: A Biographical Companion Helen Rappaport ABC-CLIO , 1999 - 372 pages , 1999 - Biography & Autobiography 0 Reviews To get to the top, Joseph Stalin outmaneuvered Lenin, Trotsky, Kirov, and a legion of equally ruthless revolutionaries. This reference work reveals the more personal side of the Machiavellian mastermind who not only orchestrated the Great Terror but also forged the USSR into a world power. Here are the henchmen, the bystanders, and the innocent victims who became caught in Stalin's web, along with key events in Soviet history. The book's balanced coverage makes use of new information from Soviet archives but avoids the mind-numbing communist jargon and terminology. There are scores of rare illustrations, plus a chronology, a bibliography, and an index. Preview this book »