Love history? Know your stuff with History in an Hour.Arguably no person in history had such a direct and negative impact on the lives of so many as Joseph Stalin. Under the Red Tsar terror knew no limits, it did not discriminate; no one was safe, no institution, no single town or village was immune. Yet, following his death in 1953, Stalin was deeply mourned. He had `received the country with a wooden plough, and left it with a nuclear missile shield'. And no-one else, some claimed, could have led the Soviet Union to victory in the Second World War.So who was Joseph Stalin, what was his role during the Russian Revolution; how did he come to power, what made him such a destructive tyrant, and how did he impose his will on the Soviet Union for so long?Love history? Know your stuff with History in an Hour...Rupert Colley's biography of Joseph Stalin, the former head of state, is a top pick for anyone interested in European history. It's a short read that offers a comprehensive look into the life of one of the most influential figures in history.For fans of Anthony Holmes (Managing Through Turbulent Times), David B. Mccoy (The Kent State Shootings and What Came Before), Martyn Whittock (American Vikings), Neil Smith (The Vietnam War), and Simon Sebag Montefiore (Stalin).