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I can recommend (if that is the correct term) the book "Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar" for a chilling description of the leadership of the Soviet Union from the early 30s until Stalin's death:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stalin-The-Court-Red-Tsar/dp/0753817...

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There's also an excellent 2-part CSPAN "Book Notes" with the author:

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/Tsa

Agreed! It is next to impossible to understand soviet Russia without knowing what is covered in that book. It completely changed my view of the whole Bolshevik experiment, especially Stalin's role. What had been a mystery to me became much clearer.

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