{"product_id":"stalin-1","title":"Stalin","description":"Overthrowing the conventional image of Stalin as an uneducated political administrator inexplicably transformed into a pathological killer, Robert Service reveals a more complex and fascinating story behind this notorious twentieth-century figure. Drawing on unexplored archives and personal testimonies gathered from across Russia and Georgia, this is the first full-scale biography of the Soviet dictator in twenty years.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eService describes in unprecedented detail the first half of Stalin's life--his childhood in Georgia as the son of a violent, drunkard father and a devoted mother; his education and religious training; and his political activity as a young revolutionary. No mere messenger for Lenin, Stalin was a prominent activist long before the Russian Revolution. Equally compelling is the depiction of Stalin as Soviet leader. Service recasts the image of Stalin as unimpeded despot; his control was not limitless. And his conviction that enemies surrounded him was not entirely unfounded.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStalin was not just a vengeful dictator but also a man fascinated by ideas and a voracious reader of Marxist doctrine and Russian and Georgian literature as well as an internationalist committed to seeing Russia assume a powerful role on the world stage. In examining the multidimensional legacy of Stalin, Service helps explain why later would-be reformers--such as Khrushchev and Gorbachev--found the Stalinist legacy surprisingly hard to dislodge.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRather than diminishing the horrors of Stalinism, this is an account all the more disturbing for presenting a believable human portrait. Service's lifetime engagement with Soviet Russia has resulted in the most comprehensive and compelling portrayal of Stalin to date.","brand":"bookshop.lol","offers":[{"title":"Thryft - Used (Like New)","offer_id":42465064288334,"sku":"9780674022584","price":6.06,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Thryft - Used (Very Good)","offer_id":42465064321102,"sku":"9780674022584","price":4.85,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Thryft - Used (Good)","offer_id":42465064353870,"sku":"9780674022584","price":4.37,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Thryft - Used (Well Read)","offer_id":42465064386638,"sku":"9780674022584","price":3.88,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0645\/3857\/4926\/files\/113218_63125d1f-2d29-44f6-8fc0-528487357615.jpg?v=1747199122","url":"https:\/\/bookshop.lol\/products\/stalin-1","provider":"bookshop.lol","version":"1.0","type":"link"}