This eye-opening book shows how Communist state and party authorities stage-managed the Soviets' memory of World War II; transforming a national trauma into a heroic exploit that glorified the party while systematically concealing the disastrous mistakes and criminal cruelties committed by the Stalinist tyranny.
#1619692 in Books 2011-01-11 2011-01-11Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .83 x 6.70l; 1.05 #File Name: 0465020356368 pages
Review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. A Seldom Told; Tragic StoryBy John D. BlairMore than a million people starved in Leningrad. More people starved in Leningrad than soldiers of the United States and the United Kingdom; combined; died in battle from 1940 to 1945. For 872 days the Germans surrounded and bombarded the city. Michael Jones writes a clear; well documented; account of the siege; He tells of courage; cowardice; ineptitude; compassion and selfishness brought on by hunger The book has illustrations; maps; an excellent time line; notes and a bibliography. Highly recommended for any one who wants to understand what happened on the Eastern Front during the Great Patriotic War.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. ITs OK Slow- and not very insightful.By liberty manIts Ok He uses the personal vignette style to tell the story. Its their story;not his. He strings them together in all his books. Some what shallower and slower in this book. The RETREAt was good.This is only fair.It was a labor to finish. Not very perceptive. ???One of the most bungled horrible yet heroic episodes by the Russians on the Eastern front in WW2.As outlined in Hitlers plan; the citys in certain conquered areas were to be obliterated and their populations starved to death on purpose.The German plan was beyond demonic and the German Army was complicit in its implementation. It seems to me more of an effort could have been made to relieve the distress of the Russian people trapped in this city. It was really one huge concentration camp. Besieged on purpose.3 of 4 people found the following review helpful. A Human not Military StoryBy Jeffrey SwystunThe scale of Leningrad's suffering requires modern context so imagine this: the city of Toronto (which has 2.5 million people) is besieged for close to 900 days; one million people die; people are arrested and killed for cannibalism; the Toronto Symphony plays on; its citizens are employed to clean rubble and dispose of bodies; government is ineffectual or non-existent; following the siege there is no compensation for the hardships and deprivations. That is the actual history of Leningrad.Jone's contribution includes the famous aspects previously covered in other histories. Starvation and cannibalism; looting and organized gangs juxtaposed with extraordinary acts of kindness. He highlights the symphony and cultural performances that stand as symbols of perseverance. The 872-day siege of a city of 2.5 million whose population was reduced by 1 million is a story of survival. The author provides many gripping and stomach churning first person accounts of people being pushed to ugly extremes. This history focuses on the civilian story rather than military history.In terms of new understanding; I appreciated Jones' evidence that the Soviet leadership and infrastructure within the city failed the people almost entirely. People formed "friendly collectives" to survive which were ironic grassroots demonstrations of Socialism. The poor leadership of Voroshilov and his ties to Stalin was also new material and illuminating. The critical importance of the ice road for supply across Lake Lagoda is given beneficial detail and is a story unto itself (especially the inability to shepherd people back out on the empty trucks). The siege will continue to fascinate and shock as a story of extremes.
