{"product_id":"stalin-stephen-kotkin-9780143127864","title":"Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA magnificent new biography that revolutionizes our understanding of Stalin and his world\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The product of a decade of intrepid research, \u003ci\u003eStalin\u003c\/i\u003e is a landmark achievement. Stephen Kotkin offers a biography that, at long last, is equal to this shrewd, sociopathic, charismatic dictator in all his dimensions. 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. Drawing on Kotkin's exhaustive study of Soviet archival materials as well as vast scholarly literature, \u003ci\u003eStalin\u003c\/i\u003e recasts the way we think about the Soviet Union, revolution, dictatorship, the twentieth century, and indeed the art of history itself.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Stephen Kotkin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0143127861\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780143127864\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Penguin Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/13\/2015\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 976\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 2.00lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 2.00d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/28\/2016 pg. 28\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/2017","brand":"Stephen Kotkin","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44051399606527,"sku":"9780143127864","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_9ea0c991-32a3-40f8-bd2e-709ad15f0640.jpg?v=1685012866","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/stalin-stephen-kotkin-9780143127864","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}