Review by Choice Review
Roberts (Univ. College Cork) has written a welcome addition to the debates about Stalin's role in WW II and his responsibility for the emergence of the Cold War. Although the front flap declares Roberts's conclusion to be that "Stalin was ... the greatest military leader of the twentieth century," the actual argument, fortunately, is more nuanced. Roberts does contend that Stalin's leadership in achieving the "greatest military victory in history was a triumph beyond compare," but he also acknowledges the dictator's many errors. In so doing, he asserts that Stalin and his generals shared many of the same operational and strategic views that led them to make the same costly mistakes, although their skills improved greatly during the war. Roberts convincingly shows that Stalin was pivotal in fusing military and foreign policy planning into a coherent, grand strategy. While at times Roberts is perhaps too willing to give Stalin the benefit of the doubt, his book is a very readable single-volume account of Soviet international and military policy linking WW II and the Cold War. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. K. D. Slepyan Transylvania University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
