Law and Terror in Stalin's Russia

Résumé du livre

The brooding figure of Stalin hovered over communist power in Russia for most of its 74 years. Despite its achievements, his regime practiced lawlessness and terror over a wide span of territory and people. The question that arises is, how was he able to exercise dictatorial rule over 170 million people in the many countries making up the Soviet Union for so long? Author Hostettler questions whether a different road could have been taken after the Bolshevik Revolution had succeeded. He concludes that Stalin's Russia signals a warning against taking a wrong path in seeking human liberty and equality. Revolutionary law is no law at all and is no substitute for the rule of law.