Stalin: History in an Hour cover art

Stalin: History in an Hour

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Stalin: History in an Hour

By: Rupert Colley
Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
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About this listen

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…

 20th Century Historical Modern Politics & Activism Presidents & Heads of State Russia Stalin Soviet Union

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

excellent

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

perfect summary!!!

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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.

The Man of Steel, explained in brief

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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.

Interesting

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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.

A brief history of a monster

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