Stalin: Man and Ruler

by Robert H. McNeal

Drawng on a range of previously unavailable sources, this incisive new portrait of Stalin examines the man, his political career, his personal and professional relationships, his philosophy, and his impact on the Soviet Union and twentieth-century history

400 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1988

About the author

Robert H(Hatch). McNeal, a renowned expert on the history of the Soviet Union, joined the University faculty in 1969 and served as the head of the History department from 1971 to 1975. McNeal wrote authoritative works on Soviet leadership, contributed to the World Book and a number of other reference works, and taught many History courses on Russian and Soviet history. His work, however, came to a tragic end in 1988 when his car was broadsided pulling out of a gas station near Princeton University. Born in 1930 in Newark, New Jersey, McNeal earned his B.A. From Yale University in 1952, his M.A. from Columbia in 1954, and Ph.D. from the same school in 1958.

Representing mainly his work as a teacher at the University of Massachusetts, McNeal’s papers include lecture notes, ordered alphabetically by topic as well as several folders of research and article manuscripts on Pushkanen. Also included in the collection are two years of professional correspondence from 1968-1970, biographical sketches and photographs of important historical figures, and several Soviet Christmas cards from the 1950s.

Reviews

[Chas Bayfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this back in 1992 and it took me six months to finish it. I really wanted an appreciation of Stalin the man and this book paints a pretty realistic picture of Stalin - paranoid, obsessed and tragic. It all seems so futile now though at the time the book was written, the iron curtain still stood tall. Glad I read it.