One is that he won the Second World (or “great patriotic”) War - though many historians conclude that the Russian people, helped by generous US supplies, won despite Stalin’s vacillation between inaction and wasteful enterprise. Two myths lie behind Stalin’s rehabilitation in Russia. Even “gang” is too bland for these “scorpions in a jar”, as observers of the infighting put it. In her introduction to this superbly researched, intelligent book, Sheila Fitzpatrick concedes this, inviting readers to substitute the word “gang” if they prefer. “Team” is not the definition I would use for a group of 40 to 50 people (almost entirely men) who, at their captain’s bidding, colluded in murdering over half their fellow members nor does “team” fit men selected more for their incompetence than their ability as leaders, administrators or planners.
By Sheila Fitzpatrick, Princeton University Press, 384 pages, $35
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