Stalin: A Biography
2004 biographical book by Robert Service
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stalin: A Biography is a biography of Joseph Stalin written by Robert Service. It was published in 2004.[1]
.jpg)
| |
| Author | Robert Service |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Biography |
| Publisher | Macmillan |
Publication date | 2004 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 715 |
| Preceded by | Lenin: A Biography |
| Followed by | Trotsky: A Biography |
For his research, Service traveled to Abkhazia, where Stalin's dacha was located during the 1930s in the Soviet Union during the Stalinist Era after the end of the Leninist Era.[2]
The book describes Stalin's life, covering in detail his youth (1878-1923), rise to power (1924-1927/1930), and rule (1927-1953). According to the publisher, it uses a personal style that "humanizes Stalin without ever diminishing the extent of the atrocities he unleashed upon the Soviet population."[1]
Critical Reception
Stalin: A Biography has been criticized by historians including Gerald Meyer, claiming Service flattened Stalin’s character into that of a "power-mad psychopath.”[3]