The Soviet Union At War 1941 1945

by David R. Stone (Editor)

Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 precipitated a massive clash of arms that gave rise to destruction and suffering on an unprecedented scale. The outcome of this ruthless struggle on the Eastern Front was decisive for the course of the war in Europe. Yet the campaigns fought there still receive less attention than those fought by the Western Allies, and are less well understood. That is why this new survey of the Soviet Union during the Second World War, edited by David R. Stone, is so timely and significant.Stone has brought together a distinguished group of experts who give a penetrating reassessment of the Soviet war effort and economy. They offer a telling insight into the way in which enormous obstacles were overcome - and sacrifices were made - in order to achieve an overwhelming victory that changed the shape of Europe. Their wide-ranging analysis seeks to dispel myths and misperceptions that have distorted our understanding of the performance of the Red Army and the Soviet people.

Editor David R. Stone is professor of history at Kansas State University. He is a leading authority on the military and political history of the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 1930s. As well as writing numerous journal articles, he is the author of two major studies: A Military History of Russia: From Ivan the Terrible to the War in Chechnya and Hammer and Rifle: The Militarization of the Soviet Union 1926-1933.

Genres: History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2010

About the author

David Stone, director of the Institute for Military History and 20th Century Studies, is the Pickett professor of military history at Kansas State University and an award-winning author. He specializes in Russia and the Soviet Union, South Asia and military history.

Stone's first book, "Hammer and Rifle: The Militarization of the Soviet Union, 1926-1933," was a selection of the History Book Club. It also was named the winner of the 2001 inaugural Best First Book prize of the Historical Society and was co-winner of the 2001 Shulman Prize of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies. In 2006 he published "A Military History of Russia: From Ivan the Terrible to the War in Chechnya," and was named one of America's top young historians by the History News Network. He was editor of the 2010 book, "The Soviet Union at War, 1941-1945." He also is the author of more than 24 articles and book chapters on Russian/Soviet military history and foreign policy.

His current research includes Leon Trotsky and his role in the creation of the Soviet army, international finance and the collapse of the Soviet system, and the Soviet military in the run-up to World War II.

Stone earned a doctorate in history from Yale University and bachelor's degrees in history and mathematics from Wabash College.

He joined K-State in 1999. He has been recognized for his teaching with the 2001 K-State Presidential Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.

Reviews

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dry doesn’t even begin to describe it. That being said, there is a lot of interesting and enlightening information, although, because it’s a collection of different authors, there’s a fair amount of overlap of information.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't wait to read the sequel, "The Russian Federation at War: 2014-18".