The last two are particularly noteworthy, for, as Khlevniuk aptly puts it, they offered highly pertinent interpretations at a time when access to archival sources was impossible.įor those familiar with the historical study of the Soviet Union, both Kotkin and Khlevniuk are very well-known, having made important contributions in areas such as society, economy and politics. Tucker ( Stalin as Revolutionary and Stalin in Power) have all tried to further clarify the motivations behind the Great Terror and other crimes. Previously, others such as Robert Conquest ( Stalin: Destroyer of Nations), Simon Sebag Montefiore ( Young Stalin and The Court of the Red Tsar), Dmitri Volkogonov ( Stalin: Triumph and Tragedy), Adam Ulam ( Stalin: The Man and His Era) and Robert C. Oleg Khlevniuk’s Stalin: New Biography of a Dictator and Stephen Kotkin’s Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928 represent two of the latest attempts at offering new interpretations, both books having been hailed as Stalin’s ultimate biography. The fall of communism and the crumbling of the USSR has allowed Western scholars access, even if only temporarily, to previously secret documents that reveal many new aspects of Stalin’s life and system, thus making them able to finally distinguish between myth and fact. Yet, bringing to light the crimes of the former Soviet leader has been a sinuous process.
The fascination he still provokes is reflected in the impressive number of books written about him. Joseph Stalin was one of history’s worst dictators, making him and the regime he built very interesting for both scholars and the general public. Vlad Onaciu explores the different methodological approaches taken by two writers attempting to separate the myth from the reality of Stalin’s regime. Stalin: New Biography of a New Dictator, by Oleg Khlevniuk, and Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928, by Stephen Kotkin, have both been positioned as the ultimate biography of Stalin. This comparative review examines two works that use new documents to further explore Joseph Stalin’s life and regime.
The Writing and Re-Writing of Joseph Stalin and His Regime: A Critical Comparison of Two Biographies.
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