Stalin: An Insider’s Account: Part 3 (of 3)
and to worship Stalin. These men enforced his decrees and protected his authority. This allowed him to pursue his mad dreams, including, amongst other things, crash collectivization and industrialization. Despite the appalling cost of these endeavors, they "transformed backward Russia into an industrial power and an empire." The myriad 'enemies of the people,' who were constantly trying to sabotage his dreams, were hunted down day and night by his secret police and were tortured, sent to concentration camps, and murdered.
Regardless of how one wishes to judge him, it would be very difficult to find a more extraordinary person or politician than Stalin. For most of us, he will always be regarded as one of the most brutal, most depraved and most corrupt leaders in history. For a tiny minority, however, there will never be a leader to equal his strength, his willpower and his genius. Stalin's era was a time of great ideological ferment, a death struggle between communism, fascism and capitalism, of which there could only be one winner. In the midst of this unique ideological conflict, one man dared to pursue a unique dream, to use unique methods and to achieve unique results. If one is to view Stalin in that light, then Djilas's statement is correct- in fact, even understated. "Viewed from the standpoint of success and political adroitness, Stalin is hardly surpassed by any statesman of his time."
Bibliography:
M. Djilas, Conversations With Stalin, (New York, 1962)
N. Khrushchev, Khrushchev Remembers, (London, 1971)
E. Radzinsky Stalin, (London, 1996)
R. Conquest, The Great Terror: A Reassessment, (London, 1992)
R. Conquest, Stalin: Breaker of Nations, (New York, 1991)
D. Volkogonov, Stalin: Triumph and Tragedy, (London, 1991)
C. Ward, Stalin's Russia, (London, 1993)
G. Zhukov, The Memoirs of Marshal Zhukov, (London, 1971)
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