Reviews (1)

An interesting thesis
Taylor contends that that since the failed uprising in 1825, the Russian military has become an apolitical organization. Tsar Nicholas I made the Russian miltitary into a apolitical organization by constant drill and using the secret police to spy on suspicious officers. Officers were driven away from politics in the late nineteenth century by concentrating on military reform and external threats such as Germany and Japan. Taylor believes that the Kornilov coup attempt was exageratted by Kerensky for his own political purposes and that most officers sided with the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War not out of ideology but to mantain order in the army. The Russian officer corps kept this apolitical tradtion alive during the thirties when they failed to respond to Stalin's purges but gave their attention to defense issues and the emerging military threats of Germany and Japan. In the 1990s the Russian military was relunctant to get invovled in domestic affairs and only intervened in 1993 because Yeltsin's foes set up a rival defense ministry that threatened the internal stability of the Russian army. The only weaknesses of Taylor's book is that he fails to mention the main reform intiated by Tsar Nicholas I which subordinated the Russian high command to the war ministry as writen about by Frederick Kagan in his book on the military reforms of Tsar Nicholas I. Nor does Taylor write about the role of the Russian military in the expulsion of Poles, Jews, and Germans in the First World War that historians Eric Lohr and Peter Gatrell stated were done on the army's own intiative and were outside of civilian control. Despite these weaknesses Taylor makes a strong case as to why Russia has not experienced a successful military coup in two hundred years. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Civil-military relations    2. General    3. History    4. Politics - Current Events    5. Politics/International Relations    6. Russia    7. Russia (Federation)    8. Soviet Union    9. Eastern Europe    10. Former Soviet Union, USSR (Europe)    11. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    12. Political Science / General    13. Warfare & Defence   

Reviews (5)

a little help
This book is NOT enough to pass the CLEP.It IS easy to read and does provide much knowledge.HOWEVER, I would have failed had I relied solely on this book. I also used Peterson's CLEP Success which helped me pass the exam much more than this book.I would suggest using them both.

Not even close!
I used this book solely as a review for the CLEP exam, and received a score of 55 (barely passing) as opposed to the actual CLEP books - I got a 96 using the "official CLEP guide". This book is good but not enough.
This book will help prepare for the exam but it is not enough to pass the test.I was able to pass because I also took the History I, Intro to Sociology, American Government, and General Humanities CLEPS.Read more

Subjects:  1. Education    2. Europe - Former Soviet Republics    3. History    4. Study Aids / CLEP (College-Level Examination Program)    5. CLEP (College-Level Examination Program)    6. Examinations, questions, etc    7. Social Science    8. Study Aids    9. Test Preparation & Review   

Reviews (3)

battle of kharkov
Having read A few accounts of this particular battle of kharkov i purchased this book. An absolute stand-out in terms of a photo history of a particular group units in a particular battle.
Superb Photographs of the Eastern Front
This book by Jean Restayn is one of the best pictorials of a battle on the Eastern Front in World War II that I have seen.Many pictures from this battle have been published previously (for some reason, the Germans choseto photograph this battle more than most others) but virtually all of thephotos in this book are ones which I had not seen before.I would highlyrecommend this book to anyone interested in the German armed forces duringthe Second World War.

The Battle of Kharkov
This is a handsome volume with many very clear, full page photos of all kinds of German armor, particularly various models of the Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks, also Tigers and various allied armor used by the Russiansthat are not usually thought of in connection with the eastern front suchas the British "Valentine" tank. There are also the sturmgeschutzIII, armored cars, half tracks, and many other vehicles shown in close-up.The German troops are shown as enthusiastic and optimistic at this stage.All photos are black and white with good color drawings of the vehiclesincluded. The paper is very high quality as well. This is a very enjoyablevolume that shows it "like it really was". ... Read more

Subjects:  1. European history: Second World War    2. Russia    3. Second World War, 1939-1945   

Reviews (21)

the truth is stranger than fiction
This is a truly unique book and comparable only with Churchill's 'My Early Life' as an adventure history. Some people write adventure books, some people have adventures but Fitzroy McLean, like Churchill, or TE Lawrence, is able to do both. A rare treat and very easy to read.

Make a movie!
Great entertaining read, although it is said to have inspired Ian Fleming to write James Bond, this story is worth a place on the silver screen.

Interesting, Interesting
Eastern Approaches documents the extraordinary travels and life of Fitzroy MacLean.Maclean was a British diplomat who while in Russia became one of the first westerners to explore Central Asia during the Soviet rule.He worked with the British special forces in the North African desert and worked on behalf of the allies with the partisans in Yugoslavia during the Second world war.Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Historical - British    3. History    4. Military    5. Military - World War II    6. Military History - World War II    7. African history: from c 1900 -    8. Biography & Autobiography / Historical    9. Biography: general    10. Egypt    11. European history: from c 1900 -    12. Russia   

Reviews (10)

The best memoir ever
I have been looking for this book forever and because it was out of print I had to go to the library every time I wanted to read it, which was often.The only copy I could find was $200.This book really tells the truth to what it was like as a person in the Imperial family.This puts an end to a lot of rumors flying around about Rasputin and Anna Anderson.This was told from a trusted person, someone that Olga trusted to put the truth about her family out there.It is beautiful and compassionate and a fabulous historical read.

Very interesting echoes from a fascinating past....
Honestly, I had trouble putting that book down at night, but we all have to get some sleep ;o) Reading that book is like reliving the splendor of Imperial Russia , and at the same time, going through the lives of those who left Russia during the Revolution in unimaginable conditions... in fact, we could say the worst conditions possible. As I gathered, Olga's life was no piece of cake to say the very least. What is also fascinating about that book is Olga's demystification of Raspoutine and Mrs. Anderson. She sets the record straight about those two, once and for all. I won't tell you about the rest of her life... you have to read the book, and believe me, it it a fascinating one!

Amazing!
Grand Duchess Olga Alexandra was nothing short of a amazing woman and this book is great in showing that. From her childhood days spent in her father's study to the Revolution to her days in Canada, this books gives vivid details of everything. Ian Vorres put this memoir together beautifully. A must have for all Romanov fans! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    5. Historical - General    6. Royalty    7. Biography & Autobiography / Royalty    8. Biography: general    9. Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia, 1868-1918 - Family    10. Olga, Alkesandrovna, Grand Duchess of Russia, 1882-1960    11. Russia    12. Russia - Kings and rulers - Sisters - Biography   

Editorial Review

Most popular books about the Stalin era feature the big names and a firm narrative shape: Robert Conquest'sRead more

Reviews (9)

Clear, concise, filled with information
This is a good, necessary, and essential book. It is compact and precise. Its aim is to provide massive information about Stalinist Soviet Union in the 1930s. It does so not by the analysis of high politics or the significant political events, but through a depiction of everyday life of urban inhabitants of the Soviet Union during these years.
Nothing very much "new".
Professor Fitzpatrick has chosen to write a History of Stalin's Soviet Union during the 1930s (that is, at the height of the Great Purges) by focusing on doings at the private life sphere of common Soviet citizens of the time. Problem is, after we have read the book, we realize we've been told about the same old issues: de-kulakization, collectivization, shortages, queues, Yezhov, social mobility through the Party apparatus. The problem being, perhaps, that the whole book was based on a flimsy foundation, that of the opposition between the "private" & the "public" sphere, when actually, in the early Soviet Union, there was no "private" sphere at all, private life merged with public life entirely - something Professor Fitzpatrick acknowledge at the conclusions, but fails to draw the conclusion that the opposition between the private and the public is an historical construction, not an ontology. Therefore the book is informed and readable, but offers nothing that is altogether new.

A grim subject deftly handled
Dr. Fitzpatrick has produced a marvel - a detailed scholarly work that reads like, oh well, a detailed scholarly work (but much more interesting to the lay reader than the usual specimen of that genre), and an account of life under a monstrous regime that manages to sparkle with humor. The book's subtitle is "Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times," and the extraordinariness of those times shines through.
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Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. European history: from c 1900 -    7. Former Soviet Union, USSR (Europe)    8. History / Russia (pre- & post-Soviet Union)    9. History, World | Russia & Former Soviet Union    10. Inter-war period, 1918-1939    11. Marxism & Communism    12. Second World War, 1939-1945    13. Social history    14. c 1945 to c 1960   

Subjects:  1. 1613-1917    2. Asia - China    3. China    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Mongols    8. Qing dynasty, 1644-1912    9. Russia    10. Asian / Middle Eastern history: c 1500 to c 1900    11. History / China    12. c 1600 to c 1700    13. c 1700 to c 1800   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Architecture    3. Architecture and society    4. Architecture, Domestic    5. Domestic    6. General    7. History    8. Housing Policy    9. Residential Buildings Architecture    10. Russia (Federation)    11. Socialist realism and architec    12. Socialist realism and architecture    13. Architecture / General    14. Architecture, Domestic--Russia (Federation)    15. Residential buildings, domestic buildings   

Reviews (14)

first rate
reese's book is a collection of personal writings never intended for publication as they appear in 'a stranger to myself' (some of the other reviewers may want to read the book's preface.). not a history book, not a collection of anecdotes about slaying the 'russian hoards', not even a memoir but rather the thoughts of an individual knowingly trapped in death's grip w/no hope of escape. little of the 'flash, boom, bang' most war memoirs offer but 'astm' far exceeds any other title in putting us in the 'secret chambers of the soul'.
GAVE IT ONE STAR BECAUSE I COULDN'T GIVE IT ZERO
There are two types of writers...one writes to inform the reader, the other writes to try to impress other writers.Mr. Reese tried the latter, but didn't acomplish either.
Book of Poetry
Pages and pages of descriptions of trees, fields, sun, clouds, etc.I have read 100's of books about World War II and was thoroughly disappointed in this book.I would not recommend to anyone. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography And Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Campaigns    7. Eastern Front    8. Germany    9. History: World    10. Military    11. Military - World War II    12. Personal Memoirs    13. Personal narratives, German    14. Soldiers    15. World War II - Europe    16. World War, 1939-1945    17. Battles & campaigns    18. History    19. History / General    20. Russia    21. Second World War, 1939-1945    22. True stories: Second World War   

Editorial Review

An academic biography, Michael D. Gordin's Read more

Reviews (6)

Deep, thought-provoking book about Russia and this great genius...
It's difficult to 'grade' a book that refused to stay on what the intended topic (as presented to the reader). When I ordered the book, I thought the picture of Mendeleev was a rather haunting one, that looked like so many of the great minds like Da Vinci, Michaelangelo, and other minds from the slightly earlier time of the Enlightenment. This was a man who started his life in the time of horse and carriage, of gas lights, of sloppy science in Russia, and ended in the next century when his country was beset by revolution...one of the very things this authoritarian abhored.
First part of book great, but I could not finish.
Chapters 1-3 of this book were exactly what I expected with the history of Mendeleev and the periodic table.However, the author mentions at the end of chapter three that Medeleev did not work on the periodic table from that point on to the end of his life.
Fascinating True Story of a Russian, Scientist, and Genius
+++++
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Subjects:  1. 1834-1907    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Chemistry - General    7. Chemists    8. History    9. History Of Science    10. Mendeleyev, Dmitry Ivanovich,    11. Periodic law    12. Russia (Federation)    13. Scientists - General    14. Biography: general    15. Chemistry   

Reviews (84)

Amazing Read
This is a wonderfully written piece of work by Robert K Massie.It is never boring or drawn out, which is impressive considering its thousand page length.

do not miss this gem
I received this book as a gift and was most impressed with it.
Well done
This is a well-done work; readable and informative.One note, however: it was published in 1986 during the Soviet era.I wonder how a post-Soviet biography would read now that many of their archives are open to Western historians.Regardless, this work is highly recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1672-1725    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Emperor of Russia,    6. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    7. Historical - General    8. History    9. Kings and rulers    10. Peter    11. Peter I, 1689-1725    12. Russia    13. Biography & Autobiography / Historical    14. Biography: general   

Reviews (30)

An excellent account
Trotter has a very easy-to-follow style of writing which he uses to great effect as he introduces the reader to the background to The Winter War. The background set, he also examines the mindset of the key people who were later to play a pivotal role in an epic David-and-Goliath struggle.
An objective account
The book deals with one of the least narrated conflicts during the preliminary years of the WW2.The writer is unprejudiced about the varios versions of the war.The interesting thing about the Finnish War is that it has a lot of conseqences affecting the both parties at war.The Red Army general staff and Soviet leaders test their strength really for the first time when you disregard the Ghalkin-Gol conflict in the far east.Though defeated, Finland does not bow to Soviet pressure unlike Baltic states.After nazi invasion of Russia, the Finns try their luck by fighting alongside nazi invaders but were finally beaten with the rest.Today the border lies where it was settled then.

Great History of a Little-Known War
A Frozen Hell is a fascinating overview of the little-known Russo-Finnish War of 1939-40. Expected to make short work of the small Finnish military and occupy the country within a few short weeks at most, the massive Russian military machine was stopped in its tracks, and suffered extremely high casulties before finally forcing a peace on the Finns a hundred days later. But Finland maintained its independence, the only country bordering and fighting against the Soviet Union to avoid becoming a satellite state. Trotter covers it all: the basis for the crisis that led to the conflict, the political maneuvering, the battle plans and action, the guerillas on skis. The only complaint I had with it was that he did not go into enough details about the Continuation War which occured a few years later. Nevertheless, a highly recommended work. Read it and find out how the world came to know the meaning of the Finnish word, sisu. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    2. Europe - Scandinavia    3. History    4. History - Military / War    5. History: World    6. Military - World War II    7. Russo-Finnish War, 1939-1940    8. European history: Second World War    9. Finland    10. Former Soviet Union, USSR (Europe)    11. HISTORY / Europe / Russia & the Former Soviet Union    12. HISTORY / Europe / Scandinavia    13. History / Military / World War II    14. Second World War, 1939-1945    15. War & defence operations   

Reviews (4)

Music review
I found this most interesting and easy to read.Hurwitz has whimsical style that makes it easy to be informed and entertained.His works should make good textbooks for music students of the current generation.

Especially recommended for music students and classical music lovers everywhere
David Hurwitz, founder and editor of respected daily classical music magazine Classicstoday.com, presents Shostakovich Symphonies And Concertos: An Owner's Manual, an in-depth discussion of Shostakovich's grand musical creations. Offering much more than a technical analysis, Shostakovich Symphonies And Concertos also discusses at length what the music sounds like and how it works expressively. Featuring scrutiny of fifteen symphonies and six concertos in chronological order, Shostakovich Symphonies And Concertos provides a marvelous guided tour of the unfolding melodies as well as an overview of how Shostakovich's works fit into Western classical musical tradition. An accompanying full-length music CD contains a performance of Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony, which accurately showcases his style. Especially recommended for music students and classical music lovers everywhere.
A Guide to Listening to Shostakovich
Born in 1906 Shostakovich lived through the communist years in the Soviet Union. This book covers Shostakovich from his first symphony, completed when he was 19 through his next 14 symphonies and six concertos. It has relatively little in the way of biography, but instead is about his music.
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Subjects:  1. Genres & Styles - Classical    2. History & Criticism - General    3. Instruction & Study - Appreciation    4. Instruction & Study - Composition    5. Music    6. Music History And Criticism +    7. Musical Composition    8. Performing Arts    9. Theater - General    10. Composers & musicians    11. Performing Arts / Theater / General    12. Russia   

Reviews (44)

Take the information in the book with a spoonful of sugar . . .
[...] The book does not dissapoint (sic) because it has new information about the last days of the Romanovs. When (and if) you verify the sources you find out that they support the points which King and Wilson make. Happily, this seems to be a case of some expert use of the material, not historically unsupported assertions. This is easy to confirm of course - provided you have the time and resources to actually travel to Europe, conduct the interviews and inspect the archives --- so don't make the obvious mistake of giving the authors the respect they have earned from other historians - but remember, better safe than sorry!
Take information in this book with a grain of salt...
[...] The book is dissapointing because it claims to have "new" "contradictory" information about the last days of the Romanovs, yet when (and if) you follow up on the sources you find out that many of them just don't measure up to the claims. [...] Sadly, this seems to be a case of some "creative referencing", not historical facts. This is easy to confirm of course - so don't take my word for it - just check out the sources of the more "controversial" claims, if you do end up reading this book. But until you confirm the sources, take any "new" information with a grain of salt...

far from "groundbreaking"
At first glance, this book comes off as being the innovative and thorough work it claims to be. It is fairly well written and appears to be well researched, and is heavily sourced. If taken at face value one may accept that the authors had truly uncovered information that proves that some of the long held beliefs about Romanov history are wrong, as they offer new information and new perspective on things.
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Subjects:  1. 1868-1918    2. Assassination    3. Emperor of Russia,    4. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    5. Family    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. II,    10. Nicholas    11. Nicholas II, 1894-1917    12. Russia    13. European history: from c 1900 -    14. History / Russia (pre- & post-Soviet Union)    15. Rank & titles   

Reviews (2)

when interested, don't miss this book
This great book tells the highly interesting story about Russia in the 20th century. How czarism collapsed in 1917, due to its own stupidity and corruption. What the Communists did to the country thereafter. How in 1941 Adolf Hitler's murderous attacks were survived. How twenty years later party-leader Chrutchev shot the first man into space. How under Brezhnev the Russian Communist society came to a standstill, leading to its collapse in 1989. Leaving the country behind in some chaos.
My Russian wife was stunned by the photographs.
I literally read this book twice. And as I turned the pages and saw breathtaking after breathtaking photograph and read the journalist's history of Russia, I kept reminding myself that this is not fiction. Thisbooks makes one pause and ponder ... a very long time. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. Nicholas II, 1894-1917    3. Photo Essays    4. Pictorial works    5. Russia    6. Russia - History    7. Soviet Union    8. European history: from c 1900 -    9. History / General   

Reviews (2)

Bunin didn't call this book "Cursed Days" for nothing!
The previous customer review refers haughtily to the "hauteur" of Ivan Bunin, a "right-wing, upper class novelist."Say what?Bunin, a master of Russian prose, was understandably aghast as he watchedthe sudden, violent and senseless destruction of the glorious Russianculture.The reviewer sneers that "the folk, in Bunin's opinion, wereignorant, gullible, violent, dirty, and totally unfit to take a hand ingovernment."Well, it sounds like Bunin got it just about right! Just look what the left-wing thugs ruling in the name of "thefolk" did to Russia for the next 70 years. Picture of everyday confusion & fears of the 1917 revolution
This day-to-day diary of the confusion and fears that confronted those wholived through Russia's revolutions and their aftermaths in 1917-19 is wellworth reading.However, it has its frustrations, especially a) theunremitting tone of hauteur by this right-wing, upper class novelist whenconfronted by the ascendant working class, and b) the editor's feeling thatevery rumor reported by Bunin, no matter how outlandish (St. Petersburg hasfallen to the Germans; "The Red Army has been chased fromRussia") requires his footnote assuring us that "The rumor wasnot true".Although both are very different in focus from this book,I much preferred Bulgakov's The White Guard, an autobiographicallyfictional account of his life during the same time period, with the sameconfusion, in Kiev, and Sukhanov's The Russian Revolution, 1917, an almosthour-by-hour description of the actual government takeovers in 1917. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1870-1953    2. 20th century    3. Authors, Russian    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Bunin, Ivan Alekseevich,    6. Diaries    7. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    8. Historical    9. Historical - General    10. History    11. History: World    12. Literary    13. Personal narratives, Russian    14. Political Ideologies - Communism & Socialism    15. Revolution, 1917-1921    16. Russia - History - 1917 To 1991    17. Soviet Union    18. Bunin, Ivan Alekseevich    19. Former Soviet Union, USSR (Europe)    20. History / General    21. Modern fiction    22. Russia   

Editorial Review

Dr. Richard Sorge, writes British journalist Robert Whymant, deserves to be considered "one of the most successful spies in modern history." The grand-nephew of a close comrade of Karl Marx, Sorge became an active member of the German Communist Party after being wounded in World War I. Having moved to Moscow, he then worked in the Soviet intelligence service, returning to Germany in the early 1930s. Securing work as a journalist after passing himself off as a supporter of the Nazi regime, Sorge traveled to China and then to Japan, where he became a confidant of German and Japanese businessmen and diplomats. The information he gathered from these contacts he sent on to Moscow. He eventually recruited a small circle of Japanese and European associates, and his spy ring operated successfully under the noses of the redoubtable Japanese secret service. Despite the reliability of his reports, Whymant notes, Sorge's intelligence was often dismissed--as when he warned that the Germans were planning to invade the Soviet Union. When the Germans did indeed invade, however, his stock rose, even if Stalin doubted Sorge's assurances that the Japanese would not join their German allies in attacking eastern Russia. The Japanese finally arrested Sorge in 1941, and three years later he was hanged for espionage, along with most of his confederates. Whymant's gripping account makes a powerful case for their being regarded as heroes in the antifascist cause. Read more

Reviews (4)

The definitive account of Sorge's network
This is a very interesting book for anyone who wants to discover the inner secrets of USSR's repulse of the German onslaught in 1941. Richard Sorge was a charismatic communist idealist who became a useful tool at the hands of GRU and set a highly efficient network of spies inside Japan from 1933 to 1941. Whymant proves that many things that are known about Sorge are pure myths (like that he was arrested in bed, while lying in the arms of a Japanese beauty) and constructs a wonderful story of the man and his era, jumping from the great strategic issues to the twists and oddities of that extremely dynamic and charming personality. I found extremeley sad the fact that Sorge was so afraid of returning to the USSR (where he was considered a drunkard, a womanizer and a trotskist) albeit he served her so well, and he felt so lonely that let himself to be trapped by the agents of the "Tokko" secret police. Also mysterious was his behavior after his arrest when he cooperated completely with his captors providing them with a wealth of information on GRU's actions in Japan. A highly recommende book for the fans of deadly spying games ona grand scale.

The story of a remarkable espionage agent.
STALIN'.S SPY Deep insights into a long forgotten soul!
Well written, hard to put the book down.Especially interesting for history buffs.Many lessons can be learned by the way that Dr. Sorge used his charm and personality to influence the German Diplomatic Corps.Thisbook should be required reading for anyone in the intelligence community.Learn from the past... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Espionage, Soviet    5. Historical - General    6. History    7. Intelligence Operations    8. Japan    9. Soviet Union    10. Spies    11. Sorge, Richard   

Reviews (4)

Now THIS is military history!
Beautifully written, extremely informative, and well-packaged by the publisher, this is another must have for the WWII buff's library. Using the info from the Russian archives which has come out in the past 10-15 years, Professor Mawdsley does a magnificent job of presenting an overview of the War on the Eastern Front. It touches on about every matter you can think of, and has quality footnotes taking you to leading secondary works on almost each subject. A good bibliography, but an annotated one would have been even better. It focuses far more on Russian matters than German, but also has some interesting information on the Nazi side of the hill. Not the only book you should read on the Eastern Front, but a great place to start.
WWII Eastern Front History at Its Very Best!
This is a brilliant book; incredibly well researched, organized and written. Having exploited the latest Soviet and German archival material, "Thunder in the East" provides new and important insights into the German-Soviet war on the Eastern Front. And unlike previous Eastern Front histories, which tend to focus on one side or the other, Mawdsley, a professor of Soviet and Russian history, tells the story from both sides. The result is a powerful and balanced narrative, which touches on every aspect of the titanic struggle between Hitler's Third Reich and Stalin's Soviet Russia.
A good start
If you are new to the Eastern Front this is an excellent new short history of the war.It concentrates a little on the military aspect, on the politics, economics, and of course the social intricacies of the war.The author uses a lot of newly released Soviet secondary sources, many of which I have at home and can vouch for, to present the war in a somewhat new light.There are a few mistakes and some omissions throughout the book but nothing too major.I like the authors conclusions about the purges in 1937-1938, while they were costly for the Red Army there is no reason to think that it crippled the officer corps, although it did create an atmosphere of fear and compliance with Stalin which in the end simply added to the disaster that was 1941.All the battles, offensive and defensive operations, are listed and gone through.Losses are given for the Red Army from Krivosheev's book for every operation, this book has become the standard use for Red Army losses in WWII although there are still some controversies about it.But in the end it's very interesting to see how Soviet losses (KIA, MIA, and POW) went down throughout the war.The author gives a good account of the Warsaw uprising and shows how impossible it was for the Red Army to do anything when it occurred, but something might have been done in late August or mid September.Then again the Poles wanted to take the city and use it as a bargaining chip against the Soviets, so it would have served no purpose in putting the Red Army in that kind of situation with no benefit to Stalin.Overall with the use of these new Russian sources from a variety of authors I have to say this is today the best short history of the war and I would gladly recommend it to anyone who wants an introduction to the Eastern Front. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - Germany    2. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    3. History    4. History - Military / War    5. History: World    6. Military    7. Military - General    8. Military - World War II    9. European history: Second World War    10. Former Soviet Union, USSR (Europe)    11. Germany    12. History / Military / General    13. History, Wor