{"product_id":"stalin-paradoxes-of-power-1878-1928","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.","brand":"Stephen Kotkin","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46330746929388,"sku":"9780143127864","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/1791\/3068\/files\/9780143127864.jpg?v=1743498346","url":"https:\/\/allstora.com\/products\/stalin-paradoxes-of-power-1878-1928","provider":"Allstora","version":"1.0","type":"link"}