The Dictators: Hitler's Germany, Stalin's Russia

by Richard Overy

Half a century after their deaths, the dictatorships of Stalin and Hitler still cast a long and terrible shadow over the modern world. They were the most destructive and lethal regimes in history, murdering millions. They fought the largest and costliest war in all history. Yet millions of Germans and Russians enthusiastically supported them and the values they stood for. In this first major study of the two dictatorships side-by-side Richard Overy sets out to answer the question: How was dictatorship possible? How did they function? What was the bond that tied dictator and people so powerfully together? He paints a remarkable and vivid account of the different ways in which Stalin and Hitler rose to power, and abused and dominated their people. It is a chilling analysis of powerful ideals corrupted by the vanity of ambitious and unscrupulous men.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, Russia, Germany, Politics, Biography

848 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Richard James Overy is a British historian who has published extensively on the history of World War II and the Third Reich.

Educated at Caius College, Cambridge and awarded a research fellowship at Churchill College, Professor Overy taught history at Cambridge from 1972 to 1979, as a fellow of Queens' College and from 1976 as a university assistant lecturer. In 1980 he moved to King's College London, where he became professor of modern history in 1994. He was appointed to a professorship at the University of Exeter in 2004.

His work on World War II has been praised as "highly effective in the ruthless dispelling of myths" (A. J. P. Taylor), "original and important" (New York Review of Books) and "at the cutting edge" (Times Literary Supplement.)[

Reviews

[Meirav Rath · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of Overy's best books, if only for managing to bust myths and provide a massive amount of important information without boring the reader or overtaxing their mind. If you want to learn the inner works of both Nazi Germany and Stalin's Russia, this book is a must read.
I did find one chapter lacking, the one I actually knew something about; Overy has an impressive knowledge of the Gulag system but his knowledge of the German web of concentration camps, ghettos and extermination camps is quite lacking. Though I must hand it to Overy that this chapter in his book is a strong card against today's bizarre and ridiculous fashion to see Stalin's crimes as worse than the Germans' simply for their length, but I ramble.
It's an excellent book and I highly recommend it for the objective understanding and educating about both totalitarian rules.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richard Overy's exhaustive (and at times exhausting) examination of the Hitler and Stalin regimes follows Plutarch's ancient "parallel lives" model, with an obvious hat tip to Allan Bullock's somewhat similar treatment Hitler and Stalin: Parallel Lives (though Overy states in his introduction that his treatment avoids the personal lives of the two dictators). Since I haven't read Bullock's book, I can't really comment on that comparison/distinction, though I take Overy at his word.

Reading Overy, there is obviously a wealth of regimes-only material to consider. And his obvious intent is to cover it all! The book is structured in such a way that each chapter represents an aspect of the two regimes. Amazingly there is very little overlap, and, with the exception of a few eye glazing chapters, the book succeeds as an amazing achievement of organization and synthesis. (It also helps that Overy is an excellent writer.) The contents, as is to be expected, are depressing and numbing. As I neared the end of the book, I kept reflecting on the sheer scale of Murder that is represented in the book. (And Murder, by the hundreds, by the thousands, is present in virtually every chapter.) The concluding chapter in this 2004 book, with its final comparisons of these two cruel men, the regimes they constructed, and the largely compliant people that they led, serves now, in 2017, as more than a cautionary note.

[Anatoly · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting comparison between both dictatorships, but at the same time quite exhausting with too much dwelling on small details and facts.

[Guðmundur Arnlaugsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Þessi er frábær. Löng og stundum lýjandi, en alltaf frábær. Afar ítarlegur og fróðlegur samanburður á þeim heimi sem einræðisherrarnir sköpuðu og því sem mótaði þá. Á köflum mjög óþægileg lesning, eðli málsins samkvæmt, en holl.

[Gordan Karlic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great history book, scratch that, this is a great book, period.
Basically, let's compare two systems that are combined called totalitarian and let's see what made them tick.
It is filled with data and Overy really made this book with his presentation of historical facts.
If you are interested in the history of that period or just history in the general, read this book.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm reading this slowly - the data are almost overwhelming and yet at the same time it is a page turner because real life is almost always stranger (and more perverse) than fiction. Here's a quote to make this more concrete:

Before 1941 and after 1945 the exiles were selected on political criteria as 'socially dangerous' or anti-Soviet, elastic categories that stretched from the obvious (nationalist politicians, churchmen, soldiers and merchants) to the absurd (philatelists and Esperanto speakers, victims of the cosmopolitan character of their hobby)
p. 563.

This is my first book by Richard Overy but it won't be my last.

++++++++++++
On my recent trip to Berlin, I was reminded many times of details from this book. Great read!

[AC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monumental in its sweep and detail, analytical depth, and sobriety of judgment, thoroughly digested and arranged — a truly impressive achievement

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will try to add more to this review at a later date but wanted to add some thoughts while it is still fresh in my mind. This book, was, without question, one of the best I have encountered on this time period, and, in particular, on the questions as to how the day-to-day operations of the Stalin and Hitler dictatorships functioned. Overy, with a very difficult task at hand, does his best to provide elements of both objectivity, and most importantly, places you into the mindset of the both the functionaries and heads of state. Furthermore, he does a great service to those seeking to move past the mythology of the era by eclipsing stale falsehoods about both Hitler and Stalin in regards to their mentality throughout the war. Utilizing many primary source documents, he shows that Stalin, far from shrinking in the face of an unexpected German invasion, in fact, was intricately involved in the days following, and that many of the ideas espousing otherwise stem from Khrushchev's desire to solidify the Soviet apparatus during the 50s. Furthermore, the way in which Overy separates the book allows the reader to to gain insight on both the political structure of Hitler and Stalin's rule, while also understanding how the average citizen intersected with the dictatorship at the most routine levels of existence. Obviously, one cannot walk away untouched by the descriptions of utter horror, while at the same time, Overy helps you grasp what life was like and how these two states operated for over a decade without any opposition whatsoever to the rulers at the head. I highly recommend it to anyone seeking to understand how these States operated and looking to get past the simplistic representations of the time.

[Zach Thibodeau · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent investigation of the similarities and differences of Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Russia. Where Overy succeeds is in describing the relationships of the two dictators to their people. He has successfully opened up a partial understanding of the question, "Why would Germans and Russians go along with this?" Instead of blaming ignorance, misinformation, and deceit Overy has explained the ideological constructs of the regimes.

This book, pointed out in Overy's introduction, is not a duel biography. Instead, the aims are a statistical, and empirical examination of two of the most corrupt leaders under two of the most corrupt systems in the history of the world.

As a young history teacher, I have plans to use this book extensively. An excellent addition to my early book collection. 4 stars because 600 pages in, I found myself yearning to see the last page. Amazing otherwise.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still reading this one, seems to be a good comparison between the two and the modes of rising to power and leadership styles. Really different from the military histories that I am more used to reading. I would definitely recommend it!
Just finished this one. I know of no other book that I have read that has made me so glad not to have lived in Europe during this time. The express intent of evil on both sides was astounding. The writing of this book was exemplary and I really appreciated the author's ability to draw meaning out of a wealth of evidence to try to give a fascinating overall picture of these two dictatorships - how they came into being, what drove them, why they did what they did, what the reasons were. Really a good book - even though it took me about three months to finish it.

[Jeanette · Rating 2 out of 5]

How such a fascinating topic/comparison could be made, not boring, but workmanlike, is a mystery. This is a good overview/review, but somehow the information stays on the page. Overy may be a very good historian (not my field, but his research and analysis seems solid), but his writing is quite dry. Disappointing.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant comparison of Hitler's Germany and Stalin's USSR

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others that have been tried.” – Winston Churchill

রিচার্ড ওভেরি রচিত The Dictators: Hitler’s Germany, Stalin’s Russia একটি অসাধারণ তুলনামূলক গবেষণা যেখানে তিনি বিশ শতকের দুই ভয়াবহ একনায়ক, হিটলার ও স্টালিনের নেতৃত্বাধীন শাসনব্যবস্থাকে একসাথে মূল্যায়ন করেছেন। গ্রন্থটি কেবল ঐতিহাসিক দলিল নয়, এটি ক্ষমতার প্রকৃতি, রাজনীতির নির্মমতা এবং জনগণের ওপর আধিপত্য প্রতিষ্ঠার কৌশল নিয়ে গভীর পর্যবেক্ষণও প্রদান করে।

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” – Lord Acton

ওভেরি বইটিতে দেখিয়েছেন কিভাবে দুই স্বৈরশাসকের শাসনব্যবস্থা সমান্তরালভাবে উন্নতি লাভ করেছিল, যদিও তাদের আদর্শগত অবস্থান ছিল বিপরীত। হিটলারের নাৎসি জার্মানি এবং স্টালিনের সোভিয়েত রাশিয়ার মধ্যে মিল ছিল দমনমূলক রাষ্ট্রযন্ত্র, প্রোপাগান্ডার ব্যবহার এবং ব্যক্তিপূজার ক্ষেত্রে। লেখক বিশদভাবে ব্যাখ্যা করেছেন, কিভাবে উভয় স্বৈরাচারী সরকার সমাজের প্রতিটি স্তরে নিজেদের নিয়ন্ত্রণ প্রতিষ্ঠা করেছিল এবং বিরোধীদের নির্মমভাবে দমন করেছিল।

“The end may justify the means as long as there is something that justifies the end.” – Leon Trotsky

একটি গুরুত্বপূর্ণ দিক হলো, লেখক স্বৈরাচারের কার্যকারিতা পর্যালোচনা করেছেন বাস্তব প্রশাসনিক দৃষ্টিকোণ থেকে। তিনি দেখিয়েছেন, কিভাবে অর্থনীতি, শিল্প, ও সামরিক ব্যবস্থাকে দুই শাসক ভিন্ন ভিন্ন উপায়ে ব্যবহার করেছেন। উদাহরণস্বরূপ, হিটলারের অর্থনৈতিক মডেল যুদ্ধ ও সামরিক প্রস্তুতির ওপর নির্ভরশীল ছিল, যেখানে স্টালিন জোর দিয়েছিলেন কেন্দ্রীয় পরিকল্পিত অর্থনীতির ওপর।

“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” – George Orwell

ওভেরির লেখা কখনো কখনো কিছুটা কঠিন হয়ে ওঠে, বিশেষত ঐতিহাসিক তথ্য ও বিশ্লেষণের গভীরতায়। তবে বইটি স্বৈরশাসনের কাজকৌশল বোঝার জন্য অনন্য এক রেফারেন্স। লেখক কোনো রকম পক্ষপাত ছাড়াই দেখিয়েছেন, কিভাবে এ দুই শাসক জনগণকে নিয়ন্ত্রণ করার জন্য চরম রাষ্ট্রীয় শক্তি ও নিষ্ঠুরতা ব্যবহার করেছিলেন।

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana

এই বই স্বৈরাচারী শাসনের অনিবার্য পরিণতি সম্পর্কে পাঠককে চিন্তা করতে বাধ্য করে। ওভেরির গবেষণা আজকের বিশ্বেও প্রাসঙ্গিক, কারণ ইতিহাস আমাদের শেখায় যে স্বৈরাচার সবসময় নতুন নতুন রূপে আবির্ভূত হয়।

গণতন্ত্রের সুরক্ষা নিশ্চিত করতে হলে স্বৈরাচারের বাস্তবতা ও তার কৌশল সম্পর্কে গভীর জ্ঞান থাকা আবশ্যক।

সার্বিকভাবে, The Dictators: Hitler’s Germany, Stalin’s Russia ইতিহাসের ছাত্র এবং রাজনৈতিক বিশ্লেষকদের জন্য অত্যন্ত গুরুত্বপূর্ণ একটি বই। এটি পাঠকদের গভীর উপলব্ধি দান করে যে, ইতিহাসের এই দুই নৃশংস শাসকের উত্থান ও পতন কেবল অতীতের ঘটনা নয়, বরং সমকালীন রাজনীতির ক্ষেত্রেও এক শক্তিশালী পাঠ।

[Justus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel almost bad giving this such a (relatively) low review because there is a tremendous amount of scholarship covering a staggering variety of subjects here. On the surface it seems like everything I tend to like in history books: it is focused on organizations rather than individuals, it is an idiosyncratic take on a popular theme, and so on. Overy sets out to write a book, not about Hitler and Stalin, but about the operational reality of their dictatorships.

He writes about utopian town planning, the rise of technocratic elites in both, both attempting to build a kind of classless society (Hitler emphasised uniforms everywhere in part (in his own words) "so that Germans can walk together arm in arm without regard to their station in life"), genetics (Dawinism vs. Larmarkism), definitions of a "new man", and more.

And all of that is just one part of just one chapter.

Frankly, it all became a bit wearisome. I was reading another book shortly afterwards that included the line

My intention has been to follow major themes across time and space, not to try to be encyclopaedic.

And I feel that's where Overy misstepped. He did attempt to be encyclopaedic and there are no real major themes that run through the book. At one point I was four hundred pages in and looked up and realized I hadn't even made it half way through the book yet. Each chapter is easily over an hour long to read. And, for whatever reason, I rarely found the chapters especially engaging. So it would usually take me (at least) two sittings to finish a single chapter.

Why do we read non-fiction? What makes a "good" non-fiction book? I wondered this while trying to put my finger on exactly why I found The Dictators so hum-drum, especially since it seemed like exactly the kind of book I thought I would like. I think one part of the answer is we are often looking for a kind of "ah ha!" feeling where you see the world (or one part of its history) in a slightly different way. I rarely got that feeling while reading Overy's book. Instead it felt more like a bricklayer filling in a few small gaps with putty.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's some good stuff in this book, should be at 600+ pages.

But too much fluff, and I got the impression much is not original,
the author took 100 other Hitler/Stalin books, copied and pasted from them,
with little thought as to how true the "stuff" is.

Example, in next to last chapter, about the camps,
he copies and pastes a number of things from the book: MAN IS WOLF TO MAN

This book is a fraud, mostly lies, yet this author thinks that because someone published it,
it must be true!!!

Example: at a gulag camp, the guards would give the prisoners a shot of alcohol to warm them up before going to work in the winter.

Given the shortage of alcohol in Siberia, and the guards boredom and desire to be drunk as often as possible, do YOU really think they'd GIVE booze to prisoners???

Made a nice little anecdote, but not backed up by any reliable source, there's more where that came from.

I have a bridge in NYC, wanta buy it?

[M Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read a full score of books on how these two monstrous regimes came to be and came to be supported by their citizens. This book is by far the best at examining and explaining their commonalities and differences. If you want to get past the basic facts of how evil each government was, this is the book to contextualize and examine the mechanicisms and philosophical roots of the mutant of science and bureaucracy into mass murder.

[Debi Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew this book would take me a long time to read but it was worth every day. Richard Overy is an exceptional writer but even more so, someone who can evaluate and explain the ins and outs of all parts of the society which made Germany and Russia what they were during the war. A lot of statistics can get a little tedious but as you read you realize how important they are. If you like non-fiction, specifically Russian and German history, this is the book to get.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not looking for yet another book about WWII when I saw this one in my Bookbub email and had to check it out. I can't begin to say how very interesting it is. i didn't read it. I listened to an audiobook, but that option wasn't listed on Goodreads. The audiobook is very well done with an excellent reader who uses different voices for the quotes from the two dictators.

[Leonardo]

Recomendado como estudio comparado de los dos dirigentes más importantes de la guerra en Europa en Guerra.

[Chan Fry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a dense but informative book that compares and contrasts the 20th Century’s two most infamous dictators in every detail. (I wrote a longer review back in 2009.)

[David Alonso vargas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un gran análisis comparativo no solo entre los dos dictadores, sino entre las dos dictaduras tratando cada uno de los aspectos cruciales de las mismas con sus similitudes y diferencias.

Muy recomendable

[Nimrod Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fairly interesting comparison between Hitler and Stalin, what is the most amazing is that they're stories have some striking similarities...

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

As well as being engaging throughout, this book has been invaluable to me in writing my extended project, so I've given it five stars out of gratitude!

[Стефан Петков · Rating 5 out of 5]

Съвременна класика. Абсолютно задължителна.

[Michael Golightly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very dense reading with details on top of more details, stats on top of stats and without providing any conclusions that would be useful in today's world.

[Grof J. Kešetović · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually when people think of Overy's works, this would be the capital work he provided to the scientific community. It offers an excellent insight into two obviously similar but in the end very different totalitarian systems.

Note to readers - I read the book 4-5 years ago, so I will need to read it again to refreshen my review :D

[James Varney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super heavy history; overall, not for the armchair historians. Overy's book "Russia's War" is a more enjoyable read, albeit not an equal scholarly accomplishment as this.

The book hits its stride in the last couple of chapters where we get to the war and terror, although an earlier chapter on culture is quite interesting. The deep economic stuff and tables will be too dry for most readers (including me!). There are two critical points I think Overy elides or even ignores. One is that both Stalin and Hitler have their roots in Marx; these are collectivist enterprises that, like all collectivist enterprises, descend into murder and terror. They are the *same* coin, in other words, rather than two sides of one.

Second, Stalin inherited his machinery and put it on steroids. Hitler, on the other hand, invented his. The pieces that Stalin used were all put in place by Lenin, and Stalin was continuing the Bolshevik project along clearly marked lines, whereas the Nazi Party was something new for Germany.

But there is loads of information here, and for those with a deep interest in the USSR or 20th century European history, "The Dictators" is a rewarding work.

[Human Being · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding! The most provocative deep dive into the motives of Hitler's Germany and Stalin's USSR that brings a wide eyed perspective to what gave form and function to each leaders and their followers ability to engage in unparalleled atrocities. Overy takes the reader on a long journey through their more relevant recent social and political struggles and relates them to the outcome of the dictatorships that they chose as the cure for their preconceived ills. He does not apologize for their violence and bigotry but makes the reader see that there was for them an alternative view to Western Liberal morality that is historically and culturally unique to both Germany and Solvic peoples. This is at the heart of understanding the why and how of WW2 that anyone comes away with after learning of the depth of inhumanity these two countries perpetrated on the world. I've read and have studied this subject for decades and have never read a historian who has ever come close to explaining either the how or why of that question until now. Absolutely outstanding in the deepth and breath of how bravely Mr. Overy conquered this subject of how and why Hitler and Stalin did what they did. But even as important; how and why each society allowed them to do so. If you had only one book to read on WW2 make this it!

[Bruno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Usually, I'm not fond of historical biographies (I usually watch History channel or BBC for that purpose), but I've gladly made an exception and ventured through this book during hot summer days of 2011. It contains many known and private facts, revolving around the greatest monsters the modern age the world was able to see. From their birth through childhood, youth, adult and middle age to their death. One pursuing the idea of national supremacy over the others. while the other imposes socialistic ideas. But they couldn't be what they were without the support of other peoples, who've decided to give them that opportunity. Their stories jump from one to another, so we can get the picture of what their and the history of the world was, simultaneous. While doing that, you may notice that they were like brothers in a struggle for ultimate power, as their methods and crimes can only differentiate them by a context, rather than the deed itself. This is one of the best source materials for academic works (regarding history), as well as biographies of a famous/notorious persons.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non-fiction. This is a highlevel discussion of Hitler and Stalin - it is not the pure history - you are expected to know the basic course of events. Rather, this is a more in-depth examination of the underpinning realities - the idea of functionalism vs. intentionalism (how were they merely reacting to events beyond their control vs. creating the reality and results they intended all along). This is some of the hardest reading I have ever experienced. Some of the sentences took a half dozen reads to really process. He knows his stuff.