Stalin. The last four years of the life of the leader. Some see in them all the signs of “the patriarch’s autumn.” Others believe that it was precisely at the turn of the 1950s that Stalin achieved his most outstanding strategic results. The second volume of Nikolay Starikov’s book is about events that everyone knows but understand only a few. Against the backdrop of the West’s hostility—the last attempts to establish good-neighborliness. Against the threat of a new world war—the delicate diplomatic game to divert attention in Korea. Producing his own bomb—against the backdrop of Western nuclear blackmail. Desperate attempts to keep Tito from adventuring—against the backdrop of the Balkan “gunpowder keg.” Loud political trials—against the backdrop of struggles at the top. And, of course, the mysterious death of the Host—the background to the fight for Stalin’s legacy.
A surprising look at the end of the Stalin era by a well-known writer, researcher, and public figure whose speeches and texts leave millions of readers and viewers indifferent.