Between the early 1930s and his death in 1953; Joseph Stalin had more than a million of his own citizens executed. Millions more fell victim to forced labor; deportation; famine; bloody massacres; and detention and interrogation by Stalin's henchmen. Stalin's Genocides is the chilling story of these crimes. The book puts forward the important argument that brutal mass killings under Stalin in the 1930s were indeed acts of genocide and that the Soviet dictator himself was behind them. Norman Naimark; one of our most respected authorities on the Soviet era; challenges the widely held notion that Stalin's crimes do not constitute genocide; which the United Nations defines as the premeditated killing of a group of people because of their race; religion; or inherent national qualities. In this gripping book; Naimark explains how Stalin became a pitiless mass killer. He looks at the most consequential and harrowing episodes of Stalin's systematic destruction of his own populace--the liquidation and repression of the so-called kulaks; the Ukrainian famine; the purge of nationalities; and the Great Terror--and examines them in light of other genocides in history. In addition; Naimark compares Stalin's crimes with those of the most notorious genocidal killer of them all; Adolf Hitler.
#722373 in Books 2012-10-28Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.84 x 1.00 x 4.90l; .78 #File Name: 0691143676288 pages
Review
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful. Excellent overviewBy Dr. Karen M. GrayCollins does a particularly good job of handling with remarkable objectivity the many controversial issues related to the scrolls and their interpretation. Where he has an opinion; he is clear in stating that it is his opinion. I was particularly struck by the way in which he addressed John Strugnell's situation. This is the best overview of current scholarship on the DSS that is available to the general public in my opinion.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Possibly the Best and Most Succinct Book on the Dead Sea Scrolls Written Thus FarBy classicalsteveCollins' book covers two stories. There is the story as portrayed in the scrolls themselves; the history and secrets contained within the fragmented manuscripts. For example within its texts are some of the earliest Jewish writings; stating laws about diets; the clean; and the unclean. Prophecies written 2000 years before Stephen King's "The Stand" chronicle the wars between the Children of Light and the Children of Darkness. While these texts have been translated in other books; Collins' work also offers a history of the discovery of the scrolls themselves. While most of the general populace believes the texts exist as one large document discovered in one cave at a single moment in time; Collins reveals that many texts resided in many different areas apart from the cave where the first was unearthed; Some ancient manuscripts believed to be related to the texts found in the first cave were in fact hiding in other areas several miles away in some instances. Collins goes on to relate the first scholars who studied the texts; and in particular how Jewish scholars were excluded from examining the manuscripts because of political reasons. These original scholars published their findings and theories about the texts in the late 1950's and early 1960's; some of which have been debunked by contemporary and later scholars. New realizations have been revealed even as late as the 1980's and 1990's. Overall a very enjoyable and insightful look at one of the greatest archeological finds concerning religious literary tradition.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Very EducationalBy RetireeIn retirement; I have become an amateur theologian--trying to educate myself on the bible and religious scholarship. Collins has become one of my favorite authors. He is scholarly; a very good writer; and a clear thinker. He has many fields of expertise; and one is the Dead Sea Scrolls. I found this book very educational on the history of the discovery of these important manuscripts and the tangled history of their availability to scholars. It is a short and very readable book. I would have preferred a little more of the contents of the various manuscripts; but that is much too broad a topic for Collins and his expertise for such a short book.If you know little of the discovery and availability of these important biblical manuscripts; as I did; this is a great place to start.
