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The cover of the first edition (1946)

"Stalin" is a two-volume biography of Joseph Stalin, written by Leon Trotsky between 1938 and 1940. The second volume was not completed because of the author's murder. The publication of the book was delayed by the publisher because of the American entry into World War II - the work was published only when the Cold War began. The book has a strong anti-Stalinist message: the Soviet leader is accused of committing a number of crimes, including poisoning of Vladimir Lenin. Translated into many languages; first published in the USSR in 1990 and became a bestseller.

Summary

The book begins with an unfinished introduction where Trotsky attempts to prove his objectivity in relation to the events in the rest of the book, however was never finished due to his assassination. Trotsky spends the first chapter discussing Stalin's childhood, where he describes the young Stalin as a child who hates authority and whose "hostility was reserved, underhanded, watchful".

Trotsky spends the next few chapters discussing Stalin's increasing role in revolutionary activities with the likes of Vladimir Lenin and Trotsky himself. Many of the revolutionary activities Stalin participated in during the early years of his life were against the Tsarist regime, who ruled Russia at the time. Trotsky is quick to point out the difference between Lenin and Stalin, saying of Lenin, "The idea of making a fetish of the political machine was not only alien but repugnant to his nature." Trotsky contrasts this sentiment of Lenin with a critique of Stalin, saying of him, "His thinking is too slow, his associations too single-tracked, his style too plodding and barren."

After a couple of more chapters about Stalin's continued participation in anti-Tsarist movements and increasing popularity among revolutionaries, the section is left unfinished due to Trotsky's murder, only to resume during the period in which Lenin is approaching his death.

Trotsky describes the years leading up to Lenin's death as being full of tension and internal conflict among those in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). Trotsky makes clear throughout the final chapter of the book that Lenin feared Stalin taking control of the Soviet Union after his death. Trotsky posits that Stalin may have been at fault for the poisoning of Lenin that ultimately led to his death and claims the events he outlines in the chapter "were known to no more than seven or eight persons" and that "of that number, besides myself, only Stalin and Molotov are still among the living." With regard to Lenin's successor, Trotsky credits Lenin for saying, "I propose to the comrades to find a way to remove Stalin from that position and appoint to it another man," who would be, "more loyal, more courteous and more considerate to comrades, less capricious, etc.".

Finally, Trotsky gives his account of the events surrounding Lenin's funeral, for which he was criticized for not being present:

According to a widely disseminated version, I lost power because I was not present at Lenin's funeral. This explanation can hardly be taken seriously. But the fact of my absence at the mourning ceremonies caused many of my friends serious misgivings. In the letter from my oldest son, who was then nearing eighteen, there was a note of youthful despair: I should have come at any price!

Trotsky accuses Stalin of scheduling the funeral in a way to prevent Trotsky from being able to attend:

Stalin maneuvered, deceiving not only me but, so it appears, also his allies of the triumvirate. Stalin was guided in his risky maneuvers by more tangible considerations. He might have feared that I would connect Lenin's death with last year's conversation about poison, would ask the doctors whether poisoning was involved, and demand a special autopsy. It was, therefore, safer in all respects to keep me away until after the body had been embalmed, the viscera cremated and a post mortem examination inspired by such suspicions no longer feasible.

Trotsky's chronology ends with Stalin reading his "oath of fealty" over the bier of Lenin, which Trotsky describes as having "now superseded the Ten Commandments".

Reception

Sketch featured in the New York Times article on "Stalin" -by Trotsky. Vasiliev. Stalin and Lenin. 1917.

On April 28, 1946, a New York Times article about the release of Trotsky's book was published. The article provides a thorough summary of the book and offers background information about Trotsky and his assassination. The article mentions the significance of the book during the time:

It now is made available to the public at a moment when the man it attempts to appraise is at the height of his power and influence

The article also makes note of the editing that had to be done to the book as a result of Trotsky's death, resulting in the majority of the book to be about Stalin's youth rather than his time in power:

The rest was compiled by the editor from "largely raw material," with extensive interpolations of his own. The inevitable result is a certain lack of balance. Stalin's earlier years (up to 1917) have received a much fuller and more systematic treatment than his activities since the establishment of the Soviet regime in Russia. Admirable as Mr. Malamuth's editorial work has been, the later part of the book, dealing with the crucial problem of Stalin's rise to power, has remained rather sketchy and leaves some important points insufficiently developed.

Literature

• Sinclair L. Trotsky. A Bibliography. 2 vol. — Camelot Press Ltd. — Brookfield: Gover Publishing Company, 1989. — 1350 p. — ISBN 0-85967-820-2.
• Service R. Trotsky: A Biography. — Cambridge: Belknap Press / Harvard University Press, 2009. — 648 p. — ISBN 978-0674036154.
• Beilharz P. «Stalin» // Trotsky, Trotskyism, and the Transition to Socialism. — Barnes & Noble Books, 1987. — 197 p. — ISBN 9780389206989.
• Patenaude, Bertrand M. Stalin's Nemesis: the Exile and Murder of Leon Trotsky. Faber & Faber, 2010.
• Trotsky, Leon, and Lev Davidovič Trockij. My Life an Attempt at an Autobiography. 1st ed., Pathfinder Pr., 1971.

Category:Unfinished books Category:Works by Leon Trotsky Category:Biographies of Joseph Stalin