Molotov Remembers: Inside Kremlin Politics [Paperback]

V. M. Molotov (Author), Feliz Chuev (Author), Albert Resis (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 25, 2007

In conversations with the poet-biographer Felix Chuev, Molotov offers an incomparable view of the politics of Soviet society and the nature of Kremlin leadership under communism. Filled with startling insights and indelible portraits, the book is an historical source of the first order. A mesmerizing and chilling chronicle. --Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Molotov was a central (and often sinister) figure in Soviet politics until his expulsion from the Central Committee in 1957. A foreign minister during World War II and an influential policy-maker in the early days of the Cold War, he was considered Stalin's right-hand man. His memoirs, compiled from a series of 139 conversations with the Russian writer Chuev between 1969 and Molotov's death in 1986, were first published in Moscow in 1991 to great acclaim. Molotov reveals the inner workings of the Soviet system, providing much new information about decisions, events, and prominent personalities. Historian Resis has attached an introductory overview on Molotov's career and importance and has also provided brief notes to each of the book's four major sections--International Affairs, With Lenin, With Stalin, and Since Stalin. A chronology of events from 1890 to 1986 is appended. Indispensable for all Soviet history collections.
- Thomas A. Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, Pa.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

V.M. Molotov (1890-1986) rose to power with Lenin, serving briefly as the USSR's premier before Stalin's ascent and then as foreign minister during Stalin's reign and afterward. Like his masters, he left no official memoir--but in 1969, he held 140 conversations with Soviet poet and biographer Felix Chuev, who recorded the talks in a diary. Here, intelligently organized by Resis (History/Northern Illinois University), are extracts of the conversations--the most extensive overview ever available by a Bolshevik founding father of the Soviet Union's youth and middle age. Resis divides and groups the Q&As between Chuev and Molotov into four sections: ``International Affairs,'' ``With Lenin,'' ``With Stalin,'' and ``After Stalin.'' The subjects range from the personal (during Stalin's rule, ``We ate Siberian fish rather often at Stalin's place. White salmon...frozen, with garlic and vodka, raw...Beria would also bring grits, corn, and, in particular, certain kinds of cheese...'') to the global (during WW II, Churchill ``hated us and tried to use us. But we used him, too. We made him work with us''). What comes through most forcefully is the ruthlessness of the Soviet leaders (``Lenin was implacable when the Revolution...was at stake,'' says Molotov, implicating the Bolshevik leader in the execution of the Czar and his family; ``I believe [that in the 1930's] we had to pass through a period of error....Beria on his own could not have done it. He carried out the orders, very harsh orders issued by Stalin'')--including Molotov himself: ``Stalin, in my opinion, pursued a correct line: let innocent heads roll, but there will be no wavering....'' An important resource for future Soviet studies, Molotov's words also provide a mesmerizing and chilling chronicle of how the Marxist dream mutated into the Soviet nightmare--and of how power, once again, corrupted absolutely. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 463 pages
• Publisher: Ivan R Dee (September 25, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566637155
• ISBN-13: 978-1566637152
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,301,125 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting, August 30, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Molotov Remembers: Inside Kremlin Politics (Hardcover)

Molotov Remembers is the only book that allows the reader an inside look at Russia pre-1917, through the Bolshevik Revolution, and on through World War II and the Cold War. This is the first time a truly insider account has been written, and who better than Vyacheslav Molotov, the notorious Soviet foreign minister who preceded Stalin as premier. This book is not necessarily contradictory to the history we were taught in school, for never before have we had such an intimate account of the dealings inside the Soviet government.

What is also particularly fascinating is not the views Molotov held about the West but the views he held of Khrushchev and Brezhnev. The reader is introduced to what Molotov held as the true course for building socialism in the USSR, and one would be surprised to find out what he thought of Khrushchev and Brezhnev building "communism" in the Soviet Union.

All in all, this is an excellent buy.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Molotov:True to his word to his last breath, January 27, 2005

By 

Ogun Eratalay "oculus tauri" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Molotov Remembers: Inside Kremlin Politics (Hardcover)

Did you know that Molotov had seen all the leaders of the Soviet Union -Lenin, Stalin, Khruschev, Brezhnev, Andropov, Gorbachev-and was the only person to remain member of the Bolshevik Party for more than 80 years. In the book he refuses the idea of writing memoirs.Neither Lenin nor Stalin wrote memoirs so he shouldn't either. His friendly conversations during his retirement are carefully catalogued according to chronology. Full of interesting details about Lenin, Stalin, Second World War, foreign diplomacy and the beginning of Cold War.
One fact that is interesting about Molotov is that he remained true to his ideals throughout his life, never denounced an action the Politburo has taken .He hated people in the Party but never the Party itself, he always tried to do what he thought right even if it meant confronting Lenin or Stalin. The writer dosen't share my point of view as he intensively critisizes "Stalinism" without understanding the circumstances in that period. I learnt a lot of things from him with the help of this book. To Molotov...

10 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Who remembers?, October 24, 2004

By 

Lance Murdoch (North America) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Molotov Remembers: Inside Kremlin Politics (Hardcover)

I liked this book because it gives one a different perspective. The US leadership called the USSR the evil empire, the USSR leadership called the US imperialist warmongers. I've grown up with the US slant of things so here I hear from the other side, in an age where we are in a permanent "War on Terror" (e.g. Arab/Muslims) instead of a decades long "Cold War" (e.g. Eurasian and Third world communists).

One reason I give it a star off is professional anti-communist Albert Resis editted it, and a conservative publisher published, making me wonder what the editors left out of Chuev's interviews, and how words are translated (such as famous misleading translations like Khrushchev's "We will outlast you" which the US corporate media said was "We will bury you").

Despite having to suffer through Resis's filtering, which I suspect is an attempt to make Molotov seem more sinister and sangfroid, we do get to here from Molotov and a lot of it is interesting. I learned a lot about Russian politics and history from this. If I'd been allowed to have made up my own mind about Molotov (aside from the Resis editting, even the official reviews here tell you what to think - who's the totalitarian?) maybe I'd be harder on him, but since this is filtered through a bunch of totalitarians telling me how to think, I decided to give Molotov a pass. Raise the scarlet banner high!