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The Unknown Stalin: His Life, Death, and Legacy
Giving the best and most informative explanation to date of the mystery of Stalin s death, renowned historians Roy and Zhores Medvedev have written a gripping new biography of Joseph Stalin, based on findings from research into archives only recently made available, as well as the Medvedev brothers own experiences during and after Stalin s brutal regime. Conventional beliefs and cliches are contradicted and disproved, inaccuracies and misconceptions are corrected, and the facts about Stalin s intellect, ancestry, and the fortunes of his personal effects after his death are fully examined. Perhaps most remarkable of all are the Medvedevs revelations and contentions concerning Stalin s There has been much suspicion over whether he was assassinated or died of natural causes, and the authors go a long way toward resolving this question. The Unknown Stalin resonates with particular intensity due to the personal detail and recollections of the two authors each of whom has his own history as a Russian dissident and commentator. This startling new work represents one of the most significant contributions to the study of Russian history in decades, a book of vital interest to scholars and general readers.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
5 people are currently reading
145 people want to read
About the author
Рой Медведев
53 books3 followersРой Александрович Медведев (14 ноября 1925, Тифлис) — советский и российский публицист, закончил философский факультет ЛГУ, доктор педагогических наук, профессор, политический деятель, один из представителей левого крыла диссидентского движения в СССР. Автор работ по истории. Брат-близнец учёного-геронтолога, диссидента Ж. А. Медведева.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 22, 2018
There were at least three whackheads of the 20th century: Hitler, Mao, and Stalin. Each killed millions. While I always assumed Mao and Hitler were not all there, I had a different take on Stalin, thinking he must not have been as bad as the other two. I was wrong.
"Uncle Joe", as the Yanks called him in WWII, wasn't even Russian, having grown up in the Caucasus Mountain villages of Georgia, on the Black Sea. He was ruthless, as were the Bolsheviks in general, and rose to the top of the scum pile, even as Lenin was dying. Stalin would do anything to stay at the top, including starving millions of peasants to death, whom he hated above all else. So much for representing the lower classes.
Stalin's Mother: Joseph, what exactly are you?
Stalin: Mama, do you remember our tsar?
Stalin's Mother: Of course I do.
Stalin: Well I'm something like the tsar.
Along with obliterating many Ukrainian villages, Stalin also obliterated his former party allies, his own Red Army commanders, and 25,000 Polish army officers (he tried to blame that one on the Germans). He never stopped instilling terror, even toward the end of his life, as he started the Doctors' Plot and a new Jewish pogrom. Of course, what goes around comes around, so when Stalin had a stroke, no one helped him. His cronies, all afraid of being the next to be purged, hesitated, mainly because the doctors who could have helped Stalin...had been obliterated.
This book is not a basic biography of Stalin, but instead looks at certain episodes of his life, bringing new research into the nutbucket's legacy. Because each chapter is different, not chronological, it kept my interest. Turned out to be perfect timing, as I saw the movie, The Death Of Stalin just as I was finishing the book. Nutbuckets.
It's actually rather depressing, because while reading this, I realized that no matter what, humans will always try to outshine their fellow humans, which means power which means corruption, which means war and death. And their fellow humans will always follow new leaders in the hope of clinging to the leader's coattails on the ladder to elitism. Kinda like the workplace.
Book Season = Spring (no one left to sow the seeds)
"Uncle Joe", as the Yanks called him in WWII, wasn't even Russian, having grown up in the Caucasus Mountain villages of Georgia, on the Black Sea. He was ruthless, as were the Bolsheviks in general, and rose to the top of the scum pile, even as Lenin was dying. Stalin would do anything to stay at the top, including starving millions of peasants to death, whom he hated above all else. So much for representing the lower classes.
Stalin's Mother: Joseph, what exactly are you?
Stalin: Mama, do you remember our tsar?
Stalin's Mother: Of course I do.
Stalin: Well I'm something like the tsar.
Along with obliterating many Ukrainian villages, Stalin also obliterated his former party allies, his own Red Army commanders, and 25,000 Polish army officers (he tried to blame that one on the Germans). He never stopped instilling terror, even toward the end of his life, as he started the Doctors' Plot and a new Jewish pogrom. Of course, what goes around comes around, so when Stalin had a stroke, no one helped him. His cronies, all afraid of being the next to be purged, hesitated, mainly because the doctors who could have helped Stalin...had been obliterated.
This book is not a basic biography of Stalin, but instead looks at certain episodes of his life, bringing new research into the nutbucket's legacy. Because each chapter is different, not chronological, it kept my interest. Turned out to be perfect timing, as I saw the movie, The Death Of Stalin just as I was finishing the book. Nutbuckets.
It's actually rather depressing, because while reading this, I realized that no matter what, humans will always try to outshine their fellow humans, which means power which means corruption, which means war and death. And their fellow humans will always follow new leaders in the hope of clinging to the leader's coattails on the ladder to elitism. Kinda like the workplace.
Book Season = Spring (no one left to sow the seeds)
July 29, 2025
I have read a lot of books about Stalin and the historical events during his lifetime, so it's hard to teach me much about Stalin that I don't already know. But I was intrigued by the title, and I had never read anything by the Medvedevs. Someday I'll get around to their more famous book, "Let History Judge," but this was a good introduction to their writing. They have an interesting perspective, not entirely condemning Marxism, Leninism and communism, but also not following the party line. They have a bit of Russian patriotism in them, but they do try to be objective. They are certainly more objective than, for example, Solzhenitsyn, but I think that even Solzhenitsyn would have acknowledged that "The Gulag Archipelego" was intended to be as much a counterpolemic to the party line and a heartfelt memorial to the victims of the Gulag as it was a work of history.
Unsurprisingly, I was already familiar with much of the "unknown" material in this book, such as the story of the hours around Stalin's death when he lay paralyzed from a stroke without medical attention as his underlings schemed, the stories around the development of the Soviet atomic bomb and hydrogen bomb, and the disaster of Lysenko, but still there were some new things that I did not know. For example I was fascinated to learn that the leaders of the atomic program had to pretend to their staffs that they had independently discovered the information obtained through espionage since the staff people could not know about the espionage and therefore thought that their bosses were geniuses. And I liked the Medvedevs' take on Stalin's grand strategy at the beginning of WWII, holding back the bulk of his forces deep in Russian territory to let the vast Russian spaces absorb most of the blow, because he did not trust the judgment of the generals who lacked experience as they were newly promoted to replace the ones who Stalin had purged and shot or sent to the camps. So maybe Stalin was caught a bit off guard by the German attack, but was smarter than he is credited being as a strategist because the Germans would have liked to have lured the Russian army closer to the border where it could have been quickly crushed by the Blitzkrieg. The Medvedevs also provide convincing evidence that Stalin was active in the defensive effort from the outset, not depressed and withdrawn in the initial weeks of the war as Khrushchev claimed.
So I definitely got some value out of this book, enjoying the authors' point of view and picking up some new tidbits. It was worth reading.
Unsurprisingly, I was already familiar with much of the "unknown" material in this book, such as the story of the hours around Stalin's death when he lay paralyzed from a stroke without medical attention as his underlings schemed, the stories around the development of the Soviet atomic bomb and hydrogen bomb, and the disaster of Lysenko, but still there were some new things that I did not know. For example I was fascinated to learn that the leaders of the atomic program had to pretend to their staffs that they had independently discovered the information obtained through espionage since the staff people could not know about the espionage and therefore thought that their bosses were geniuses. And I liked the Medvedevs' take on Stalin's grand strategy at the beginning of WWII, holding back the bulk of his forces deep in Russian territory to let the vast Russian spaces absorb most of the blow, because he did not trust the judgment of the generals who lacked experience as they were newly promoted to replace the ones who Stalin had purged and shot or sent to the camps. So maybe Stalin was caught a bit off guard by the German attack, but was smarter than he is credited being as a strategist because the Germans would have liked to have lured the Russian army closer to the border where it could have been quickly crushed by the Blitzkrieg. The Medvedevs also provide convincing evidence that Stalin was active in the defensive effort from the outset, not depressed and withdrawn in the initial weeks of the war as Khrushchev claimed.
So I definitely got some value out of this book, enjoying the authors' point of view and picking up some new tidbits. It was worth reading.
August 9, 2014
Its been a long time since a book made me feel so disturbed that I had tears in my eyes. Before you get worried I did not cry over Stalin but his treatment of Bukharin.
The book was very interesting and I loved the authors analysis and the way they explained their arguments. Which were realistic and pragamatic. I must admit to finding out many interesting points that I previously never knew. The book started off with Stalin death, the legacy of Stalinism and how the Soviet union was run. Then it dealt with how Russian built the bomb and become a nuclear power. This also involved a disussion on the labour camps. How Stalin organised Science and culture. The 2nd world war. The Final chapter was my favourite and dealt with Stalins view of how the Soviet union should direct its self and his views on the subject of nationlism. the destruction of Bukharin and finally a small chapter about Stalins Mother.
Such a great read and right from the horses mouth so to speak, from two brothers one whom lived and stuidied in the USSR and remembers and uses his memories with out being biased. I would recommend this book to everyone that loves history.
The book was very interesting and I loved the authors analysis and the way they explained their arguments. Which were realistic and pragamatic. I must admit to finding out many interesting points that I previously never knew. The book started off with Stalin death, the legacy of Stalinism and how the Soviet union was run. Then it dealt with how Russian built the bomb and become a nuclear power. This also involved a disussion on the labour camps. How Stalin organised Science and culture. The 2nd world war. The Final chapter was my favourite and dealt with Stalins view of how the Soviet union should direct its self and his views on the subject of nationlism. the destruction of Bukharin and finally a small chapter about Stalins Mother.
Such a great read and right from the horses mouth so to speak, from two brothers one whom lived and stuidied in the USSR and remembers and uses his memories with out being biased. I would recommend this book to everyone that loves history.
November 10, 2023
If you have not read extensively into Stalin, this book is certainly not for beginners.
When the subject is Stalin, one has to read numerous works to try and get a sense of who he was.
This book is another piece of that puzzle.
When the subject is Stalin, one has to read numerous works to try and get a sense of who he was.
This book is another piece of that puzzle.
July 19, 2024
Not bad... Good, as a matter of fact.
January 29, 2019
You know who killed Stalin? Unlike Elvis, it wasn't his mother.
The Unknown Stalin isn't so much a biography of Stalin as a scholarly study of his influence on people and history. It begins with his death, and, working backward, examines his role in major events such as the development of Soviet atomic and hydrogen bombs, World War II, and the Great Terror. The chapters devoted to the development of the Soviet nuclear programs read like essays on nuclear physics. The reader will not only learn that those programs succeeded only because they relied on convict labor (as did every industry in the Soviet Union), but will also learn how atomic and hydrogen bombs work -in exhausting detail. Physicists will enjoy those chapters more than historians.
When this book is fascinating, it is gripping. When it is dull, it is torturous. Some particularly fascinating chapters were those about the power struggle among Kruschev, Malenkov and Beria while Stalin lay in a puddle of urine on the floor following his stroke; about Stalin's reasons for signing the non-aggression pact with Hitler; and about how he transformed himself from a Georgian into a Russian.
The Unknown Stalin also examines Stalin's influence on literature, the arts and even linguistics in the Soviet Union. It concludes with Stalin's relationship with his mother. Apparently he once asked her "Why did you beat me so often?" Perhaps if she hadn't millions of innocent people wouldn't have been murdered on his orders.
The Unknown Stalin isn't so much a biography of Stalin as a scholarly study of his influence on people and history. It begins with his death, and, working backward, examines his role in major events such as the development of Soviet atomic and hydrogen bombs, World War II, and the Great Terror. The chapters devoted to the development of the Soviet nuclear programs read like essays on nuclear physics. The reader will not only learn that those programs succeeded only because they relied on convict labor (as did every industry in the Soviet Union), but will also learn how atomic and hydrogen bombs work -in exhausting detail. Physicists will enjoy those chapters more than historians.
When this book is fascinating, it is gripping. When it is dull, it is torturous. Some particularly fascinating chapters were those about the power struggle among Kruschev, Malenkov and Beria while Stalin lay in a puddle of urine on the floor following his stroke; about Stalin's reasons for signing the non-aggression pact with Hitler; and about how he transformed himself from a Georgian into a Russian.
The Unknown Stalin also examines Stalin's influence on literature, the arts and even linguistics in the Soviet Union. It concludes with Stalin's relationship with his mother. Apparently he once asked her "Why did you beat me so often?" Perhaps if she hadn't millions of innocent people wouldn't have been murdered on his orders.
September 16, 2013
Not another biography of Stalin, the authors rather write about some aspects of his life, e.g., what happened at his death, about his role in the construction of the atomic bomb, about his policy towards the science, about his role in World War II. The authors make use of previously unknown documents discovered in the archives of the early 90-ies. The book is nicely written and makes easy reading. For me the most interesting was the story about Stalin's relationship to science. The dictator decided personally which scientific theories are correct and which are not. The thing was very serious, the followers of the bad theory were removed from all positions – if they were lucky, in the worst case they have died in gulag. The strange thing is that the dictator intervened in biology and linguistics: rather apolitical sciences. But in these terrible times everything was political...
March 25, 2011
A chuffing good read! Not so much about the character of Stalin himself but more to do with his influence over events and circumstances. From the well known events like the development of the Soviet atomic bomb to the less well known people like Apanesenko there's a good spread of subjects.
Absolutely fascinating I have to say.
Absolutely fascinating I have to say.
June 5, 2013
Boring. And if you haven't read another Stalin biography this is not the place to start.
March 8, 2023
An illuminating series of episodes from Stalin's life and decision making, written by two Russian historians who were aided by new and relevant materials that came to light after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It offers a few glimpses of Stalin personally (I haven't read any of the biographies of him so there was some new information here). Mostly it chronicles murderous paranoia, rigid thinking, lapses into the sadism that can be indulged in by an absolute dictator, and excursions into odd intellectual dead ends such as Stalin's support for Lysenko's demonstrably wrongheaded approach to biology and genetics. In the context of 2023 and the war against Ukraine, it looks like the legacy of this twisted soul remains the main governing impulse in Russia.
January 6, 2025
Κάπως κουραστικό βιβλίο και αρκετά παραπλανητικος ο τίτλος. Στην πραγματικότητα ο Στάλιν καταλαμβάνει το μειοψηφικο κομμάτι του βιβλίου και οι πολλές ασυνδετες πληροφορίες αφορούν κυρίως ανθρώπους με τους οποίους σχετιστηκε. Επίσης χρονικά πάει μπρος πίσω ,δεν καλύπτει καθόλου την προεπαναστατικη περίοδο και την σχεδόν καθόλου την περίοδο του Λένιν.
Διαβάζεται μόνο από κάποιον που έχει μεγάλο ενδιαφέρον για τον Στάλιν και θα προσπαθησει να εντοπίσει με το σταγονόμετρο πληροφορίες που αγνοεί
Διαβάζεται μόνο από κάποιον που έχει μεγάλο ενδιαφέρον για τον Στάλιν και θα προσπαθησει να εντοπίσει με το σταγονόμετρο πληροφορίες που αγνοεί
June 23, 2020
It’s the first book I’ve read about Stalin and I think I should have started with some other one. Sure you’ll learn many things, and details specifically, about his life and also about political situation around Stalin, but I think I would like to know more basics. It’s probably my bad that I picked a relatively new book whose the main goal is probably to add new facts to previous biographies.
July 26, 2021
Molto, molto interessante. Un libro agile ma ricchissimo di riferimenti alla storia e alla politica russa e sovietica, tra il 1900 e gli anni successivi alla morte di Stalin. Un fitto apparato di note molto utili. Un classico per ripercorrere la storia di un periodo troppo spesso e tuttora colpevolmente relegato in secondo piano.
February 9, 2022
This is an interesting book on Stalin.
Good book, nicely written, which helps to complete the picture of Stalin the man, his politics, reasoning and above all, his reign of terror based control.
Good book, nicely written, which helps to complete the picture of Stalin the man, his politics, reasoning and above all, his reign of terror based control.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews