Contents  

Forewordix Introduction:TheimportanceofStalin1 1TheyoungStalinforgeshisarms11 2Buildingsocialisminonecountry29 3Socialistindustrialization35 4Collectivization45 

Fromrebuildingproductiontosocialconfrontation45 Therstwaveofcollectivization51 Theorganizationallineoncollectivization56 Thepoliticaldirectionofcollectivization60 `Dekulakization'64 `Dizzywithsuccess'69 Theriseofsocialistagriculture74 Thecollectivization`genocide'80 

5Collectivizationandthe`UkrainianHolocaust'85 6Thestruggleagainstbureaucracy101 7TheGreatPurge109 

Howdidtheclassenemyproblemposeitself?111 ThestruggleagainstopportunismintheParty116 Thetrialsandstruggleagainstrevisionismandenemyinltration118 v 

 

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Contents 

ThetrialoftheTrotskyite-ZinovievistCentre119 ThetrialofPyatakovandtheTrotskyists125 ThetrialoftheBukharinistsocial-democraticgroup133 TheTukhachevskytrialandtheanti-Communistconspiracy withinthearmy150 The19371938Purge163 Therectication167 TheWesternbourgeoisieandthePurge170 

8Trotsky'srleontheeveoftheSecondWorldWar173 9Stalinandtheanti-fascistwar185 

TheGermano-SovietPact185 DidStalinpoorlypreparetheanti-fascistwar?190 ThedayoftheGermanattack194 StalinandtheNaziwarofannihilation225 Stalin,hispersonalityandhismilitarycapacities229 

10FromStalintoKhrushchev239 

TheU.S.takesupwhereNaziGermanylefto240 Stalinagainstopportunism250 Khrushchev'scoupd'tat260 

Notes265 Index291 Photos199 

 

vii Iwasalreadyaconrmedanti-Stalinistattheageofseventeen 

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.Theidea ofkillingStalinlledmythoughtsandfeelings 

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.Westudiedthe`technical' possibilitiesofanattack 

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.Weevenpracticed.Iftheyhadcondemnedmetodeathin1939,theirdecisionwouldhavebeenjust.IhadmadeupaplantokillStalin;wasn'tthatacrime? WhenStalinwasstillalive,Isawthingsdierently,butasIlookbackoverthis century,IcanstatethatStalinwasthegreatestindividualofthiscentury,the greatestpoliticalgenius.Toadoptascienticattitudeaboutsomeoneisquite dierentfromone'spersonalattitude.AlexanderZinoviev,1993 

1 

Ithinktherearetwo`swords':oneisLeninandtheotherStalin.Thesword ofStalinhasnowbeendiscardedbytheRussians.Gomulkaandsomepeople inHungaryhavepickedituptostabattheSovietUnionandopposeso-called Stalinism.Theimperialistsalsousethisswordtoslaypeoplewith.Dulles,forinstance, hasbrandisheditforsometime.Thisswordhasnotbeenlentout,ithasbeen thrownout.WeChinesehavenotthrownitout.AsfortheswordofLenin,hasn'tittoobeendiscardedtoacertainextentbysome Sovietleaders?Inmyview,ithasbeendiscardedtoaconsiderableextent.Isthe OctoberRevolutionstillvalid?Canitstillserveastheexampleforallcountries? Khrushchov'sreportattheTwentiethCongressoftheCommunistPartyofthe SovietUnionsaysitispossibletoseizepowerbytheparliamentaryroad,thatisto say,itisnolongernecessaryforallcountriestolearnfromtheOctoberRevolution.Oncethisgateisopened,byandlargeLeninismisthrownaway.MaoZedong,November15,1956 

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