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Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928
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Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928 Hardback - 2014

by Stephen Kotkin

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From the publisher

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 top leader in a band of revolutionary zealots. When the band seizes control of the country in the aftermath of total world war, the former seminarian ruthlessly dominates the new regime until he stands as absolute ruler of a vast and terrible state apparatus, with dominion over Eurasia. While still building his power base within the Bolshevik dictatorship, he embarks upon the greatest gamble of his political life and the largest program of social reengineering ever attempted: the collectivization of all agriculture and industry across one sixth of the earth. Millions will die, and many more millions will suffer, but the man will push through to the end against all resistance and doubts.

Where did such power come from? In Stalin, Stephen Kotkin offers a biography that, at long last, is equal to this shrewd, sociopathic, charismatic dictator in all his dimensions. The character of Stalin emerges as both astute and blinkered, cynical and true believing, people oriented and vicious, canny enough to see through people but prone to nonsensical beliefs. We see a man inclined to despotism who could be utterly charming, a pragmatic ideologue, a leader who obsessed over slights yet was a precocious geostrategic thinker--unique among Bolsheviks--and yet who made egregious strategic blunders. Through it all, we see Stalin's unflinching persistence, his sheer force of will--perhaps the ultimate key to understanding his indelible mark on history.

Stalin gives an intimate view of the Bolshevik regime's inner geography of power, bringing to the fore fresh materials from Soviet military intelligence and the secret police. Kotkin rejects the inherited wisdom about Stalin's psychological makeup, showing us instead how Stalin's near paranoia was fundamentally political, and closely tracks the Bolshevik revolution's structural paranoia, the predicament of a Communist regime in an overwhelmingly capitalist world, surrounded and penetrated by enemies. At the same time, Kotkin demonstrates the impossibility of understanding Stalin's momentous decisions outside of the context of the tragic history of imperial Russia.

The product of a decade of intrepid research, Stalin is a landmark achievement, a work that recasts the way we think about the Soviet Union, revolution, dictatorship, the twentieth century, and indeed the art of history itself.

Stalin: Waiting for Hitler, 1929-1941 will be published by Penguin Press in October 2017

Details

  • Title Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928
  • Author Stephen Kotkin
  • Binding Hardback
  • Edition 1st Edition
  • Pages 949
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Press, New York
  • Publication date 2014-11
  • Illustrated Yes
  • ISBN 9781594203794 / 1594203792
  • Weight 3.06 lbs (1.39 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.44 x 6.42 x 1.88 in (23.98 x 16.31 x 4.78 cm)
  • Category Biography / Autobiography
  • Library of Congress subjects Soviet Union - Politics and government -, Soviet Union - History - 1925-1953
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 2014032906
  • Dewey Decimal Code B

About the author

Stephen Kotkin is the John P. Birkelund Professor in History and International Affairs at Princeton University. He is also a fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He directs Princeton's Institute for International and Regional Studies and co-directs its Program in the History and Practice of Diplomacy. His books include Uncivil Society, Armageddon Averted, and Magnetic Mountain. Kotkin was a Pultizer Prize finalist for Stalin: Volume I: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928.

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Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928
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Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928

by Kotkin, Stephen

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Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928
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Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928

by Kotkin, Stephen

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Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928
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Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928

by Kotkin, Stephen

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Penguin Press, 2014-11-06. Hardcover. Like New. 10x9x1. Hardcover and dust jacket. Good binding and cover. Light wear. Clean, unmarked pages. xiii, 949 p., maps, ill., 24 cm. <br> In this magnificent new biography of Stalin, Kotkin rejects the inherited wisdom about Stalin's psychological makeup, showing us instead how Stalin's near paranoia was fundamentally political, and closely tracks the Bolshevik revolution's structural paranoia, the predicament of a Communist regime in an overwhelmingly capitalist world, surrounded and penetrated by enemies. At the same time, Kotkin demonstrates the impossibility of understanding Stalin's momentous decisions outside of the context of the tragic history of imperial Russia.
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Stalin : Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928
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Stalin : Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928

by Kotkin, Stephen

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Stalin : Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928
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Stalin : Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928

by Kotkin, Stephen

  • Used
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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781594203794 / 1594203792
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Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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Stalin : Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928
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Stalin : Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928

by Kotkin, Stephen

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781594203794 / 1594203792
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Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Very Good. Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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Stalin : Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928
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Stalin : Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928

by Kotkin, Stephen

  • Used
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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781594203794 / 1594203792
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Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928
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Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928

by Kotkin, Stephen

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Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928
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Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928

by Kotkin, Stephen

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9781594203794 / 1594203792
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Used - Good. This item shows clear signs of use but remains in solid, readable condition. The cover may have moderate wear, including light creases, scuffs, or small edge tears. Pages are intact and unmarked, though some may show limited notes, underlining, or highlighting. Binding remains strong with no loose pages. Dust jacket (if included) may have some wear. Supplemental materials (CDs, access codes) are not guaranteed. Ships promptly with care. This item shows clear signs of use but remains in solid, readable condition. The cover may have moderate wear, including light creases, scuffs, or small edge tears. Pages are intact and unmarked, though some may show limited notes, underlining, or highlighting. Binding remains strong with no loose pages. Dust jacket (if included) may have some wear. Supplemental materials (CDs, access codes) are not guaranteed. Ships promptly with care.
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Item price
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Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928
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Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928

by Kotkin, Stephen

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  • Hardback
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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781594203794 / 1594203792
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