Stalin's Wars: From World War to Cold War, 1939-1953Yale University Press, 2006 M01 1 - 468 pages This breakthrough book provides a detailed reconstruction of Stalin’s leadership from the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 to his death in 1953. Making use of a wealth of new material from Russian archives, Geoffrey Roberts challenges a long list of standard perceptions of Stalin: his qualities as a leader; his relationships with his own generals and with other great world leaders; his foreign policy; and his role in instigating the Cold War. While frankly exploring the full extent of Stalin’s brutalities and their impact on the Soviet people, Roberts also uncovers evidence leading to the stunning conclusion that Stalin was both the greatest military leader of the twentieth century and a remarkable politician who sought to avoid the Cold War and establish a long-term detente with the capitalist world. By means of an integrated military, political, and diplomatic narrative, the author draws a sustained and compelling personal portrait of the Soviet leader. The resulting picture is fascinating and contradictory, and it will inevitably change the way we understand Stalin and his place in history. Roberts depicts a despot who helped save the world for democracy, a personal charmer who disciplined mercilessly, a utopian ideologue who could be a practical realist, and a warlord who undertook the role of architect of post-war peace. |
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3rd Belorussian Fronts agreement allies archives Army Group Centre Army Group North attack August Baltic battle Belorussian Berlin Bolshevik bomb Britain British and Americans Bulgaria campaign Churchill Churchill's Cold Cold War Comintern commanders commissar communist communist party conference counter-offensive defence Dimitrov diplomatic discussion document East Eastern Europe Eastern Front enemy European Finland forces foreign policy France German Grand Alliance Harriman Hitler Ibid issued Japan July June leader Leningrad London Maiskii Marshal meeting memoirs Molotov Moscow negotiations October offensive operation organisation Otechestvennoi Otnosheniya pact Patriotic Patriotic War peace Poland Polish Politburo political postwar Potsdam Pravda prepared proposal published Red Army Red Army's regime relations Romania Roosevelt Russian second front Second World September Soviet military Soviet Union speech SSSR Stalin told Stalingrad Stavka strategic Tehran territory tion treaty troops Truman United University Press USSR Vasilevskii victory Warsaw Wehrmacht western Yalta Yugoslavia Zhukov