"I was repelled by the very qualities which would strengthen him...the narrowness of his interests, his psychological coarseness, and the special cynicism of the provincial..." Good look at how "Uncle Joe" Stalin overtook the USSR and held it by his power, cruelty and might along w/Stalin's ability to think ahead to stop his enemies and friends.
Disappointed though that the Author didn't use Alexander Solzhenitsyn and others who had told the west of what was happening in the Soviet Empire. I was looking for more primary documentation and given 2d & 3d hand accounts, however the author did a good job of informing those things that took place and its a good starting book, looking into the Stalinist Regime and the Soviet Empire.
"Harsh discipline of workers was regarded by Stalin as essential to building up Soviet industry, which lagged far behind the countries of Europe and the United States…
A main legacy of the first Five-Year Plan was a management structure that became an important part of of the Stalin political machine."
"The public trail of Bukharin, Yagoda, and nineteen other defendants began in March 1938. The purpose of the prosecution was to link all elements of opposition to Stalin together as members of a giant conspiracy, which had been launched with the killing of Kirov."
"Whatever the correct number, many of these millions died. The purges that led to the gulags were a human tragedy of truly shocking dimensions."
"As Trotsky pored over the manuscript, Mercader took an ice pick out of his raincoat. He closed his eyes and plunged it into Trotsky's head with full force.…
However, Trotsky was not yet dead. He was rushed to a hospital in Mexico City. There he clung to life for twenty-four hours. At the very end, in a whisper, he declared that "I am sure of the victory of the Forth International."