he would later impose across the whole country。 The book places Stalin’s momentous decision for collectivization more deeply than ever in the tragic history of imperial Russia。 Above all， Kotkin offers a convincing portrait and explanation of Stalin’s monstrous power and of Russian power in the world。 Stalin restores a sense of surprise to the way we think about the former Soviet Union， revolution， dictatorship， the twentieth century， and indeed the art of history itself。
It has the quality of myth: A poor cobbler’s son， a seminarian from an oppressed outer province of the Russian empire， reinvents himself as a revolutionary and finds a leadership role within a small group of marginal zealots。 When the old world is unexpectedly brought down in a total war， the band seizes control of the country， and the new regime it founds as the vanguard of a new world order is ruthlessly dominated from within by the former seminarian until he stands as the absolute ruler of a vast and terrible state apparatus， with dominion over Eurasia。 But the largest country in the world is also a poor and backward one， far behind the great capitalist countries in industrial and military power， encircled on all sides。 Shortly after seizing total power， Stalin conceives of the largest program of social reengineering ever attempted: the root-and-branch uprooting and collectivization of agriculture and industry across the entire Soviet Union。 To stand up to the capitalists he will force into being an industrialized， militarized， collectivized great power is an act of will。 Millions will die， and many more will suffer， but Stalin will push through to the end against all resistance and doubts。 Where did such power come from？ We think we know the story well。 Remarkably， Stephen Kotkin’s epic new biography shows us how much we still have to learn。
The product of a decade of scrupulous and intrepid research， Stalin contains a host of astonishing revelations。 Kotkin gives an intimate first-ever view of the Bolshevik regime’s inner geography， bringing to the fore materials from Soviet military intelligence and the secret police。 He details Stalin’s invention of a fabricated trial and mass executions as early as 1918， the technique he would later impose across the whole country。 The book places Stalin’s momentous decision for collectivization more deeply than ever in the tragic history of imperial Russia。 Above all， Kotkin offers a convincing portrait and explanation of Stalin’s monstrous power and of Russian power in the world。 Stalin restores a sense of surprise to the way we think about the former Soviet Union， revolution， dictatorship， the twentieth century， and indeed the art of history itself。
Reviews
Pablo
，
wow
James
，
An amazing accomplishment for Dr。 Kotkin。 I learned an enormous amount from this work， but still feel that a lot of it was over my head。 I definitely recommend this book for its coverage of Stalin， the historical era， and an understanding of the geopolitics around WW1 and the Bolshevik Revolution。
Ron Jensen
，
Did not finish。 Interesting initially， then got into far more detail than I was interested in about power struggles in the nascent communist party。
Zorka Zamfirova
，
Čitati，koga zanima tema。。。ovo je odlična knjiga。 Teraj dalje。。。
Alex Reinhart
，
It's a gigantic book， first off。 But if you could only read one biography of Stalin， this is an excellent one！ It's good for people with less of an understanding of Soviet history， in that it lays out a lot in narrative form。Can't wait to read Volume 2， although may wait a few weeks。 It's a gigantic book， first off。 But if you could only read one biography of Stalin， this is an excellent one！ It's good for people with less of an understanding of Soviet history， in that it lays out a lot in narrative form。Can't wait to read Volume 2， although may wait a few weeks。 。。。more
Maciek
，
Fascinating。。。Magisterial。。。Comprehensive and challenging but beautifully written and fascinating。。。Can't wait to read Part 2。 Fascinating。。。Magisterial。。。Comprehensive and challenging but beautifully written and fascinating。。。Can't wait to read Part 2。 。。。more
Matt
，
I’m puzzled by the general rating of this bio on Goodreads。 3。71 makes no sense to me when this is easily one of the better biography/history books I’ve read。 A deserved five-star rating。 Stephen Kotkin knows his subject and he masters the art of history with his contextualization of events which coalesce around Joseph Stalin。 Undeniable scholarship coupled with sharp writing。
Andrew Canfield
，
Dictators always come with intriguing back stories， and Ioseb Jugashvili's path to power certainly meets this qualification。 Historian Stephen Kotkin has written a work of astonishing depth on the Soviet leader's rise to top post in the Communist Party， with volume one of three laying out the initial steps of this ascension。Like Hitler in Austria and Napoleon in Corsica， the future Stalin was not born in the country he would one day come to associate himself with。 The son of a cobbler of humble Dictators always come with intriguing back stories， and Ioseb Jugashvili's path to power certainly meets this qualification。 Historian Stephen Kotkin has written a work of astonishing depth on the Soviet leader's rise to top post in the Communist Party， with volume one of three laying out the initial steps of this ascension。Like Hitler in Austria and Napoleon in Corsica， the future Stalin was not born in the country he would one day come to associate himself with。 The son of a cobbler of humble means from Gori， a town in the Russian satellite of Georgia， the future Stalin initially was enrolled in a Tiflis （Georgia） seminary。 This was one of many paradoxes along the way to his rule of a highly secular state。 The book does an excellent job tracking Ioseb's turn to a life of politics， an arc intimately connected to many Russian's disdain for the Romanov dynasty。 The repressive nature of the czar and his entourage， combined with disaffection over his handling of the Great War， led to the downfall of the Romanov family in 1917。 Stalin （who also adopted the nicknames Koba and Soso） entered the activism arena by organizing unions and worker strikes， a path which led to him rising in the ranks of the fledgling Communist Party。 He even dabbled in outlawry during this early part of his life， a mistake which was used against him during efforts to attain a leadership position at the Soviet General Congresses。The subsequent war between the White Russians and Red Russians， which saw Stalin throwing his weight behind support of the Reds， is delved into toward the book's middle section。 Kotkin must have spend countless hours gathering information on this fractious conflict and weaving it together with the storyline of Stalin's ascent to General Secretary of the ultimately victorious Soviets。 He deserves credit for effortlessly making this happen。Paradoxes of Power delves into all the key players of the October 1917 revolution， with Vladimir Lenin becoming the first leader during the scramble to figure out what came next after the fall of czardom。 Much of this volume explains the back-and-forth between both Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin to become the top Lenin acolyte， with numerous schisms happening with each successive Congress of Soviets。The New Economic Plan （NEP） was a particular point of contention between Trotsky and Lenin。 This debate over how to handle grain procurements in the Soviet satellites turned into a proxy fight over how far to go in jettisoning any form of capitalism。 Stalin was more reticent than Trotsky to completely do away with all market incentives， a position which caused him to be viewed with suspicion among the more farther left Bolsheviks。 Many of the latter viewed him as more of an opportunist while looking at Trotsky as a true believer in rule by the proletariat。 Lenin's death in 1924 led to an intraparty fight over who would become the Soviet standard bearer， a fight Stalin would end up winning （thanks to his better grasp of internal politicking） and which would result in Trotsky's ejection from the party。 Stalin never let an opportunity pass to contrast his humble proletarian origins with Trotsky's more high born upbringing， although he fought for years to get out of the shadow of the Lenin Testament。 This letter， supposedly written by Lenin and containing within it criticism of Stalin as well as a wish for him to resign from the party， was ruthlessly used by Stalin's opponents to claim he was not within the good graces of the since deceased godfather of Communism。A second paradox outlined in the book was Stalin's willingness to be both ideological yet flexible enough to see outcomes bend to his will， and another was the manner in which the autocracy of czardom eventually was replaced with autocracy in the form of Communist dictatorship。 Czar Nicholas's secret police， despised as they were by Russians， were soon replaced by the arbitrariness of the OGPU。A fair warning: some readers might find the long-winded passages on 1920s internal Soviet politics boring。 But they are chock full of background information about Stalin frenemies like Lev Komunev and Grigory Zinoviev， two men who engaged in brass-knuckled political combat within the Soviet Congresses to eliminate Trotsky's influence。 Genrikh Yagoda's work as chief of Soviet secret police; Alexie Rykov's ultimately unsuccessful efforts to push back against Stalin's economic plans; Marxist economist Nikolia Buharin's attempts to shape post-World War One economic policy; Paradoxes of Power expertly weaves a roster of Soviet apparatchiks into a tale of backstabbing and paranoia。 Stalin's personal life manages to work its way into the storyline throughout this lengthy volume。 Stalin's first wife Kato Svanidze passed from tuberculosis after just a year of marriage， while his second marriage to Nadezhda Alliluyeva seems downright loveless。 What he appears to lack as a husband is only amplified when it comes to his performance as a father， which can （charitably） be called emotionally neglectful。 Stalin certainly does not come across as a sentimental person in either his public or private persona， a criticism leveled at him even by otherwise fawning Communist Party officials。The 1928 Shakhty Trials featured prominently toward the end of volume one。 These were put on to punish alleged "wreckers"， foreign engineers working in Russia who were intentionally sabotaging efforts to industrialize the country。 Stalin's obsession with blaming capitalist outsiders for shortcomings within the Soviet Union were previewed early with these trials。 Paradoxes of Power outlined this very paradox: the Bolshevik's desire to see their country industrialize frequently ran up against the necessity this created， given Russia's shortage of skilled workers， of relying on other capitalist countries to supply the needed machinery and expertise to make this leap to industrialism a success。 The clumsy， paranoid post-World War One foreign policy created by a lack of clarity in how to play countries like Germany， France， and England off one another cost Russia tremendous credibility as the Communists sought to blaze a path forward。Volumes two and three in this trilogy will be worthwhile investments of time even if they are only halfway as engaging as this one。 Stephen Kotkin went over Stalin's initial years with a fine tooth comb， putting his story within the context of the October Revolution and the broader story of Russia feeling its way out in a brave new world。 The impressive sense of time and place as well as the strong grasp of Stalin's personal journey create a deeply informative book with tremendous appeal to anyone who loves learning about twentieth century history， Russian or otherwise。-Andrew Canfield Denver， Colorado 。。。more
Rebecca Doss
，
Stephen Kotkin’s Stalin: Paradoxes of Power， 1878-1928 attempts a “history of the world from Stalin’s office，” and in some aspects it lives up to this aspiration。 Kotkin focuses on contingency， noting the national， transnational， and personal factors that affected Stalin’s early life and rise to power in Soviet Russia。 Stalin， he claims， carried his ideological beliefs into his political life， shaping all his decisions but， most importantly， his collectivization of land。 This action would not ha Stephen Kotkin’s Stalin: Paradoxes of Power， 1878-1928 attempts a “history of the world from Stalin’s office，” and in some aspects it lives up to this aspiration。 Kotkin focuses on contingency， noting the national， transnational， and personal factors that affected Stalin’s early life and rise to power in Soviet Russia。 Stalin， he claims， carried his ideological beliefs into his political life， shaping all his decisions but， most importantly， his collectivization of land。 This action would not have happened without Stalin’s convictions， an idea which is explored extensively in the coda， “If Stalin Had Died。” The Coda is a counterfactual exploration into Stalin’s role in the beginnings of the Soviet Union， claiming that he was the hinge upon which that period of Russian history turned。 Likewise， Kotkin’s book is centered around the unique circumstances that were both created by and experienced by Stalin。 tKotkin is clearly well-versed in the historiography of Stalin， which is vast， as he acknowledges and often counters prevailing narratives of Stalin’s life。 This work is detailed and， in many ways， factually comprehensive， and the broad scope of his research is helpful to understanding not just Stalin and Russia， but their relationship to the rest of the world。 The first section， which is primarily focused on Stalin’s early life， claims that his childhood was not the primary factor in his development， and that the abuse at the hands of his father was not unique in the time period。 He claims that childhood trauma is overemphasized by other scholars， and Stalin “voice[d] no special anger at his parents or his early life experiences。” Kotkin also seeks to dispel the myth of Stalin’s excessive childhood violence， claiming that fights and wrestling matches were common in his hometown。 Combating legends and current ideas about the Russian leader is a consistent feature in Kotkin’s work， and he asserts his interpretations authoritatively。 tHis sources， though quantitatively impressive， fall prey to qualitative issues。 Kotkin acknowledges that he relies heavily on certain secondary sources， such as Aleksandr Ostrovskii’s work， although he notes that Russian archives are notoriously difficult to access， and he certainly does not neglect the use of primary sources。 However， some of his sources are questionable or conspicuously absent。 While his familiarity with the subject lends itself to relying on his own knowledge， his use of counterfactuals is often unsupported yet presented with certainty。 Some of his sources are also subtly critical in an attempt to hide his bias towards other disciplines and historians， such as when he states （in a footnote） that “the political science literature on the causes of war entered a cul-de-sac…from which it has not fully emerged。” His sources， when they are included， reveal many of his personal opinions which he presents in the body of the work as fact。 tKotkin’s work is rife with detail as well as speculation， and he occasionally shows a lack of respect for previous historians despite acknowledging his reliance on secondary sources。 He seems to believe he is addressing a popular audience， yet readers looking for a biography of Stalin find themselves bogged down in details unrelated to him。 For academics this kind of contextualization is valuable， but the work would be better presented as an analysis of Stalin’s world rather than the man himself。 Other characters in the narrative， such as Durnovó， Troksky， and even Lenin are left without depth， despite being key players in the circumstances surrounding Stalin’s rise。 Kotkin’s most consistent weakness， however， is the amount of speculation under the guise of counterfactualism and his assertions as to the validity of his own ideas at the expense of other historians， such as his refutation of E。H。 Carr’s statement regarding the influence of circumstance， which Kotkin calls “utterly， eternally wrong。” Many historical interpretations are strongly opposed by Kotkin， yet he often lacks the evidence to prove his point to the contrary。 tStalin: Paradoxes of Power is a massive work which successfully explores the global and national context of Stalin’s rise to power while struggling with the analysis of the Russian leader himself。 Kotkin undermines many of his own claims about Stalin: he says that Stalin was ordinary， yet unique; he was common， yet genius; his rise was the result of a series of contingencies， yet the course of the Soviet Union depended solely on his involvement。 As an analysis of Stalin’s world， the book is thorough and full of useful information， but as a biography of Stalin， it lacks the same strength。 。。。more
Matt
，
kotkin legit has a fetish for calling trotsky a “lightning rod”
Ryan Groesbeck
，
This was really good （though also very， very long）！ An excellent character study， summed up beautifully at the end : "Closed and gregarious， vindictive and solicitous， Stalin shatters any attempt to contain him within binaries。 He was by inclination a despot who， when he wanted to be， was utterly charming。 He was an ideologue who was flexibly pragmatic。 He fastened obsessively on slights yet he was a precocious geostrategic thinker - unique among Bolsheviks - who was， however， prone to egregious This was really good （though also very， very long）！ An excellent character study， summed up beautifully at the end : "Closed and gregarious， vindictive and solicitous， Stalin shatters any attempt to contain him within binaries。 He was by inclination a despot who， when he wanted to be， was utterly charming。 He was an ideologue who was flexibly pragmatic。 He fastened obsessively on slights yet he was a precocious geostrategic thinker - unique among Bolsheviks - who was， however， prone to egregious strategic blunders。 Stalin was as a ruler both astute and blinkered， diligent and self-defeating， cynical and true believing。" Apart from that， this book did a lot of heavy lifting dismantling previous opinions I had held about Trotsky as kind of the "anti-Stalin"。 What if Trotsky had won the power struggle after Lenin's death instead of Stalin， is a question I think is frequently asked。 This book does a very good job of demonstrating how impossible that was。 Trotsky was an excellent polemicist， but was terrible at making or keeping friends/allies， or building any kind of patronage network。 He was， like Mark Antony， an excellent #2 man who incorrectly thought he could be a #1。 Flighty and opinionated， Trotsky could make bold anti-Stalin speeches。。。but not tell his allies ahead of time so they could be in a position to profit from it。 He could promise his allies that he was totally with them。。。and then the next day at a party meeting fold like a wet sponge， sell them out， and endorse the party line。 How do you work with someone like that？ I am certain after reading this that Stalin did not only win this power struggle。。。Trotsky also actively lost it。 。。。more
Adrian Delgado
，
The picture Kotkin paints of the man to be known as Stalin， is one that is complicated， multi-dimensional， and built around context of time and place as opposed to the usual essentialism employed to render any deeper analysis of the man as futile。 Excellent scholarship by an excellent historian。
Ryan Janus
，
Definitely one for history buffs。 I actually listened to the audiobook version of it （over 30 hours！）， which may prejudice my rating somewhat。 I'm usually pretty good at concentrating on audiobooks， both fiction and non-fiction， but I found my attention wandering somewhat。 This book was certainly thorough， and I'll probably read part II whenever it comes out。 But other biographies I've read of historical politicians read more like a storybook so that the readers relate to the protagonist and fol Definitely one for history buffs。 I actually listened to the audiobook version of it （over 30 hours！）， which may prejudice my rating somewhat。 I'm usually pretty good at concentrating on audiobooks， both fiction and non-fiction， but I found my attention wandering somewhat。 This book was certainly thorough， and I'll probably read part II whenever it comes out。 But other biographies I've read of historical politicians read more like a storybook so that the readers relate to the protagonist and follow the narrative more easily in their heads。 This book reads more like a textbook。 It's for fans of 20th century history who want a one-stop-shopping place to absorb everything they possibly can on Josef Stalin。 But if you're a casual readers and hobbyist history buff like me， be warned that this book will tax your attention span。 。。。more
Tom Brennan
，
Thorough。 That's the word。 Thorough。 Too thorough。 To study and learn the man is it really necessary to hear the history of the mid 1920s inter Communist Party power struggles in mind-numbing， intricate， minute detail？ I don't think so。 On the other hand， you are assured that nothing important has been left out primarily because everything possibly that could be included has been included。 I do plan to purchase/read the other volumes of this series as they become available。 I have read some abou Thorough。 That's the word。 Thorough。 Too thorough。 To study and learn the man is it really necessary to hear the history of the mid 1920s inter Communist Party power struggles in mind-numbing， intricate， minute detail？ I don't think so。 On the other hand， you are assured that nothing important has been left out primarily because everything possibly that could be included has been included。 I do plan to purchase/read the other volumes of this series as they become available。 I have read some about Stalin， but not as much as I have Mao or Hitler， his 20th century peers in murder and evil。 Speaking of which， in reading this， you are once again convinced of the sheer evil of the Communist Party in philosophy and practice。 We wouldn't have to repeat this if we would read it like we should。 But we won't。 So we will。 Helpful volume for that reason， and that is a mighty good reason。 。。。more
DouglasStorms
，
great if you're interested in Stalin。 but this can be a slog to get through in parts great if you're interested in Stalin。 but this can be a slog to get through in parts 。。。more
Taliesin Hutson
，
After years entrenched in an online environment utterly leaving nuance， I found this biography to be a refreshingly balanced representation of one of them most infamous figures of the 20th century。 It's a very long book， as is necessary to give proper detail to such a complicated political situation。When I picked this book up， I had a few major questions on my mind: How does some nobody from Georgia end up 30 years later to be there most dangerous individual man in the entire world？ What interna After years entrenched in an online environment utterly leaving nuance， I found this biography to be a refreshingly balanced representation of one of them most infamous figures of the 20th century。 It's a very long book， as is necessary to give proper detail to such a complicated political situation。When I picked this book up， I had a few major questions on my mind: How does some nobody from Georgia end up 30 years later to be there most dangerous individual man in the entire world？ What internal divisions existed just under the surface in czarist Russia that might have led to such a sudden and dramatic revolution？ How did the USSR end up as a major world power after transition to dictatorial rule rather than descending to the sort of petty fiefdom that you tend to see in modern dictatorships？ This book answered my first two questions in a way that no amount of Wikipedia skimming ever could， and it promised a satisfying answer to my final question in the next volunteer of this biography。By the end of this book， I felt exhausted。 Every sentence was so informative and complicated， I felt like my brain never got a break。 I am so glad， though， that I finished it。 One of these days， I'll definitely need to pick up the second volume， probably when my curiosity overcomes my exhaustion。 For now， I'm just glad that this book managed to satisfy my interest for the moment。 。。。more
David Anderson
，
The history of the world from Stalin's desk。。。 （lifted from the prescient blurb） The history of the world from Stalin's desk。。。 （lifted from the prescient blurb） 。。。more
Lia
，
Did not finish。 I’ve been trying to get into this book since January， but I don’t find the writing compelling。 Insane amounts of detail about events that are only vaguely connected to Stalin。 I love history and reading about historical figures but I would not read this author again。
Randall Russell
，
Uuuuughhhh， finishing this book was pure， absolute drudgery！！ The author has managed to take what should be a fascinating story - poor cobbler's son from Geogia rises to become the autocratic ruler of Russia for more than 30 years， in the process terrorizing the country and killing millions of people - and has managed to suck every last bit of life out of it。 Reading this book was like eating a beachful of sand！ And by the way， Kotkin doesn't even come within miles of explaining exactly how Stal Uuuuughhhh， finishing this book was pure， absolute drudgery！！ The author has managed to take what should be a fascinating story - poor cobbler's son from Geogia rises to become the autocratic ruler of Russia for more than 30 years， in the process terrorizing the country and killing millions of people - and has managed to suck every last bit of life out of it。 Reading this book was like eating a beachful of sand！ And by the way， Kotkin doesn't even come within miles of explaining exactly how Stalin rose to the top of the autocratic heap in Russia after Lenin's death （and he completely ignores the controversy over whether/what Stalin had to do with Lenin's death）， nor does he provide even the barest glimpse of Stalin's personal life， or any insights into his actual thinking， as opposed to the "public" record， which has been doctored and altered who knows how many times for what purposes。 To me， this whole book feels more like a biography of the early Soviet Union， rather than an actual biography of Stalin。 And I understand the problem - probably all the source material on Stalin has been either destroyed， doctored， heavily edited or otherwise altered to agree with the correct， "Leninist" interpretation of history， or eliminated by either exiling and/or killing the people involved。 I also feel like Kotkin didn't pay enough attention to what i would consider key areas - like the Russian civil war， and exactly how many people were killed， starved， executed， etc on both sides， and how the Bolsheviks won a civil war in which they were originally so overmatched。 This is but one example of many I could give， but for so long a book， and so detailed as it is， I found Kotkin's coverage of some areas to be 。。。。。 er， somewhat patchy 。。。。。 at best。 So， I would NOT recommend this book， not unless you have a lot of time to kill （39 hours to listen to it！！）， or you have a problem with insomnia （which this book will promptly cure！！）， or you're just dying to know a yards of boring details about the inner machinations of the upper levels of the Soviet government （which may or may not be true）。 。。。more
ItsReallyOliver
，
One of the Stalin biographies most worth reading。 As others have noted， it's long， exhaustive and only part one （this volume ends right as collectivisation is beggining）。 It is notable for more interesting reasons however。 First among them being that this is explicitly aiming to revitalise the great man theory。 Arguing that Stalin himself created the circumstances that allowed for collectivisation through his political manoeuvring and force of will。 I expect this to be elaborated on more in volu One of the Stalin biographies most worth reading。 As others have noted， it's long， exhaustive and only part one （this volume ends right as collectivisation is beggining）。 It is notable for more interesting reasons however。 First among them being that this is explicitly aiming to revitalise the great man theory。 Arguing that Stalin himself created the circumstances that allowed for collectivisation through his political manoeuvring and force of will。 I expect this to be elaborated on more in volume 2。 Secondly the author rejects the psycho-analytical approach to biography。 Partly this is because sources on Stalin's early life are scarce。 Largely because it has zero explanatory power。Lastly， the author recognises that the vast majority of information about Stalin personally has been filtered through a Trotskyist lens。 The typical view being that Stalin was an opportunistic Marxist with zero intellectual acumen; a beurocrat， playing the system， interested in power and not a true believer。 Krotkin argues that Stalin was a full blooded Marxist and that his ability to flip on policy （from the nep to collectivisation） was an example of a Leninist heritage and not evidence of a cynical power grab。The first half of this volume is surprising: Stalin plays a very minor role in his own biography。 A lot of time is dedicated to a general history of Russia since the founding of the Romanov dynasty， the 1905 revolution， the geo-politics of the first world war and of course its fallout。 Even during the October revolution and civil war， Stalin remains a background figure。 The details the author is willing to go into purely for context is commendable。 The second half focuses largely on the previously mentioned policy switch detailing party Congress after Congress， complete with quotations and tiny details。 Another reviewer said this was boring， I couldn't disagree more， the political plays Stalin uses to build power in these congresses are fascinating。Unfortunately Krotkin's biases begin to intrude on later chapters regarding collectivisation。 Even though I tend to agree with him， it was still frustrating to have a largely banal passage about markets interrupt the narrative。Still I'd recommend it。 。。。more
Robert
，
VERY detailed。
Alex
，
This isn't an easy book to review。 At least for me。 As a biography it's not great。 Stalin appears in maybe a third of the book？ Mostly the book sets the scene for Stalin's growth。 It talks about WWI， the revolution in Russia and events in Germany and Italy。Stalin didn't flip a switch and become a monster， it was always building and growing until it could be unleashed。 This book reads more like a 'recent' history of Russia than anything。 And it's tough to get through。 Socialism's rhetoric is brut This isn't an easy book to review。 At least for me。 As a biography it's not great。 Stalin appears in maybe a third of the book？ Mostly the book sets the scene for Stalin's growth。 It talks about WWI， the revolution in Russia and events in Germany and Italy。Stalin didn't flip a switch and become a monster， it was always building and growing until it could be unleashed。 This book reads more like a 'recent' history of Russia than anything。 And it's tough to get through。 Socialism's rhetoric is brutal。This is my first book on Stalin and my first introduction to Russia's history。 I think you do need to understand the social upheaval at the time to get a handle on Stalin himself。 So if you are new to the topics， it's a tough but informative read。 。。。more
Ray
，
A super read。 Whilst presented as a bio of Stalin it also provides a huge amount of background to illuminate Stalins origins and the atmosphere in which a dictator was born。Stalin was a man of contrasts， charming and clubbable， loyal and treacherous， spiteful and vindictive - and a workaholic who was appreciated for being effective and efficient。 He also exploited a niche as one of the few Bolsheviks from the Tsarist periphery， enlarging a role as a minorities expert into a place at the side of A super read。 Whilst presented as a bio of Stalin it also provides a huge amount of background to illuminate Stalins origins and the atmosphere in which a dictator was born。Stalin was a man of contrasts， charming and clubbable， loyal and treacherous， spiteful and vindictive - and a workaholic who was appreciated for being effective and efficient。 He also exploited a niche as one of the few Bolsheviks from the Tsarist periphery， enlarging a role as a minorities expert into a place at the side of Lenin。One aspect I did not fully appreciate was that Stalins hold on power was precarious， certainly at the outset， and this amplified his natural tendency for intrigue。 。。。more
Shonn Haren
，
An exhaustive history that places Stalin in the context of his times and his ideological roots。 Kotkin uses an impressive amount of sources and historical background to portray Stalin as a man who did monstrous things due to his myopic， ideological worldview， rather than as some sort of incomprehensible monster out of legend。 In this sense， while Stalin is a product of his times and circumstances， he also ends up， due to his outsize power and authority within the Soviet system， as one of the few An exhaustive history that places Stalin in the context of his times and his ideological roots。 Kotkin uses an impressive amount of sources and historical background to portray Stalin as a man who did monstrous things due to his myopic， ideological worldview， rather than as some sort of incomprehensible monster out of legend。 In this sense， while Stalin is a product of his times and circumstances， he also ends up， due to his outsize power and authority within the Soviet system， as one of the few examples of the "great man" theory of history in action， as his personal decisions shaped the fates of 1/6 of the world。 。。。more
Sudhanshu
，
I discovered the author Stephen Kotkin， a renown historian at Princeton， through a bunch of interviews and podcasts on YouTube。 I figured I should give his book a shot。 I knew Stalin， Volume I would be an immense amount of pages （close to a thousand） to trudge through， so I went down the audiobook route。 Strange to admit， but I really enjoyed the experience。 It was fascinating learning about Stalin's formative years in Georgia and how the repressive regime of Czarist Russia influenced him。 So I discovered the author Stephen Kotkin， a renown historian at Princeton， through a bunch of interviews and podcasts on YouTube。 I figured I should give his book a shot。 I knew Stalin， Volume I would be an immense amount of pages （close to a thousand） to trudge through， so I went down the audiobook route。 Strange to admit， but I really enjoyed the experience。 It was fascinating learning about Stalin's formative years in Georgia and how the repressive regime of Czarist Russia influenced him。 So was seeing the propagation of socialism in Russia and how émigrés like Lenin played an immense role in this。 Pulling off a revolution is rare， but being able to transform what Kotkin calls a "peasant country" into a global superpower in a couple of decades is madly impressive。 The parts where the Bolsheviks take power almost read like a biography of an upstart company。 As I listened to this， I often dealt with a mild form of imposter syndrome。 I would think， "You're listening to scholarly history while literally cooking cheap instant noodles as a midnight snack - who the hell do you think you are bro？ History isn't your thing。 Go watch some new UFO footage or smth。" I guess it was the strange juxtaposition that fueled this feeling of being a fraud。 While I know more about European history than of some of the places I have actually lived in， the choice of this niche-history book felt very uncharacteristic of me as a person。I guess one major takeaway/hot-take is that I realized that I'm glad that most politicians aren't competent。 Stalin was an insanely competent and charismatic leader。 He was a brilliant organizer， a master at political chess-games， and， more importantly， a true believer in his ideology。 He put the people of his country through hell to achieve his dream of a socialized economy - while he was not a prophet in the way Marx or Lenin were， he was the chief missionary and inquisitor for the endeavor of a global proletariat-governed planned economy。 I'm happy that competent zealots like him are a rarity in our world。 Those are the type of people that make seismic rifts in the landscape of human history。 I'll have to check out Volume II。 。。。more
Laura
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As intimidating as the man himself， this is the first of three （3！！！） volumes about the Man of Steel （real name: Iosif Jughashvili） and the untamable country that forged him。 Exhaustively researched （the bibliography features thousands of primary sources from Russian archives， and seemingly every significant word ever penned in the West about the man） and accessibly written， this is a great introduction to late-tsarist， Revolutionary， and pre-WWII Russia。 Also features lots of fantastic archival As intimidating as the man himself， this is the first of three （3！！！） volumes about the Man of Steel （real name: Iosif Jughashvili） and the untamable country that forged him。 Exhaustively researched （the bibliography features thousands of primary sources from Russian archives， and seemingly every significant word ever penned in the West about the man） and accessibly written， this is a great introduction to late-tsarist， Revolutionary， and pre-WWII Russia。 Also features lots of fantastic archival photos of Stalin， his friends， and his foes。 As it turns out， young Stalin's life is incredibly familiar: a horny， poor， ambitious couch-surfer rises to power through luck and determination--basically， your average musician。 Lots of great quotes， but the best might be from the author on pg 8: "The young Stalin had a penis， and he used it。" 。。。more
Drake McCrary
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It is a long haul and extremely detailed。 I suggest making sure that you really love this era of history before attempting to read this book。
Helen Jacoby
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A very in-depth review of Stalin's life and career up until the time he amassed complete power。 The best thing about this biography is that it discusses not just Stalin， but the entire world context in which he lived。 It's half biography and half Russian history。 I finally feel like I understand the Russian Revolution and the ensuing civil war。 The book suffers however， from too much detail， especially in sections dealing with the intricate political maneuverings of the Bolsheviks。 There were ju A very in-depth review of Stalin's life and career up until the time he amassed complete power。 The best thing about this biography is that it discusses not just Stalin， but the entire world context in which he lived。 It's half biography and half Russian history。 I finally feel like I understand the Russian Revolution and the ensuing civil war。 The book suffers however， from too much detail， especially in sections dealing with the intricate political maneuverings of the Bolsheviks。 There were just too many names to keep track of。 I finished the book feeling a bit exhausted， but also anxious to start the next volume。 。。。more
Susan
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Extremely detailed and LONG！ And this is only volume one！ Yes， it is dry and boring but definitely worth taking the time to read。 I learned more about Stalin than I probably ever needed to know about his early years。 Now to tackle volume two！
Alex Peake
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