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Stalin: History in an Hour
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 1 hr and 26 mins
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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....
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- Wras
- 01-05-16
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.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Jake Blunt
- 04-09-16
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.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Enobarbus
- 09-09-20
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!
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1 person found this helpful
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- A. Morris
- 19-07-17
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
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1 person found this helpful
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- J. Davis
- 25-01-21
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.
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- AG
- 12-03-20
excellent
Great summary but also detailed enough. Good for revision of A level or GCSE history
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- TheNameless
- 05-04-19
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.
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-03-19
perfect summary!!!
Still very detailed. nothing skimmed over too much. So interesting. Stalin - What an arsehole!!!
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- 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.
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- Milan Perera
- 06-01-19
Packed with information.
Good layout from the young seminarian to the Supreme Leader of the USSR.. Great narration by Mr. Keeble..
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