Stalin: A Biography in Facts

Sound Bite

"If you can imagine a personality who in every respect is the opposite of what the anti-Stalinists are telling us everywhere, then you get a rough idea of this man."-- J. E. Davies, US ambassador to the Soviet Union, in a letter to his daughter after meeting Stalin in the KremlinStalin is commonly considered the quintessential "vicious dictator," an iconic figure of tyranny. But almost none of his many biographers has drawn on primary sources, eye witness accounts, Stalin's own writings and speeches, or what those people who met him had to say about him. This assiduously researched book is an attempt to get a little closer to the truth. It is based on first-hand observations from every stage of his life, and it evaluates numerous shocking tropes that were circulated by Stalin's rivals and made into our received view of his rule.

About the Book

This nuanced and evidence-based biography of Joseph Stalin counters the conventional portrayal of him as merely a "vicious dictator" by utilizing primary sources and eyewitness accounts. It covers Stalin's life from his childhood and early revolutionary activities to his role in significant historical events such as the Russian Civil War, the establishment of the USSR, and World War II, as well as his later political maneuvers and the aftermath of his death. The author, Gerhard Schnehen, argues that socialism existed in the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin, but was later undermined by leaders like Khrushchev and Gorbachev.Various chapters address specific events, periods, and controversies surrounding Stalin, including the Moscow Trials, collectivization, and the origins of the Cold War. This book systematically undermines the mainstream historical narrative about Stalin as a dictator, suggesting instead that his political style and actions were more complex than commonly portrayed.The author cites well-known "court historians" such as Strobe Talbott, but also German author Lion Feuchtwanger -- who witnessed the Second Moscow Trial and studied all the case files, and K. Voroshilov -- who shows that Trotsky lied in taking credit for creating the First Mounted Army that was instrumental in winning the civil war. Many other authorities cited here are simply too inconvenient for today's career historians to consider. But precisely when examining the record of controversial figures such as Stalin and Lenin, responsible researchers seek objective information and avoid allowing their understanding to be colored by prejudice and superficial opinions spread in the Western media and education systems. Researching Stalin, his upbringing, his character, and his deeds, it becomes clear that there is an enormous disparity between the factual record and the despicable portrait we have been given. The author finds that socialism did exist in the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin, but later it was sabotaged, undermined and brought down by people like Khrushchev, Kosygin and Gorbachev.