{"product_id":"stalin-a-biography-by-service-robert","title":"Stalin: A Biography by Service, Robert","description":"\n        \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0674016971\u003c\/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Service, Robert\u003c\/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e new\u003c\/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eOverthrowing the conventional image of Stalin as an uneducated political administrator inexplicably transformed into a pathological killer, Robert Service reveals a more complex and fascinating story behind this notorious twentieth-century figure. Drawing on unexplored archives and personal testimonies gathered from across Russia and Georgia, this is the first full-scale biography of the Soviet dictator in twenty years.Service describes in unprecedented detail the first half of Stalin's life--his childhood in Georgia as the son of a violent, drunkard father and a devoted mother; his education and religious training; and his political activity as a young revolutionary. No mere messenger for Lenin, Stalin was a prominent activist long before the Russian Revolution. Equally compelling is the depiction of Stalin as Soviet leader. Service recasts the image of Stalin as unimpeded despot; his control was not limitless. And his conviction that enemies surrounded him was not entirely unfounded.Stalin was not just a vengeful dictator but also a man fascinated by ideas and a voracious reader of Marxist doctrine and Russian and Georgian literature as well as an internationalist committed to seeing Russia assume a powerful role on the world stage. In examining the multidimensional legacy of Stalin, Service helps explain why later would-be reformers--such as Khrushchev and Gorbachev--found the Stalinist legacy surprisingly hard to dislodge.Rather than diminishing the horrors of Stalinism, this is an account all the more disturbing for presenting a believable human portrait. Service's lifetime engagement with Soviet Russia has resulted in the most comprehensive and compelling portrayal of Stalin to date.\u003c\/p\u003e\n        \u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eUsed Book in Good Condition\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n        ","brand":"Miakarts Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49676858556656,"sku":"NEW0674016971","price":62.87,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/ethereallybeautiful.com\/products\/stalin-a-biography-by-service-robert","provider":"Ethereally Beautiful","version":"1.0","type":"link"}