The Great Terror

A Reassessment

By: Robert Conquest

Narrated by: Frederick Davidson

Length: 30 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

The definitive work on Stalin's purges, The Great Terror was universally acclaimed when it first appeared in 1968. While the original volume had relied heavily on unofficial sources, later developments within the Soviet Union provided an avalanche of new material, which Conquest has mined to write this revised and updated edition of his classic work.

Under the light of fresh evidence, it is remarkable how many of Conquest's most disturbing conclusions have been verified. Many details have also been added, including hitherto secret information on the three great "Moscow Trials", the purge of writers and other members of the intelligentsia, life in the labor camps, and many other key matters.

Both a leading Sovietologist and a highly respected poet, Conquest blends profound research with evocative prose to create a compelling and eloquent chronicle of one of the 20th century's most tragic events.

©1990 Robert Conquest (P)1992 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[A] terrifying record from the best of all commentators on Stalin's USSR." ( Star-Ledger, Newark)
"[A] broad, well-documented portrayal....This remains an essential source." ( Library Journal)

A voice in the Wilderness

Robert Conquest fought a guerilla war against totalitatian communism in the halls of acedemia after the Second Word War. The academinc establishment was giving a free pass to monstrous regimes because they happened to seated on the correct side of the aisle. In the first edition this book was seen as blatantly slanted and misguided. His sources suspect. After the fall of the Soviet and access to the KGB material and other secret archives was available, Mr. Conquest was vindicated, but the event was marked by mostly silence from the left.

This is an updated edition, taking full advantage of all the material that came to ligtht when the KGB archives were opened. You owe it to yourself to read this book. Remember what can happen when you lose trust in your neighbors and the State holds all the cards. Remember what results when madmen are allowed free reign in the name of 'progress'.

This is a big book. It needs to be. The sheer scale of what happened is difficult to comprehend, even today.

Frederick Davidson gives a clear and crisp reading. I can hear Conquest's humanity come through. Nicely done!

Recording issues

This is a great book and the narrator has an excellent voice. The major issue is that the recording was not done in a professional studio, or even a sound-proof room, it seems

Long but pretty good

Very important and epic story. That being said you'd better have some background before you read this and be prepared for a very long haul.

The Primer on Stalin's Terror

This book has stood the test of time. Conquest has a talent of weaving the historical consequences of the terror on Soviet society, foreign policy, military, and politics while also ensuring Stalin's victims have their story told. I am glad I was able to get this book on audible and would recommend this book to anyone wanting to get an overview of Stalin's terror.

Excellent study of terrible events.

Conquest is an expert on the topic of Stalin and the interim war period in Soviet Russia. This would have been a 5 star but the reader's terrible impressions of pompous accents drove me nuts.

A Masterpiece

Lucid and shattering in detail and overview. The complicity of (continuing) western apologists addressed as it rarely is. A must read, should be mandatory reading in college with the hope it would shake some common sense and knowledge into the current product of our public (mis/un/anti)education system.

Comprehensive and well-researched

A lot of this history you will never hear in your history classes. This book was so well researched with unofficial sources that when access to Soviet archives was gained after the fall of the Soviet Union, much of it was confirmed. This edition adds details discovered in the post-Soviet era to an already impressively detailed account of a history that the Soviet Union did a great deal to hide.

Cadre

CADRE: It's pronounced CODRAY not CODDER. I had to find the print edition to find out what the narrator was saying. The author used the word cadre on almost every page and it was maddeningly mispronounced every time. Minor quibble but it was grating.

Well written, poorly read

What made the experience of listening to The Great Terror the most enjoyable?

An excellent biography that caused me to labor through the narration

Would you be willing to try another one of Frederick Davidson’s performances?

No way! A very annoying nasally voice drenched in condescension, I will be sure to avoid any of his other readings

Any additional comments?

The book is excellent and I obviously found it very interesting otherwise I could not have tolerated 30 hours of the reader.

The Extent Revealed.

What did you love best about The Great Terror?

The new information it gave.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Great Terror?

I'm afraid I can't pick one.

Have you listened to any of Frederick Davidson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I hadn't before.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Let the Truth be Revealed.

Any additional comments?

I must have for anyone studying Stalin and the USSR in general.