AUDIOBOOK
About
The definitive work on Stalin's purges, The Great Terror was universally acclaimed when it first appeared in 1968. In recent years, even the former Soviet Union has come to call it the definitive account of the period. While the original volume relied heavily on unofficial sources, later developments within the Soviet Union provided an avalanche of new material, which Conquest has mined, to write this revised and updated edition of his classic work. Under the light of fresh evidence, it is remarkable how many of Conquest's most disturbing conclusions have been verified. Many details have also been added, including hitherto secret information on the three great "Moscow Trials," the purge of writers and other members of the intelligentsia, life in the labor camps, and many other key matters. Both a leading historian and a highly respected poet, Conquest blends profound research with evocative prose to create a compelling and eloquent chronicle of one of the twentieth century's most tragic events.
"Mr. Conquest's stature in the historiography of modern Europe is assured...Stalin was not only the master criminal; he was the master concealer. It took a master detective, and a poet, like Mr. Conquest, to unmask him completely."
"The reader comes away feeling that the author knows every event of the Soviet years, that no remotely accessible document has escaped his attention...when questions, ideas, or suppositions arise in you, reader, the author invariably answers these mental queries a few pages later...Having finished this book, no one can ever again say: 'I didn't know.' Now we all know."
"A terrifying record from the best of all commentators on Stalin's USSR."
"[A] broad, well-documented portrayal...This remains an essential source, and any library without it should buy it."
"Mr. Conquest's stature in the historiography of modern Europe is assured...Stalin was not only the master criminal; he was the master concealer. It took a master detective, and a poet, like Mr. Conquest, to unmask him completely."
"The reader comes away feeling that the author knows every event of the Soviet years, that no remotely accessible document has escaped his attention...when questions, ideas, or suppositions arise in you, reader, the author invariably answers these mental queries a few pages later...Having finished this book, no one can ever again say: 'I didn't know.' Now we all know."
"A terrifying record from the best of all commentators on Stalin's USSR."
"[A] broad, well-documented portrayal...This remains an essential source, and any library without it should buy it."