- Hardcover: 528 pages
- Publisher: Macmillan (15 Oct 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0333726278
- ISBN-13: 978-0333726273
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16.2 x 4.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 523,244 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Stalin
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More About the Author
Product Description
Harold Shukman, Emeritus Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford
'For an understanding of Stalin and his place in modern Russian history - Robert Service’s book is unsurpassed'
Simon Sebag Montefiore, Sunday Times
This outstanding biography of lightly worn authority, wide research and superb intuition will be read for decades.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
77 of 83 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Stalin has had more biographies than even the most dedicated russophile would care to read. So why read this one?
Well, many of Stalin's biographies are warped by the context they were written in. During the cold war the history of Stalin became a battleground in itself, with historians either portraying him either as a crazed bureacrat, a monster, or nigh on a God.
Service makes use of newly available evidence and weaves together a balanced, clear and comprehensive portrait of Stalin. More than any other biography of Stalin I've read it provides a rounded portrayal of this most controversial of figures. However, whilst being dispassionate helps Service cooly analyse his subject, this also leads to this biography being somewhat dry.
If you want to gain a thorough understanding of Stalin without worrying the autor has a hidden agenda, this biography is unsurpassed. However, if you want to get a feel for the warped version of reality that characterised life close to Stalin, and prefer something a bit more readable, Simon Sebag Montefiore's book 'Court of the Red Tsar' may be a better choice.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
There are a lot of reviews on Amazon.com which say things I would want to put in a review. So why add another?
One writer says the book leaves him with the question as to whether Marxism as a creed has any merit, and wishes Service had addressed this, while acknowledging it was outside his scope.
This is a big question. Another reviewer complains that Stalin's split with Trotsky is not adequately covered. Equally Service's book on Lenin doesn't really say much about Stalin or Trotsky, and I get the feeling you have to read all three to get Service's full picture of the Russian Revolution. Perhaps the Trotsky book which I haven't yet read gives clues to his views on Marxism.
Another reviewer complains that this book can't be read without a prior knowledge of Russia. I'm sure he's right and would recommend Pipes' general history of Russia and perhaps Marx's 1844 manuscripts and Lenin's `State and Revolution'.
However what Service does do is provide a balanced political biography. At all times Service is trying to arrive at a fair picture of what Stalin did politically and how this sat with the situation he was in.
Perhaps the most fascinating part of the book for me was his relationship with Lenin. He clearly adored Lenin. Stalin had some exceptional personal qualities, including enormous self-discipline, great capacity for hard work, and quite a sophisticated and flexible intellect. He was able to appreciate the work of the revolutionary (in a non-political sense) thinker Bogdanov whose subtleties escaped Lenin. For about a decade he managed with Lenin's support the difficult task of marrying the needs and demands of the different nationalities with the Soviet Union with the requirements of Bolshevik ideology and the needs of the state, a task which no-one else had patience with.
Lenin appreciated these qualities and also Stalin's utter ruthlessness, although he got quite worried about Stalin towards the end of his life because he was `careless', perhaps callous, personally as well as politically.
About 1929 Stalin changed tack radically, and abandoning the flirtation with capitalism which was the New Economic Plan he and Lenin had nurtured, reverted to a more orthodox Leninism involving the collectivisation of agriculture and the subjection of the nationalities to the Soviet cause. At this time also he began the ruthless suppression of opposition, culminating in the frenzy of the Great Terror of 1937-8.
Service describes all this without offering speculation about exactly why these changes occurred.
Presumably Stalin's decisions resulted from perceptions of his about political necessity, including perhaps his perception of the collapse of world capitalism or the potential threat from Hitler.
At all times Stalin needed to keep a clean ship, free from spies and internal opposition, and his usual approach was `If in doubt, get rid of people.' At the same time his relentless attention to detail preserved his control.
The later parts of the book are a little dry - try Montefiore's excellent books on Stalin, especially the `Court of the Red Tsar' if you want to feel the blood rain down on you.
However Service retains excellent balance and perspective through, which is what is needed with this emotive subject.
One writer says the book leaves him with the question as to whether Marxism as a creed has any merit, and wishes Service had addressed this, while acknowledging it was outside his scope.
This is a big question. Another reviewer complains that Stalin's split with Trotsky is not adequately covered. Equally Service's book on Lenin doesn't really say much about Stalin or Trotsky, and I get the feeling you have to read all three to get Service's full picture of the Russian Revolution. Perhaps the Trotsky book which I haven't yet read gives clues to his views on Marxism.
Another reviewer complains that this book can't be read without a prior knowledge of Russia. I'm sure he's right and would recommend Pipes' general history of Russia and perhaps Marx's 1844 manuscripts and Lenin's `State and Revolution'.
However what Service does do is provide a balanced political biography. At all times Service is trying to arrive at a fair picture of what Stalin did politically and how this sat with the situation he was in.
Perhaps the most fascinating part of the book for me was his relationship with Lenin. He clearly adored Lenin. Stalin had some exceptional personal qualities, including enormous self-discipline, great capacity for hard work, and quite a sophisticated and flexible intellect. He was able to appreciate the work of the revolutionary (in a non-political sense) thinker Bogdanov whose subtleties escaped Lenin. For about a decade he managed with Lenin's support the difficult task of marrying the needs and demands of the different nationalities with the Soviet Union with the requirements of Bolshevik ideology and the needs of the state, a task which no-one else had patience with.
Lenin appreciated these qualities and also Stalin's utter ruthlessness, although he got quite worried about Stalin towards the end of his life because he was `careless', perhaps callous, personally as well as politically.
About 1929 Stalin changed tack radically, and abandoning the flirtation with capitalism which was the New Economic Plan he and Lenin had nurtured, reverted to a more orthodox Leninism involving the collectivisation of agriculture and the subjection of the nationalities to the Soviet cause. At this time also he began the ruthless suppression of opposition, culminating in the frenzy of the Great Terror of 1937-8.
Service describes all this without offering speculation about exactly why these changes occurred.
Presumably Stalin's decisions resulted from perceptions of his about political necessity, including perhaps his perception of the collapse of world capitalism or the potential threat from Hitler.
At all times Stalin needed to keep a clean ship, free from spies and internal opposition, and his usual approach was `If in doubt, get rid of people.' At the same time his relentless attention to detail preserved his control.
The later parts of the book are a little dry - try Montefiore's excellent books on Stalin, especially the `Court of the Red Tsar' if you want to feel the blood rain down on you.
However Service retains excellent balance and perspective through, which is what is needed with this emotive subject.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is fat heavy and detailed but is unputdownable.
It is so well written it flows easily despite being incredibly comprehensive .
The detail is wonderful. I imagine that this will always be a must read book for anyone interested in this period and in revolution.
It is so well written it flows easily despite being incredibly comprehensive .
The detail is wonderful. I imagine that this will always be a must read book for anyone interested in this period and in revolution.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excellent study by Service
Stalin, one of the most controversial and important political leaders of the 20th century no doubt. Yet, do we have a real understanding of the man and his desires to dominate? Read more
Published 4 months ago by A. Taylor
Readable and informative
I found Robert Service's Stalin to be a very detailed and informative read. Although the writing is a little dry at times, it is very redable and service does manage to take the... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Matthew Turner
Very detailed and informative
This was a good read, especially in Stalins early years. It tends to move a bit to fast over the World War 2 and Cold War years. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Ron
Good and bad
Disappointed by a) the Kindle version - no chapters just start of book and end. No index etc b) the writing - in need of some serious editing. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Mikael
A comprehensive biography
Very thorough biography. It is very careful and considered and he when he does offer his personal opinions or judgements they are always backed by evidence. Read more
Published 17 months ago by The Emperor
Stalin has a skinful
I read this book from front to back (well,of course.I'm not going to read it back to front - although some people do) over two weeks (I like to savor the flavor) and I must say it... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Ex Libris
Highly recommended for anyone interested in Stalin
I have only finished reading the first section - there are 4 left to go. But based on what I have read, I am very glad I have bought this book. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Miss D P Plummer
No title
This is the worst biography I have had the misfortune to read.
Nothing beyond superficial analysis and synthesis, totally barren of intellectual integrity and academic... Read more
Nothing beyond superficial analysis and synthesis, totally barren of intellectual integrity and academic... Read more
Published on 8 May 2010 by Grant (Cheshire, England)
Stalin - Robert Service
I had heard a lot about Stalin and the fact that he was a mass murder who killed even more than Hitler, so bought this book with great eagerness to learn more. Read more
Published on 19 Jan 2010 by K. Milligan
An Immersive depiction of one of the 20th Century's Biggest Villains
When you hear the name Joseph Stalin, you can't help but shudder at the very utterance of his name. What most of us would imagine is a murderous dictator whose only aim was to gain... Read more
Published on 22 Mar 2009 by Steven Stewart
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