For ten years General Dmitri Volkogonov studied military records; party archives; trial documents; and other long-suppressed evidence from the era of the purges- one of the most painful and turbulent periods in Russian history. This is the definitive account of the man; the time; and the tragedy. The author had an incredible access to secret KGB files in his role as historian for the Soviet Army; and he pieces together the story of the man who for thirty years controlled the minds and bodies of the hundreds and millions of people of the Soviet Union. This book; the first of a trilogy written by Volkogonov on Stalin; Lenin; and Trotsky; takes advantage of the author's discoveries to reveal much heretofore unknown knowledge about Stalin's reign of terror in the early days of the Soviet Union.
#609689 in Books Johns Hopkins University Press 2004-08-03Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.50 x .93 x 5.50l; 1.43 #File Name: 0801878764280 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Our Union Soldiers of the Civil WarBy MWThe author; Ronald S. Coddington did an amazing amount of research on these soldiers. He supplied 70 photographs from his personal collection. At a time when most of our Civil War soldier's names have been lost; because their family history has been lost to time. Leaving only their nameless photographs to us today. He not only supplied the name of each soldier; but also a brief; but thorough description of each of their lives; during their tenure of service; and how their lives were; after they were mustered out of service. He tells us how each man died and what caused their deaths; be it in active duty or as a civilian. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I am now looking forward to read his book; "Faces of the Civil War An Album of Confederate Soldiers and Their Stories".0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The Civil War Soldier: Remembering the Long-Forgotten VeteranBy FezziwigThe Civil War was one of the first wars to be photographed. One very popular offering of the enterprising photographer of this era was the carte de visite; a small (2.5 x 4 inches) photograph that was taken in a photographer’s studio. The soldier going off to war would have his photo taken to send to loved ones as a reminder of their absent hero. Thousands of these cartes de visite have survived to today; but usually there is nothing known about the soldier in the photo other than a name written in the photo frame or on the back. Ronald Coddington has dug into Civil War archives; histories; diaries; and letters to tell a little story behind the faces in some of these photos. This book reveals the stories behind the faces of 77 soldiers who served in Union armies. (The author has also written two other volumes of Civil War cartes de visite: "Faces of the Confederacy: and "African-American Faces of the Civil War.")The stories are very brief; a page and a half at most. But they are fascinating in the very fact that they help us peer behind the curtain of mystery that time inevitably draws over the life of all but a few of the participants in the great events of the past. Who knows anything of the story of even an ancestor’s participation in the Civil War? Coddington has looked behind this curtain for each of these 77 soldiers.Some of these soldiers did not survive the war. Some died in battle; some died later of wounds from a battle; and some died of sickness or disease without ever having fought in a battle. Of those who survived the war; some went back to civilian life; married; raised families; and died at a ripe old age. But some carried the mental and emotional wounds of war back home; and the misery of war continued to haunt them and their families.A book like this is timeless. As long as there are wars; there will be soldiers who leave home and; if they are lucky; come home again. Great generals and their deeds will always be remembered and honored in books and movies; but the ordinary soldier is forgotten. The men in these photographs are resurrected; if only briefly; to retell their stories. Much of the information on these long-dead soldiers is contained in publicly accessible records held by the National Archives and Record Service (NARS); which is cited as a source in almost every one of these short biographies. Other sources are books; including soldiers’ published diaries and letters; manuscript collections; magazine and newspaper articles; and online genealogical services. The author has done a great deal of research to produce this wonderful book; a resurrection of 77 forgotten soldier lives.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Faces of the Civil WarBy Cabin GirlI bought this book for my husband who loves history. As a veteran I knew he would find it interesting. I was right... he loved it. I purchased it along with Ron Coddington's other book Faces of the Confederacy because I thought my husband would want to read about both sides. They are a great pairing and I can't wait to buy more of Ron's books for my husband.
