Lenin, Stalin, And Hitler By Robert Gellately

In Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler, acclaimed historian Robert Gellately focuses on the dominant powers of the time, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, but also analyzes the catastrophe of those years in an effort to uncover its political and ideological nature. Arguing that the tragedies endured by Europe were inextricably linked through the dictatorships of Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler, Gellately explains how the pursuit of their “utopian” ideals turned into dystopian nightmares. Dismantling the myth of Lenin as a relatively benevolent precursor to Hitler and Stalin and contrasting the divergent ways that Hitler and Stalin achieved their calamitous goals, Gellately creates in Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler a vital analysis of a critical period in

modern history.
Summary
The first section contains a summary of how Vladimir Lenin rose to power in war torn Russia.

In 1917, exhausted by World War One, Tsarist Russia was a wreck. It was the perfect chaos moment for Lenin to return home. Germany, in effort to destabilize Russia, helped send Lenin back to Russia. They hoped Lenin would undermine the Russian war efforts. Instead of arrested and exiled again, Lenin was warmly welcomed home and supported by other radical thinkers such as Leon Trotsky. He quickly became the leader of the Marxist movement and led the Bolsheviks in the bloody violent Red October Revolution. Lenin, much to his own surprise, effectively ended the Russian Empire rather easily and established the Soviet state. The Tsar had become incredibly unpopular and were willing to embrace Lenin's revolution.

After the story of Lenin and his construction of the USSR. The book then explains Hitler and his rise to power in Germany and his Fascist ideas heavily influenced by the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Hitler was a influential speaker and excellent negotiator. He surrounded himself with people that he liked and people that liked him. He demanded the Nazi party to introduce him as the leader of the party. They conceded and he became party leader. The Nazi party moved its way up in the government and seat in Reichstag. In a way Hitler rose to power in a peaceful

way.
Then the book switches to the change of power in the USSR. Lenin the current ruler of the Soviet Union had died an a fight for power in Russia began. Lenin died on 21 January, 1924. Stalin was given the honor of organising his funeral. Upon Lenin's death, Stalin was officially hailed as his successor as the leader of the ruling Communist Party and of the Soviet Union itself. Against Lenin's wishes, he was given a lavish funeral and his body was embalmed and put on display. Thanks to Kamenev and Zinoviev's influence, Stalin became the leader of the USSR.
The later part of the book talks about WW2, but heavily focuses on Germany and the Soviet Union in the war. He talks about the conditions for the people of the countries and the soldiers. Robert talks about the concentration camps on both sides and the struggle in which they held.
Arthur's Arguments
In Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler, acclaimed historian Robert Gellately focuses on the dominant powers of the time, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, but also analyzes the catastrophe of those years in an effort to uncover its political and ideological nature.

Arguing that the tragedies endured by Europe were inextricably linked through the dictatorships of Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler, Gellately explains how the pursuit of their “utopian” ideals turned into dystopian nightmares. Dismantling the myth of Lenin as a relatively benevolent precursor to Hitler and Stalin and contrasting the divergent ways that Hitler and Stalin achieved their calamitous goals, Gellately creates in Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler a vital analysis of a critical period in modern

history.
Evaluation
This book presents a mostly cogent analysis of the similarities, and many dissimilarities, between the totalitarian regimes of Lenin, Stalin and Hitler. As Prof. Gellately anticipated, and says in the book, inclusion of Lenin with the other two will shock many. For that, in the first part of the book, he provides a number of arguments to convince the reader that Lenin, in the short time he was in power, had shown remarkable similarity with Stalin: punishing and "liquidating" dissenters, being absolutely ruthless about the concerns of common Russians, specially peasants, overruling the possibility of democracy, and at times berating it, and assuming brutal methods to implement communist policies.
On the down side of this book I have a few observations. Gellately sometimes has placed some personal opinions, which are not well supported by data presented in the text, in between well-argued points. Though they do not contradict his claims, I found that problematic. Also while describing the show trials, he did not present the allegations, however superficial they may be, of the Communist party against its members. The clashes between the Nazis and the Communist party members of Germany are somewhat less described.

Conclusion
This book was rough to read the authors in-depth analysis and information sometimes left me confused and lost. It amazes me how these terrible people rose to power. They all took countries in a depression or bad state and turned them into world powers and leaders in todays society and government.