Stalin

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This biography of young Stalin goes beyond simply recounting his transformation into a revolutionary; it represents the first serious investigation into his evolution, utilizing a wide range of Russian and Georgian archives. Suny delves into Stalin's early life, exploring his intellectual development, his views on nationalism, and his involvement in Social Democratic debates during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The narrative portrays a tragic downfall as Stalin shifts from a poor seminarian and romantic nationalist poet to a ruthless political figure. While many biographers resort to superficial psychological analyses, attributing his revolutionary fervor to childhood trauma or idolization of Lenin, Suny places Stalin within the complex context of the oppressive tsarist police state and the vibrant political debates of his time. Despite working with fragmented evidence, Suny successfully situates Stalin within his intellectual and political milieu, offering a nuanced understanding of his psychological and intellectual transformation, as well as a revisionist perspective on the revolutionary movements that preceded 1917.