toml72's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best books on these two that I've ever read - and I've read many. Super well researched and well written.
lord_petros's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
5.0
This is an excellent book. Bullock does an excellent job in his dual biography of arguably the two people who had the most influence on the 20th century.
Bullock places the two men side by side, sometimes in the same chapter, sometimes in successive chapters, and sometimes at the same time chronologically, while others at the same phase in their lives. By allowing himself the flexibility of switching between these two options, it allows him to compare and contrast these two men.
The other aspect of his work that I really enjoyed was Bullock does engage previous scholarship, and the various ways historians have grappled with understanding both these men and the oppressive systems they created, without it becoming cumbersome. Those that really want to dig into the historical debates can find sources in his notes, while those that really don't want to dig, can read an accessible, if long, one volume work about both Hitler and Stalin.
Bullock places the two men side by side, sometimes in the same chapter, sometimes in successive chapters, and sometimes at the same time chronologically, while others at the same phase in their lives. By allowing himself the flexibility of switching between these two options, it allows him to compare and contrast these two men.
The other aspect of his work that I really enjoyed was Bullock does engage previous scholarship, and the various ways historians have grappled with understanding both these men and the oppressive systems they created, without it becoming cumbersome. Those that really want to dig into the historical debates can find sources in his notes, while those that really don't want to dig, can read an accessible, if long, one volume work about both Hitler and Stalin.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
4.0
A monster of book about two very bad men doing horrible things to people. However, the book is also about what lead to their rise of power as well the effects the men had on the world around them. Fascinating as well as disturbing
nicholasbobbitt1997's review against another edition
2.0
DNF. The swamp of names, organizations, terms of academic history which make texts such as this devoid of life, and the author's insistence on using abbreviations and initialisms which serve only to make the story he is attempting to tell more confusing make this book, for me a disappointment. I appreciate what the author is attempting to do, but 1000 page long tomes tend to run out of steam and could be told in a more concise fashion. It certainly is an idea with merit, comparing two of history's worst despots' lives in such a way, I just could not get over the way it was told and the dryness which fills the text.
More...