Stalin: Man and Ruler

Drawng on a range of previously unavailable sources, this incisive new portrait of Stalin examines the man, his political career, his personal and professional relationships, his philosophy, and his impact on the Soviet Union and twentieth-century history

The author argues that he does not wish to rehabilitate Stalin, only to demythologize him. Power-hungry schemer, sadistic monster, secretive tyrantthese are the familiar images. But in this controversial biography, McNeal, professor of history at the University of Massachusetts, paints the Soviet ruler as an "immensely gifted politician" who rose to the top through unrelenting hard work and flexibility. According to McNeal, whose books include The Bolshevik Tradition and Bride of the Revolution , the collectivizing drive in the 1920s and the annihilation of the kulaks were ripples in a vast agrarian upheaval that had wide grass-roots support before Stalin became involved. Dismissing the notion that Stalin went crazy, he presents a ruthless leader whose commitment to class war made terror acceptable and brought tragedy to his nation. In attempting to set the record straight, McNeal poses the chilling paradox of a hyperrational ruler whose politics bordered on insanity. This full-scale biography is filled with juicy human/inhuman details such as the probable suicide of the dictator's wife, his psychological war with his daughter, his snubbing of Mao. History Book Club selection.
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