Book Review of Stain: The Man and His Era

Author: Adam Bruno Ulam

This is a book that is very heavy on the details of Stalin's era in Russia, which makes it somewhat difficult to read. Ulam does, however, manage to bring the main argument that the Stalin era has never really ended to the forefront by examining the contemporary events in Russia.

This brings an interesting aspect to the overall feeling of the book, rescuing it from the doldrums of excessive details. Studying Stalin is an irresistible task for many. Although he may not be quite as well known as Hitler, the events of his regime are just as horrifying and deserve as much attention as that of the Third Reich under Hitler.

Ulnm begins the book on an interesting tone with the death of Stalin, himself This is an unusual way to begin a biography, although this book certainly goes beyond the boundaries of a traditional biography in detail and in the contemporary ramifications of the subject's era. However, I believe this is an appropriate way to begin this very sort of biography in a contemporary and objective sense. By beginning with the death of the subject in this case, Stalin, Ulam can then easily make the connection with the contemporary impact Stalin's era has had and is having on the Russian people. Even after De-Stalinization, remnants of his regime still remained in Communist Russia. With the addition of the expanded index written thirty-six years after Stalin's death to this book, Ulam is able to demonstrate the lingering affects of Stalin's regime on Gorbachev's administration.

Each antecedent regime have been unsuccessful in completely removing Stalinization elements from Russian society. In fact, De-Stalinization was halted in a period of stagnation,'' under Brezhnev's reign, before Gorbachev resumed it. It is clear that Stalin's influences have extended well beyond his grave, as fanatical remnants left over from his era have only continued preservation in some form or another over the last few decades since his death.