Stalin As Revolutionary, 1879-1929: A Study in History and Personality

Rating:
Summary: An Engrossing Picture of Stalin and the Russian Revolution
Review: It's a shame that this book is out of print. It's an excellent book by an excellent author. This book contains all of the things you would expect from a biography of Stalin, including all of the stories of his childhood, etc. What makes this book interesting and controversial, however, is that Tucker dares to explore what effect his childhood might have had on his future personality (always dangerous ground for a historian) and detail his motives as well as his tactics in the struggle for power in the post-Lenin Soviet Union.

That said, it should be noted that, as is common with Tucker's books, this is the middle book in Tucker's biography of Stalin. It's focus is on his rise to power and the consolidation of that power in the Soviet Union, although it does deal slightly with other periods. Also useful is the chapter on Lenin. A very useful book for anyone interested in Russian studies, as Stalin was one of the shaping figures of the Soviet Union.

Rating:
Summary: An Engrossing Picture of Stalin and the Russian Revolution
Review: It's a shame that this book is out of print. It's an excellent book by an excellent author. This book contains all of the things you would expect from a biography of Stalin, including all of the stories of his childhood, etc. What makes this book interesting and controversial, however, is that Tucker dares to explore what effect his childhood might have had on his future personality (always dangerous ground for a historian) and detail his motives as well as his tactics in the struggle for power in the post-Lenin Soviet Union.

That said, it should be noted that, as is common with Tucker's books, this is the middle book in Tucker's biography of Stalin. It's focus is on his rise to power and the consolidation of that power in the Soviet Union, although it does deal slightly with other periods. Also useful is the chapter on Lenin. A very useful book for anyone interested in Russian studies, as Stalin was one of the shaping figures of the Soviet Union.