Joseph Stalin plunged Russia into a barbarous nightmare the likes of which the world has never seen, leaving behind a ravaged nation and a legacy of grief, but no answers.

Until now. As propaganda chief of the Soviet Red Army and later chairman of the Russian Archives Declassifying Commision, General Dmitri Volkogonov enjoyed unparalleled access to the vast secret archives of the former Soviet Union."The first massive indictment in Russia of the dictator's entire record. . . . Volkogonov deserves a place of honor in the ranks of Russian historians."— Wall Street Journal

For ten years Volkogonov studied military records, party archives, trial documents, and other long-suppressed evidence from the era of the purges.

He scoured Stalin's personal records and interviewed members of Stalin's Kremlin staff as well as high-ranking party officials, top army brass, and others who knew the ruthless leader. Offering the first true glimpse of Stalin in action, this is the definitive account of the man, the time, and the tragedy.