Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar

by Simon Sebag Montefiore

it is likely that the arteriosclerosis exacerbated his existing tempers, depression and paranoia.

Beria and Malenkov loathed Zhdanov and Voznesensky;

magnates resembled “Peter the Great’s boyars”

don’t remember,” Stalin replied crushingly. Beria’s attempt to speak Georgian to him at meetings now irritated Stalin:

Abakumov remains the most shadowy of Stalin’s secret-police bosses

“Do you remember how amazed that English writer J. B. Priestley was when he met an Abkhazian peasant aged 150?”

His lifestyle and mentality remained Georgian. He talked Georgian, ate Georgian, sang Georgian, personally ruled Georgia through the local bosses,

Perhaps 20 million had been killed; 28

million deported, of whom 18 million had slaved in the Gulags.

Beria underestimated Khrushchev and the marshals.