Hitler and Stalin: The Tyrants and the Second World War
£7.30£10.40 (-30%)
‘You have to read it’ Volodymyr Zelensky
‘Laurence Rees brilliantly combines powerful eye-witness testimony, vivid narrative and compelling analysis in this superb account’ Professor Sir Ian Kershaw, author of Hitler: Hubris and Hitler: Nemesis
‘In this fascinating study of two monsters, Rees is extraordinarily perceptive and original’ Antony Beevor
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Two tyrants. Each responsible for the death of millions.
This compelling book on Hitler and Stalin – the culmination of thirty years’ work – examines the two leaders during the Second World War, when Germany and the Soviet Union fought the biggest and bloodiest war in history.
Hitler’s charismatic leadership may contrast with Stalin’s regimented rule by fear; and his intransigence later in the war may contrast with Stalin’s change in behaviour in response to events. But as bestselling historian Laurence Rees shows, at a macro level, both were prepared to create undreamt-of suffering – in Hitler’s case, most infamously the Holocaust – in order to build the utopias they wanted.
Using previously unpublished, startling eyewitness testimony from soldiers, civilians and those who knew both men personally, Laurence Rees – probably the only person alive who has met Germans who worked for Hitler and Russians who worked for Stalin – challenges long-held popular misconceptions about two of the most important figures in history. This is a master work from one of our finest historians.
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‘Coming from one of the world’s experts on the Second World War, this is an important and original – and devastating – account of Hitler and Stalin as dictators. A must read’ Professor Robert Service, author of Stalin: A Biography
‘Impressive . . . well paced and well informed with an eye for telling anecdotes and colourful character sketches . . . Rees’ decision to add personal stories to his narrative adds an important layer to our understanding of both the dictators themselves and their victims’ Robert Gerwarth, The Daily Telegraph
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Additional information
| Publisher | Penguin (7 Oct. 2021) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 528 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0241979692 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0241979693 |
| Dimensions | 12.9 x 3.2 x 19.8 cm |
by greasey
This book is political in tone and doesn’t offer anything new on Hitler and Stalin. It covers the same things as in other books on why Hitler lost the war and why Stalin won. Don’t waste your money!
by Norbzilla
It is a must read for anyone who is remotely interested in politics, the war and the lives of the people from that era in a much broader sense.
Although the book feels like more centred around Hitler, it really gives us a good insight of what Stalin and his communist terror state was doing as well. Their murderous tango on top of the corpses of millions leaves one baffled and speechless.
Besides the two monsters, it gives a bit of insight into the Allied war effort and political machinations. How Churchill and Roosevelt were fighting over a man’s attention who ultimately despised them and used them for his own territorial grab.
The inclusion of the testimonies and stories of civilians, soldiers and henchmen on both sides does help us to step in to the shoes of these ordinary people and perhaps understand what happened in their minds and hearts when they committed or were exposed to crimes against humanity. From the gruesome winters in Leningrad, to the camps and gulags, every small story is one persons tragedy.
All this should give us something to think about and appreciate the comfort, security and freedom we have now and give thanks to all who gave the ultimate sacrifice to stop the madness of that time.
by Well Red
I chose this book to read over Christmas this year and was worried it may be a little heavy going given the subject matter. I needn’t have worried; the prose is so nimble that you are never overwhelmed by scale or detail.
Obviously it covers ground already picked over in countless other books, but from the fresh perspective of Hitler and Stalin, and is a fascinating account of how these tyrants effectively exchanged positions over the course of the war.
Ultimately though, the reader is left with a deep sense of horror at the millions of lives ended or brutalised by these monsters, neither of whom have the remotest concept of the sanctity of human life, and regard everyone, their own people included, as worthless and expendable.
by Paul
Very interesting read, good insight into the minds of two of the most influential people of the 20th Century.I learned quite a lot about there Modus Operandi and definitely would not have trusted either of them to have bought a second hand car from.
by Anthony Koller
This is a great book, it does not make either of them as Saints or Sinners just how they both killed millions of people. The real Crime is not that they could. But the real crime was that the people let them to be monsters against the world
by jan bailey
I have bought this for my son in law as a Christmas present. He lives these type of books. Imsure it will be a great surprise.
by James Fanshawe
An authoritative account of the personalities and rivalries between Hitler and Stalin and of their titanic struggle that changed the course of the Second World War. Well-worth reading.
by Angela Mitchell
Bought this for my 16 year old grandson who has a keen interest in history. Can explain about Hitler and Stalin and their involvement in War better than I can.