Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Stalin: History in an Hour cover art

Stalin: History in an Hour

By: Rupert Colley
Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £8.99

Buy Now for £8.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Russian Revolution: History in an Hour cover art
Hitler: History in an Hour cover art
The Cold War: History in an Hour cover art
The Afghan Wars: History in an Hour cover art
World War Two: History in an Hour cover art
Nazi Germany: History in an Hour cover art
World War One: History in an Hour cover art
The American Civil War: History in an Hour cover art
Joseph Stalin: The Dictator of the USSR cover art
Stalin: The Murderous Career of the Red Tsar cover art
The Vietnam War: History in an Hour cover art
1066: History in an Hour cover art
The Reformation cover art
Ancient Egypt: History in an Hour cover art
American Slavery: History in an Hour cover art
JFK: History in an Hour cover art

Summary

Love history? Know your stuff with History in an Hour.

Arguably no person in history had such a direct and negative impact on the lives of so many as Joseph Stalin. Under the Red Tsar terror knew no limits, it did not discriminate; no one was safe, no institution, no single town or village was immune. Yet, following his death in 1953, Stalin was deeply mourned. He had "received the country with a wooden plough, and left it with a nuclear missile shield." And no-one else, some claimed, could have led the Soviet Union to victory in the Second World War.

So who was Joseph Stalin, what was his role during the Russian Revolution; how did he come to power, what made him such a destructive tyrant, and how did he impose his will on the Soviet Union for so long? Love history? Know your stuff with History in an Hour....

©2013 Rupert Colley (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

“If the past is a foreign country, History in an Hour is like a high-class tour operator, offering delightfully enjoyable short breaks in the rich and diverse continent of our shared past.” (Dominic Sandbrook)
“The practice of History is ever-evolving, and the History In An Hour idea brings it back up to date for the digital age.” (Andrew Roberts, Bookseller)
“This is genius.” (MacWorld.com)

What listeners say about Stalin: History in an Hour

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    86
  • 4 Stars
    40
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    85
  • 4 Stars
    24
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    73
  • 4 Stars
    30
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A good short introduction to a monster

A very brief introduction to one of Europe's worst despots, a man that colluded with Hitler, and killed more of his own compatriots than the second world war did.
The first Big brother and the inspiration of 1984.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The Man of Steel, explained in brief

A slightly incongruous timeline runs through this story of Stalin's life, fleshed out in detail at every stage of his life, from rough upbringing to his removal from the Lenin Mausoleum and his burial amongst the graves of his victims. Well narrated and paced excellently, the hour flies by.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Very, very silly!

This is one of the silliest volumes in the History in an Hour series, which tend to be either very good or very poor indeed.

Like Hitler, Stalin was a monster but, like Hitler, he changed the world and transformed his country. He was an evil genius.

The writer of this script is so consumed with bile, ignorance and prejudices that he describes someone who would struggle to tie his own shoelaces or survive an hour without somebody turning him into dog food. It's not so much a history as a Rant from the hard right:: it seems Stalin didn't transform a primitive peasant economy into a global super power, didn't mastermind the defeat of the mighty Nazi army and change the course of history. Goodness knows how the creature Colley describes managed to influence anyone or make a cup of tea.

As a human being, we all know Stalin was cruel and contemptible but as a political and intellectual force, like Hitler, he needs some very nuanced examination if we are to begin to understand how C20th history was what it was. Colley seems to believe everyone in the Soviet Union got everything completely wrong for about thirty years whilst a maniac strutted around killing people for fun: the "history": is presented in such childish terms. It wouldn't score a GCSE grade C. Appalling that Harper Collins has published such tripe!

You'd do better reading an article from Wikipedia!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great potted history

Loved the narrator on this. Covered lots of key points. Perfect for a commute. Will be checking out for more in this series

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting

This book gives an interesting, though basic, introduction to the man who was the leader of Soviet Russia from 1924 until 1953. Included is information about his early life through to his death in the mid-1950s. As I said, it is basic but does cover all of the important dates in the just over 1 hour audio book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • AG
  • 12-03-20

excellent

Great summary but also detailed enough. Good for revision of A level or GCSE history

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A brief history of a monster

The horror and carnage that Stalin caused during his life can't be covered in such a brief account, but this is an excellent overview. It gives a sense of the fear and paranoia that his rule inspired and the unimaginable number of deaths he was responsible for.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

perfect summary!!!

Still very detailed. nothing skimmed over too much. So interesting. Stalin - What an arsehole!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • ao
  • 28-01-19

Very interesting and very well narrated.

(Sigh) Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Very interesting insight into Stalin world and background. Narrated excellently.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Packed with information.

Good layout from the young seminarian to the Supreme Leader of the USSR.. Great narration by Mr. Keeble..

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!