Endangered History Figure: Joseph Stalin

This is surprising to those of us who love history, but Stalin is in danger of becoming forgotten among the younger generations whose understanding of history is in many cases dim in general. The history channel, educators, and media culture have done a wonderful job of keeping the public informed of Adolf Hitler and his malignant role in the shaping of world history, but Stalin, the world leader who armies and weapons utterly crushed Hitler's empire, cast the iron curtain throughout Eastern Europe, and waged the Cold War, is underrepresented in the history education most of our youth receive.

This discrepancy was brought to my attention while reading a short and new bio on the Soviet dictator by Paul Johnson, called Stalin: The Kremlin Mountaineer. Johnson writes in his introduction:

"I have undertaken this short life of Joseph Stalin because I have discovered that among the youth, he is insufficiently known. Whereas Hitler figures prominently in the mass media, and Mao Tse-Tung's memory is kept alive in the continuing rise in power of the communist state he created, Stalin has receded into the shadows. I shall bring him forth and shine on him the pitiless light of history."

With that bang, Johnson kicks off his fast-paced and engaging short biography. I managed to knock out the audio version in two commutes to and from the school where I teach. I loved it so much, I started it over and listened to it again during the following two commutes. This gem of an extended essay can be bought cheaply on kindle and is a great resource in bringing the grand and merciless legacy of Joseph Stalin to our awareness.