Description
Book SynopsisOn June 11, 1937, a closed military court ordered the execution of a group of the Soviet Union’s most talented and experienced army officers. There followed a massive military purge, from the officer corps through the rank-and-file. Peter Whitewood advances a new explanation for Stalin’s actions - an explanation with the potential to unlock the mysteries that still surround the Great Terror.
Trade ReviewExplanations of Stalin's massacre of his own military on the eve of war have ranged from insanity to paranoia to German disinformation. Peter Whitewood has turned a critical eye to the sources and the existing interpretations of Stalin's military purge and offers a new answer. How that happened makes for good history and fascinating reading." - J. Arch Getty, Distinguished Professor of History at UCLA and author of
Practicing Stalinism: Bolsheviks, Boyars, and the Persistence of Tradition"Based on recently-released archival materials, this well-crafted book advances a much-needed reappraisal of Stalin's ‘Great Purges’ of the Soviet military. The author's fresh and cogent arguments regarding Stalin's rationale for these purges make it a must-read for historians and military historians alike." - David Glantz, author of
The Stalingrad Trilogy
