A really detailed, well-researched, and seemingly objective discussion of events leading up to the formation of the Soviet Union, focusing on Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin. My only real complaint was that the book ended very abruptly, with no warning and no "pointers" as to further developments; I double-checked to make sure that I wasn't missing pages from the book. I have an early edition of the work, though, so this problem may have been remedied. ( )