Book Review | Stalin's Library
- Greg McNeilly
- Jun 18, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 19
STALIN’S LIBRARY: A Dictator and His Books | Geoffrey Roberts, Yale University Press, (2022), 272p.
The title accurately reflects this academic romp through the books Stalin purportedly read, the notes he scribbled, and the context in which he consumed them.
Stalin was more than a mass murderer (the latest estimates are 20 million victims); he was an avid reader. Archives provide evidence that he had amassed a personal library of over 25,000 books (when T. Jefferson died, he bequeathed his library of 6,700 tomes to start the Library of Congress) with notes written on the pages of over 400.
From his notes, the professor and researcher Roberts concludes that Stalin saw his nation—the one he was attempting to build—as a series of ideas. He notes that Stalin believed “in the primacy of ideas,” a departure from a strictly Marxist philosophy but a rational explanation for his actions: the ruthless destruction of “anyone who by his deeds or his thoughts—yes—even his thoughts—threatens the unity of the socialist state.”
One of the central arguments of Stalin's Library is that the dictator's literary tastes and interests reveal a deep appreciation for Russian literature and culture, mainly works that promoted nationalism, imperialism, and authoritarianism. Roberts demonstrates how Stalin's love for writers like Alexander Pushkin, Nikolai Gogol, and Leo Tolstoy informed his vision for an assertive Russia and his desire to suppress dissent and opposition. By examining Stalin's extensive collection of books, many of which contain handwritten notes and marginalia, the author illustrates how the dictator engaged with these texts, often using them to justify his policies and actions.
Another important argument advanced by Roberts is that Stalin's relationship with literature was not merely a personal indulgence but an integral part of his governing strategy. The author shows how Stalin employed literature and culture as tools for propaganda, censorship, and indoctrination, aiming to shape public opinion and create a personality cult around himself. For instance, Roberts discusses how Stalin commissioned new translations of classic works, sponsored literary prizes, and controlled every aspect of publishing, all while promoting a narrow definition of "socialist realism" that conformed to his ideological preferences. In doing so, Stalin sought to impose a uniform worldview on the Soviet people, suppressing diversity and fostering a climate of fear and obedience.
Stalin once toasted amongst his fellow travelers: “Production of souls is more important than the Production of tanks…This is why I propose a toast to writers, the engineers of human souls.”
The mass murderer’s curiosity about ideas had an evident, if not dark, utility.
It’s a relatively academic and somewhat uninteresting review of an arcane topic; the author reveals himself as a fan of Stalin when he intones “extravagant claims about Stalin’s military genius had more than a modicum of credibility.” Oh really.
Stalin lived by Marx's political dictum that maximum violence against one’s enemies was not regrettable but necessary. No amount of book collecting can reframe this approach to ruling a country as anything but evil.
QUOTES
"The people who cast the votes don't decide anything. The people who count the votes decide everything."
"A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic."
"The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion."
"If we had arrested every suspect, we would have arrested ourselves."
"It is not heroes that make history, but history that makes heroes."
"The greatness of a nation is measured by its ability to produce great men."
"Ideas are weapons, and it is wrong to disarm."
"There is no such thing as an innocent man."
"We will liquidate the Kulaks as a class."
"The only way to save the village was to destroy it."
OUTLINE
I. Introduction
Overview of Stalin's rise to power and his rule over the Soviet Union
Importance of books and literature in Stalin's life and regime
Brief overview of the contents of Stalin's library
II. Early Life and Career (1878-1922)
Childhood and education
Early involvement in revolutionary activities
Rise through the ranks of the Bolshevik Party
Participation in the Russian Revolution and subsequent civil war
III. Consolidating Power (1922-1928)
Death of Lenin and the succession struggle within the Communist Party
Campaign against rivals for party leadership (e.g., Trotsky, Zinoviev, Kamenev)
Establishment of personal dictatorship and the cult of personality
IV. Building Socialism (1928-1932)
Implementation of agricultural collectivization and industrialization programs
Literary and cultural policies aimed at promoting socialist values
Purging of intellectuals and artists deemed hostile to the regime
V. The Great Purge (1932-1938)
Arrests, show trials, and executions of millions accused of sabotage, espionage, and counterrevolution
Elimination of remaining political opponents and potential threats to Stalin's rule
Impact on literature and culture, including the suppression of dissident writers and artists
VI. World War II and Its Aftermath (1938-1945)
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the Soviet Union's nonaggression agreement with Nazi Germany
Invasion of Poland and Partition of Eastern Europe
Soviet participation in World War II after the German invasion of the USSR
Postwar reconstruction and consolidation of Soviet dominance in Eastern Europe
VII. Cold War and Later Years (1945-1953)
Origins and development of the Cold War
Stalin's postwar policies and diplomatic initiatives
Personnel changes and power struggles within the Soviet leadership
Final years and death of Stalin
VIII. Conclusion
