There were times when famous statesmen like Churchill or intellectuals like Hannah Arendt, Lion Feuchtwanger, or Heinrich Mann looked upon Stalin and his country with respect and admiration. However, with the Cold War and, not least, with Khrushchev's secret speech, Stalin became a "monster" that could perhaps only be compared to Hitler. Domenico Losurdo examines the conflicts and interests that underlie this shift in perspective. He uses this radical contrast in images of Stalin as an opportunity to problematize all of them, rather than absolutizing any one. To do this, he analyzes Soviet history based on a comprehensive comparison of the tragedies of the 20th century, demystifying Stalin and contextualizing a series of accusations made against him, without simply negating them.