Stalin

Listener Reviews

1. 5.0(1)

   Excellent audio

   If you want to know the story behind Stalin then this is for you. Informative.

   OlyGirlBlue · October 22, 2018

2. 5.0(1)

   Great, balanced look at the life of a man traditionally criticized as cruel and ruthless

   Russia has always been a country of hardship, violence, and survival of the strongest. Here, we get a proper treatment of Stalin as a man within the context of his times. We get an understanding of how his early experiences during and after the revolution — backstabbing, duplicity, and ambition of those all around him — shaped his totalitarian and ruthless ruling style that employed fully by the time he ascended to full power over the USSR. His cruelty and will no doubt led to the deaths of countless lives, within his party and across the USSR. On the other hand, his aggressive measures to bring Russia from a 19th-century state to a competitive industrial power that rivaled both Germany and America, within a handful of years, enabled the Soviets to contend with Germany alone, on the Western front, ultimately beating the Germans back into full retreat. Accounts of other players are skillfully woven into the biography, always with an eye on accenting small details that reveal the hidden humanity of Stalin. Riveting read, with great audio narration, you will be transfixed on absorbing this 18h-long audiobook once you get started.

   Kyle Ashley · October 1, 2018