Life story of Stalin?

[jake williams]

I'm going to get this right off the top that:

1) I am virulently opposed to authoritarianism, especially the restriction against certain kinds of individual and political rights.

2) I think Stalin was not a communist in the sense I understand, and did horrible things for Russia and even for "communism". Not absolutely, there were notes of progress (eg. beating the Nazis), it was to some degree a mixed story, though not as much of one as Lenin. I am an anti-Stalinist.

But I am curious about the individual person, what the major events in his life were and how they affected his politics. I'd like to hear both from supporters, conditional or absolute, and people who find themselves virulently opposed to him.

[Random Precision]

In his youth he studied in a Russian Orthodox seminary, but either left or was kicked out because of his subscription to revolutionary politics. He sided with Lenin in the split between Mensheviks and Bolsheviks. In April of 1917, as editor of Pravda, the party newspaper, he came out against Lenin's April Theses, refusing to publish them while publishing unedited the collaborationist viewpoints of Kamenev and Zinoviev. However he soon fell into line.

During the early twenties he was appointed as General Secretary of the RCP, a position in which gave him a great amount of control over the increasingly parasitic party machine. The rest is history.

[Hiero]

But I am curious about the individual person, what the major events in his life were and how they affected his politics. I'd like to hear both from supporters, conditional or absolute, and people who find themselves virulently opposed to him.

Why?

[Holden Caulfield]

i just finished reading Stalin by Deutcher a while ago, i suggest reading this for a decent tale about the man

[Lamanov]

Yes, Deutscher's book is the best for the subject.

Anyway, Holden, since you've read that one, read Trotsky too. :cool:

[Holden Caulfield]

^^ by Deutcher? is that like a three book spectacular?

the prophet disarmed and them?

[Led Zeppelin]

Yes, Deutscher's book is the best for the subject.

Anyway, Holden, since you've read that one, read Trotsky too. :cool:

I've read it, it was pretty good.

[Lamanov]

Yeah. It's widely considered a best biography written in English.

[Faction2008]

In his youth he studied in a Russian Orthodox seminary, but either left or was kicked out because of his subscription to revolutionary politics. He sided with Lenin in the split between Mensheviks and Bolsheviks. In April of 1917, as editor of Pravda, the party newspaper, he came out against Lenin's April Theses, refusing to publish them while publishing unedited the collaborationist viewpoints of Kamenev and Zinoviev. However he soon fell into line.

During the early twenties he was appointed as General Secretary of the RCP, a position in which gave him a great amount of control over the increasingly parasitic party machine. The rest is history.
Yeah this is all true I read in the book 'Young Stalin'.

[John Lenin]

1. Is anyone aware of a favorable (or at least "impartial") biography out there on Stalin ?

2. I think a biopic film on the man (with all of his numerous flaws) would be fascinating. I'm not sure how it would play in America, but I think Europe would be open to watching it. Does such a film exist in Russian?

[Faction2008]

1. Is anyone aware of a favorable (or at least "impartial") biography out there on Stalin ?

http://www.play.com/Books/Books/4-/3592391/Young-Stalin/Product.html

http://www.play.com/Books/Books/4-/431020/Stalin/Product.html

There you go

[The Author]

Read the biography "Stalin, Man of History" by Ian Grey. That is the best bourgeois biography out there on Koba, in my opinion.

[Random Precision]

2. I think a biopic film on the man (with all of his numerous flaws) would be fascinating. I'm not sure how it would play in America, but I think Europe would be open to watching it. Does such a film exist in Russian?

Not that I'm aware of; I imagine most of those would have been suppressed soon after his death. There's the American made-for-HBO movie with Robert Duvall, which, while it is massively entertaining (shows Stalin and Yezhov screwing around with Bukharin when he's about to be arrested) doesn't exactly have a materialist perspective and indulges in a lot of speculation (like Stalin ordering the assassination of Kirov and directing Ordzhonikidze to kill himself).

Nevertheless you should check it out if there's ever an opportunity to do so.

[jake williams]

Why?
Because I'd like to know about him and I think this is an interesting and useful approach to use to try to do it.

[Winter]

http://www.play.com/Books/Books/4-/3592391/Young-Stalin/Product.html

http://www.play.com/Books/Books/4-/431020/Stalin/Product.html

There you go

From the description of Young Stalin: Stalin remains one of the creators of our world - like Hitler, the personification of evil.

LOL. I think I'll pass. Biasness just oozes from that one line.