Stalin

Archival Summary & Scope

"Monumental." — *The New York Times Book Review*

Pulitzer Prize-finalist Stephen Kotkin delivers the highly anticipated second volume of his definitive biography, *Stalin: Waiting for Hitler, 1929–1941*. This engrossing work chronicles Stalin's ruthless consolidation of power and the transformation of the Soviet Union during the pivotal years leading up to World War II.

Beginning in 1929, Stalin's dictatorial regime systematically converted the world's largest peasant economy through forced collectivization, costing millions of lives in widespread starvation. This period forged the "uncanny" figure of Stalin, who personally oversaw the execution of nearly a million people, including military leaders, intelligence officials, and cultural figures, to solidify his absolute control.

As Stalin built a formidable industrialized military, the Soviet Union faced a world of perceived enemies. This quest for security led to the shocking and improbable pact with Nazi Germany, a bargain that would not unfold as envisioned. Kotkin masterfully explores how Stalin's personality and political system shaped a nation and propelled the world toward its most fateful hour: the collision of two dictatorships, with global consequences. A landmark achievement in historical scholarship and biography.