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Richard Overy

The Dictators: Hitler's Germany, Stalin's Russia Hardcover – Bargain Price, September 30, 2004

by Richard Overy (Author)

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848 pages
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W. W. Norton & Company
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September 30, 2004
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Customer reviews

5 star		65%
4 star		17%
3 star		12%
2 star		3%
1 star		3%

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Koo Tat Kee

Tour de force

Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2018

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This book is not meant to be a twin biography of Hitler and Stalin. According to Overy, ‘The Dictators has been written with two purposes in mind: first, to supply an empirical foundation on which to construct any discussion of what made the two systems either similar or different; second, to write a comparative ‘operational’ history of the two systems in order to answer the large question about how personal dictatorship actually worked.’ (P. xxxiv)

Moreover, to classify the two systems simply as totalitarian regimes may gloss over very real differences between them. The dictatorships have to be placed in context to understand the ideas, political behaviour and social ambitions that defined each. After all, ‘The dictatorships were the fruit of a unique historical conjuncture in which the pretensions of the two leaders matched, if imperfectly, the aspirations of those they sought to represent.’ (P.38)

Overy concluded, ‘What united the two systems was the unresolved and permanent gap between ideal and reality, and the common instruments exploited by each system to mask the distortions of the truth.’ (P.636)

All in all, the work was well-researched. Overy was able to put forward cogent arguments based on concrete historical evidence in a masterly way. It attained to the highest standard of scholarship.

3 people found this helpful

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Francis McInerney

Outstanding

Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2005

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Overy is more than a scholar; he is a deep thinker. There is a world of difference. "The Dictators" is a seminal work comparing how the two greatest dictators of all time exercised control over their political, economic, and military systems all while laying out the implications of this control.

It is the painstaking comparison, often paragraph-by-paragraph, that gives this work its magisterial quality. But what really makes "The Dictators" work is how it builds on Overy's previous work, "Why the Allies Won," which assumed that the Allied victory was not a forgone conclusion in 1940 and asked, and answered, probing questions about comparative command structures, production economies, and capital sources.

Without this base, Overy's latest could have become just another book on Hitler and Stalin. And a boring one at that. With it, however, we get insights unavailable elsewhere. Having studied Marxism, Leninism, and the Soviet Union for forty years, I was deeply impressed.

The next step in this line of scholarship is to put it in the context of falling information costs. Wealth is created when increasing amounts of ever cheaper information can be substituted for other resources like land, labor, and capital. "The Dictators" describes how Hitler and Stalin did the opposite, systematically lowering the cost of information or themselves and raising it for everyone else.

Following Overy's reasoning in "Why the Allies Won" the question is, absenting world war, was the Dictator system sustainable? If so, for how long? This question is critical to understanding the future of China as it tries to contain falling information costs and keep some semblance of Party leadership. And critical to us in trying to manage our relationship with China. Next book Mr. Overy?

Editing: Five Stars. Comparing two systems across so many functions page-by-page and often paragraph-by paragraph can quickly become unwieldy and most would advise strongly against it. Better to keep each leader to his own chapter. But Overy carries this off and his editor wisely let him proceed.

Copy Editing: Five Stars

16 people found this helpful

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Eunice M.

The Dictators

Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2011

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Richard Overy's book The Dictators sought to compare the ideological similarities and differences exemplified by Stalin's Russia and Hitler's Germany. He examines many different factions of both regimes. He starts by looking at how these two dictatorships were able to come about and concludes that without the occurrence of World War I and a little bit of luck, these regimes could not have risen. Overy then goes on to look at the style in which these two dictators ruled. He explains that they claimed the democracy of the West divided the nation into a class system. They wanted true democracy that gives undisputed power to one political party to represent the country. Overy also suggests that Hitler and Stalin were not dictators just for the sense of power, but in order to reach their goal of a Utopia even though their ideas of Utopia differed. Hitler's utopia was a racially pure society, while Stalin's utopia was a classless society. Both of these rulers knew that they faced another inevitable war, and they both heavily involved themselves in the militaristic strategies of their countries. Overy states that WWII would become a total war because it would determine if the ideology of each system would survive. Lastly Overy focuses on the nationalism and racism in each dictatorship, which led to the mass extermination as well as deportation of people. He explains that due to the nationalism and anti-Semitism in both countries it was easy for people to look past the rumors of work and extermination camps.

This book in fairly in depth, and a slow read due to the immense amount of information Overy includes. At times Overy seems a little to eager to place Stalin and Hitler in the same category when comparing the two dictatorships, and you must take what Overy says with a grain of salt. He is however clearly very knowledgeable on what he is writing and is very in tune with the ideas he is trying to set across. Overy does not lack data or support throughout his book. If you are interested in how dictatorships come to be and how they are able to keep their power this is a great book for you to read. Some parts are a little harder to get through than others, but overall the topic is interesting and very well written.

5 people found this helpful

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keikochan

Very interesting

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 7, 2013

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The comparison between Hitler and Stalin is comprehensive and it is fascinating to see the similarities. The author looks at both dictators from various angles, and his background knowledge of the time is impressive. It is worrying to read the economic climate and other situations of the time when the two dictators were created as one could relate it to the present time. Despite rather heavy subject, it is easy to read as it is written very clearly, and suitable for everyone. I highly recommend it!

9 people found this helpful

T. Gokce

Good

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 27, 2019

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A good read but nothing to getting really appreciate or get excited about!

anglesey lad

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 18, 2017

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Kindle purchase-no problems
Nothing further to add

Tony

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 30, 2016

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Magic

Ken Manvell

A mass of factual material with freeflowing presentation.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 26, 2014

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A scholarly well written work. Both Dictators did diabolical things. The western allies shared the one that did so much to keep us on the winning side. No consolation for his victims.
Kenneth Manvell

One person found this helpful

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