Pictorial History Of Joseph Stalin, A

Description: The Soviet Union was an astonishing social experiment whose rise and downfall was almost entirely due to the genius of one man, Joseph Stalin. It is a story worthy of Hollywood - the tale of a man who rose from humble beginnings in a wooden shack to the height of power in Moscow's Kremlin. This peasant from the southern fringes of the Russian Empire would prove to be a worthy successor to Ivan the Terrible as tsar. His astute political maneuverings would see him time and again dispose of one rival after another; and, once in power, his paranoia would cause him to eliminate imagined enemies from his circle of subordinates. The monstrous behavior of this tyrant resembled that of some Oriental potentate. Hordes of the people he ruled were sent to labor camps across the Soviet Union, to construct great public works. Those who failed him faced the execution cellar. Those who succeeded were provided with great wealth at the price of constant fear. This comprehensively illustrated book presents a balanced view of Joseph Stalin. It describes his achievement of transforming backward Russia into the world's second nuclear power, the Soviet Union. It looks at a personal life that was filled with sadness and suicide, and remained hidden from public view. It assesses his abilities as a military commander and political leader. In an era of political giants - Franklin Roosevelt, Hitler and Churchill - Stalin proved the most adroit player of them all.