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Stalin in Power: The Revolution from Above, 1928-1941

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Neither Stalin, the collectivization crisis, nor the terror suffer from a dearth of good and serious studies. Yet despite the crowded field, Tucker's "Stalin in Power" is by far the best treatment of all three complex events. No other book sets out as credible, well-researched and well considered a theory of the workings of Stalin's mind. The great challenge presented by the Soviet thirties is the comprehension of the real logic behind what appears from the outside as mass irrationality. Most writers' personal models of depth and social psychology are inadequate to the task. Tucker succeeds, by a significant margin.

Tucker's careful storytelling hews to historical facts and grippingly narrates Stalin's creeping domination of the Soviet idea. This book is complete. A must read for all interested in recent Russian history.

Over the years, I have read a number of books on Stalin, some good and some awful and I am convinced that this book, along with Professor Tucker's other work, "Stalin as a Revolutionary" is the best work on this subject (Adam Ulam's work would be the best one volume study of Stalin).

What sets this book apart from the others is Tucker's first rate understanding of Stalin and the world in which he operated. Only someone as stubborn as Stalin could have imagined he was creating paradise on earth while at the same establishing one of the most hellish regime's in world history and Tucker captures him in all of his evil. Even though he is a widely respected actademic, Tucker writes in such a way as to make this 20th century monster understandable to expert and beginner alike.

The only complaint that I have is that Tucker has yet to follow through with the next part of Stalin's career. It seems to be truism of late that no one can complete a multi-volume work on one of the leaders of World War II. Kenneth Davis was unsuccessful in his magnificent FDR biography as was William Manchester in his attempt to capture Churchill in his series of books on the great prime minister. I am only hoping that wealth of material that has become available with the fall of communism and the Soviet Union does not hamper Professor Tucker's efforts.

Reading this book gives one insight not only on Stalin but also on the political system that he constructed around his personality. Its effects are still being felt in today's Russia--much of Stalin's struggle with his identity and place in the world was and still is mirrored by the Russian state itself. Tucker is a masterful storyteller; one comes away with a great sense of both the historical moment and the political weight of the subject matter. This book should still be required reading for anyone who wants to understand the Russian political system.

This is an excellent biography of Stalin, the middle book in a proposed trilogy. Tucker weaves events in the Soviet Union around the twisted, paranoid personality of Joseph Stalin, former seminary student. What I found to be the most intriguing was how every time Stalin changed his mind about something, everyone had to fall in line or risk being labeled a "wrecker" or "counter-revolutionary." Stalin was not particularly brilliant, and he was not Lenin's choice as a successor, but he had a genius for bureacratic maneuvering that put him in the powerful position that he held for years. For all his paranoia and all the damage he did to Russia, it is amazing that someone didn't actually knock him off. It is a chilling reflection on how obsequious even the best of us can be when motivated by fear.

It is amazing a person this sick could obtain, hold , and increase his power. Tucker does a good job expaining how it came about. This is a true horror story. After reading this, you'll understand that Hitler was not unique

Highly recommended reading. Learn from history to avoid repeating the same mistakes in our future. Scary history of an extreme abuse of power. I'm not a history buff or history scholar, just wanted to learn more about how Stalin rose to power and was able to carry out the atrocities he inflicted upon the Russian people. The way he created class warfare and used it to his advantage is horrifying in light of the class warfare being manufactured in our country right now for political purposes.

I have read many excellent books on Stalin's life, his reign, individual histories of many of Stalin's puppets, and the Great Terror of 1937-1938. Mr. Tucker's book is superb in its depth, breadth and clear understanding of Stalin, his accomplishments and failures, the minions and accomplices who surrounded him, the costs of his bungling, both in human and economic terms, his political purposes, and critically, the psychological forces driving Stalin and his deadly machinations. If you could read only one book about Stalin, Tucker's "Stalin in Power" is it. Essential to any library on the subject, this powerful history will provide you with a deep understanding of the most evil and Machiavellian person in modern history, a person who both horrifies us, and begrudgingly, engenders a certain amount of respect for his single-mindedness.