LENIN, STALIN AND HITLER

This remarkably ambitious book tells the story of the great social andpolitical catastrophe that enveloped Europe between 1914 and 1945. In aperiod of almost continuous upheaval society was transformed by two worldwars, the Russian Revolution, the Holocaust and the rise and fall of theThird Reich. Combining a powerful narrative with profound analysis,acclaimed historian Robert Gellately argues that these tragedies areinextricably linked and that to consider them as discrete events is tomisunderstand their genesis and character.Central, of course, to thecatastrophe were the dictators Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler and this bookmakes unprecedented use of recently opened Russian and German sources toexplain how their pursuit of utopian - and dreadfully flawed - ideals ledonly to dystopian nightmare. In a groundbreaking work, Robert Gellatelymakes clear that most comparative studies of the Soviet and Nazidictatorships are undermined by neglecting the key importance of Leninsrole. The author rejects the myth of the 'good' Lenin and demonstrates hiscentrality in the unfolding drama. The book provides a powerfulsocial-historical account of all three dictatorships and carefullydocuments their similarities and differences. It traces the escalation ofconflicts between Communism and Nazism and shows how the vicious rivalrybetween Stalin and Hitler led inescapably to a war of annihilation andgenocide. The reverberations of this gargantuan struggle are felteverywhere to this day.