Stalin, Volume I

Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928

By: Stephen Kotkin

Narrated by: Paul Hecht

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. We think we know the story well. Remarkably, Stephen Kotkin's epic new biography shows us how much we still have to learn.

Volume One of Stalin begins and ends in January 1928 as Stalin boards a train bound for Siberia, about to embark upon the greatest gamble of his political life. He is now the ruler of the largest country in the world, but a poor and backward one, far behind the great capitalist countries in industrial and military power, encircled on all sides. In Siberia, 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? 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.

©2014 Stephen Kotkin (P)2014 Recorded Books

Wow

What is not taught in the US, is told here. Learn about this amazing history.

Through and detailed historical analysis of Stalin’s Rise

Stalin is a complex, controversial and frequently misunderstood historical figure and while it is impossible to write a completely objective historical analysis of Stalin Kotkin is a good attempt at a neutral analysis of Stalin. Kotkin’s is a bourgeoisie historian with a liberal/capitalist bias but nonetheless does a great job analyzing the animating contradictions of Stalin and the Soviet system he was integral in developing. This book is super detailed and seeks to contextualize the Soviet Union and Stalin both historically and geopolitically. This book is great if you want to know about literally everything that happened leading up to Stalin rise to power. if you were looking for a more casual overview, you will find this book too detailed.

Stalin one

I had no idea about Russian history and politics, much less it’s complexity. It’s a very complicated story and kotkin throws a picture of a complicated man and situation with no judgement either way, just the facts mam. This is good history!

The narrator was good but there tend to be very long sentences, some with more than one idea. His reading gets better over the book but he tended to run the sentences on sometimes making you scratch your head. There was a character in the book whose name sounded like O’Johnie Kidzuh. Like a mobster maybe. I don’t know the correct spelling but to my ears I liked hearing it

Great book, highly recommended

Thorough analysis of Russian history

I was engrossed by the depth of analysis of historical background that formed Stalin and agree with the conclusion of the pivotal role some extraordinary humans have on the development and fate of humanity.

good but not great

i feel this book is for avid historians. i love history but felt at times it was top detailed and found myself losing focus of overall storyline. if there is an abridged version, get that