This book documents dictator Joseph Stalin's brilliant tactics as well as missteps in taking preemptive actions that guaranteed ultimate victory over the German invaders. It also covers the policies implemented after the war that made the Soviet Union a menace to world peace and led to collapse of Soviet rule. A detailed reexamination of historical facts indicates that Stalin could deserve to be regarded as a "great leader." Yet Stalin clearly failed as his nation's leader in a post-World War II milieu, where he delivered the Cold War instead of rapid progress and global cooperation. It is the proof of both Stalin's brilliance and blunders that makes him such a fascinating figure in modern history. Today, most of the Russian population acknowledges that Stalin achieved "greatness." The Soviet dictator's honored place in history is largely due to Stalin successfully attending to the Soviet Union's defense needs in the 1930s and 1940s, and leading the USSR to victory in the war on the Eastern Front against Nazi Germany and its allies. This book provides an overdue critical investigation of how the Soviet leader's domestic and foreign policies actually helped produce this victory, and above all, how Stalin's timely support of a wartime alliance with the Western capitalist democracies assured the defeat of the Axis powers in 1945.

This book documents dictator Joseph Stalin's brilliant tactics as well as missteps in taking preemptive actions that guaranteed ultimate victory over the German invaders. It also covers the policies implemented after the war that made the Soviet Union a menace to world peace and led to collapse of Soviet rule.

About the Author
Albert L. Weeks is professor emeritus at New York University, New York, NY, a World War II (USAF) veteran, and former Senior Soviet Analyst with the U.S. Department of State.

Reviews
Weeks has written a thoughtful analysis of Stalin's role in the history of WW II and the Cold War, giving a fair hearing to Russian revisionist historians who depict Stalin as a great leader. . . . Recommended. All academic levels/libraries. * Choice *



Book Information
ISBN 9780313391651
Author Albert L. Weeks
Format Hardback
Page Count 320
Imprint Praeger Publishers Inc
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Weight(grams) 652g