--- product_id: 25167960 title: "Hitler and Stalin: Parallel Lives" price: "531 kr" currency: NOK in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.no/products/25167960-hitler-and-stalin-parallel-lives store_origin: NO region: Norway --- # Dual biography spanning Nazi Germany & Soviet Russia 977 pages of dense, immersive history 40 years of scholarly research distilled Hitler and Stalin: Parallel Lives **Price:** 531 kr **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > 📖 Dive deep into the dark mirror of history — don’t miss the ultimate dictator showdown! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Hitler and Stalin: Parallel Lives - **How much does it cost?** 531 kr with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.no](https://www.desertcart.no/products/25167960-hitler-and-stalin-parallel-lives) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Unmatched Depth:** Decades of research deliver unparalleled historical insight. - • **Comprehensive Scope:** Covers political, personal, and ideological contrasts in 20th century totalitarianism. - • **Epic Dual Biography:** Masterfully intertwines Hitler and Stalin's intertwined destinies. - • **Scholarly Yet Accessible:** Smooth prose makes complex history gripping and readable. - • **Essential for History Buffs:** A must-have for students and professionals craving nuanced WWII and Soviet-German context. ## Overview Lord Alan Bullock’s 'Hitler and Stalin: Parallel Lives' is a monumental dual biography that meticulously compares the lives, ideologies, and legacies of two of the 20th century’s most infamous dictators. Spanning nearly 1,000 pages, this used book in good condition offers readers a richly detailed, scholarly narrative based on over 40 years of research, perfect for anyone seeking a profound understanding of Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia’s intertwined histories. ## Description Forty years after his Hitler: A Study in Tyranny set a standard for scholarship of the Nazi era, Lord Alan Bullock gives readers a breathtakingly accomplished dual biography that places Adolf Hitler's origins, personality, career, and legacy alongside those of Joseph Stalin--his implacable antagonist and moral mirror image. Review: bad guys - the depth of research was amazing . would reommend thid book highly Review: Excellent Dual Biography of Two Monsters - A history teacher recommended this book to me, and initially I wasn't sure a dual biography, particularly one of this length, would work, but Professor Bullock brings it off masterfully as he weaves together the political careers of Hitler and Stalin. Of course it helped in weaving their careers together that: their dictatorships overlapped significantly, they each had ruthless control of parties that aspired to control every aspect of society, they each singled out "enemies" of the state/party for particularly horrific treatment ("racial" enemies for Hitler, class enemies, e.g., Kulaks, for Stalin), they each viewed the other's country as the ideological enemy, and then they engaged each other in the most terrible war (WW II's eastern front) in human history. And yet while enemies, they seemed to have a grudging admiration for each other. Stalin noted approvingly Hitler's bloody purge of the SA and political enemies in 1934 and followed with his own far more massive purges in 1936-1938; near the end of the war Hitler regretted he hadn't done to his generals what Stalin did to the Red Army officer corps in 1937. And yet they never met each other. This book is for students of Soviet history, Nazi Germany, World War II, and 20th century European history and requires a substantial investment in time as the paperback version has 977 pages of densely-packed prose, but the investment is worth it. Bullock's prose is smooth, and his descriptions at times are haunting, but most important his historical judgement is sober and unerring, or so it would appear to me. Writing in 1991, he had the benefit of decades of previous research to sort out the controversies of WW II, but even at that time the Soviet archives were just being opened so he readily admits that some Stalinist issues and events have not completely been clarified. Besides their similarities as ruthless dictators of totalitarian states with enormous resources under their control, Bullock shows how they exhibited pronounced differences as well. Hitler was a charismatic orator who was very effective in mass meetings while Stalin was an indifferent speaker who was essentially a bureaucrat but a very effective schemer; Hitler was more of a gambler who took great risks (e.g., his remilitarization of the Rhineland when the French Army was still stronger than his rearming Wehrmacht, his invasion of the Soviet Union before he had subdued Britain) while Stalin was more of a calculator and a shrewd evaluator of situations; Hitler, who considered himself an "artist", worked indifferent hours and disdained paperwork while Stalin worked long hours and involved himself in paperwork and details (on one day he and Molotov signed over 4,000 death warrants during the purges). They both were ideologues; Stalin really believed in the tenets of Lenin's Bolshevism (although he killed just about all of Lenin's comrades) and Hitler really believed in the benefits of a "racially purified" German nation. They were completely indifferent to human life. Both Hitler and Stalin ordered their armies, time and again, to defend positions to the last man. Almost unbelieveably, Hitler in his political testament during his last day in the Berlin bunker rued the "fact" that he had been too "kind" as Fuehrer of Germany while Stalin has been quoted as saying that "one death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic". Bullock estimates in his final chapter that perhaps 50 million deaths can be attributed to Hitler and Stalin, so that while these monsters may or may not have been the most evil leaders in human history, their undivided command of two powerful countries combined with 20th century technology made their impact on human lives unparalleled. ## Features - Used Book in Good Condition ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #1,436,324 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #467 in Historical Russia Biographies #672 in Historical Germany Biographies #2,171 in German History (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 112 Reviews | ## Images ![Hitler and Stalin: Parallel Lives - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71VkjpR4MhL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Language, Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ bad guys *by K***T on February 23, 2026* the depth of research was amazing . would reommend thid book highly ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent Dual Biography of Two Monsters *by D***7 on October 3, 2012* A history teacher recommended this book to me, and initially I wasn't sure a dual biography, particularly one of this length, would work, but Professor Bullock brings it off masterfully as he weaves together the political careers of Hitler and Stalin. Of course it helped in weaving their careers together that: their dictatorships overlapped significantly, they each had ruthless control of parties that aspired to control every aspect of society, they each singled out "enemies" of the state/party for particularly horrific treatment ("racial" enemies for Hitler, class enemies, e.g., Kulaks, for Stalin), they each viewed the other's country as the ideological enemy, and then they engaged each other in the most terrible war (WW II's eastern front) in human history. And yet while enemies, they seemed to have a grudging admiration for each other. Stalin noted approvingly Hitler's bloody purge of the SA and political enemies in 1934 and followed with his own far more massive purges in 1936-1938; near the end of the war Hitler regretted he hadn't done to his generals what Stalin did to the Red Army officer corps in 1937. And yet they never met each other. This book is for students of Soviet history, Nazi Germany, World War II, and 20th century European history and requires a substantial investment in time as the paperback version has 977 pages of densely-packed prose, but the investment is worth it. Bullock's prose is smooth, and his descriptions at times are haunting, but most important his historical judgement is sober and unerring, or so it would appear to me. Writing in 1991, he had the benefit of decades of previous research to sort out the controversies of WW II, but even at that time the Soviet archives were just being opened so he readily admits that some Stalinist issues and events have not completely been clarified. Besides their similarities as ruthless dictators of totalitarian states with enormous resources under their control, Bullock shows how they exhibited pronounced differences as well. Hitler was a charismatic orator who was very effective in mass meetings while Stalin was an indifferent speaker who was essentially a bureaucrat but a very effective schemer; Hitler was more of a gambler who took great risks (e.g., his remilitarization of the Rhineland when the French Army was still stronger than his rearming Wehrmacht, his invasion of the Soviet Union before he had subdued Britain) while Stalin was more of a calculator and a shrewd evaluator of situations; Hitler, who considered himself an "artist", worked indifferent hours and disdained paperwork while Stalin worked long hours and involved himself in paperwork and details (on one day he and Molotov signed over 4,000 death warrants during the purges). They both were ideologues; Stalin really believed in the tenets of Lenin's Bolshevism (although he killed just about all of Lenin's comrades) and Hitler really believed in the benefits of a "racially purified" German nation. They were completely indifferent to human life. Both Hitler and Stalin ordered their armies, time and again, to defend positions to the last man. Almost unbelieveably, Hitler in his political testament during his last day in the Berlin bunker rued the "fact" that he had been too "kind" as Fuehrer of Germany while Stalin has been quoted as saying that "one death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic". Bullock estimates in his final chapter that perhaps 50 million deaths can be attributed to Hitler and Stalin, so that while these monsters may or may not have been the most evil leaders in human history, their undivided command of two powerful countries combined with 20th century technology made their impact on human lives unparalleled. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Monumental History *by C***I on December 1, 2010* I used to teach Alan Bullock's "Hitler and Stalin: Parallel Lives" in courses about totalitarianism. Contrary to many other college textbooks, which tend to date rather quickly, this history book seems timeless. Bullock offers a monumental social biography of two of the most evil dictators in human history as well as an epic sketch of an era. Although the author specializes in Hitler, his grasp of Stalin is equally impressive. It rivals, in fact, Robert Conquest's "The Great Terror" in its thoroughness and depth. As the title suggests, Bullock alternates chapters on Hitler with those on Stalin. He reveals how each dictator relied on his powers of manipulation, deception and opportunism to rise to power and spread totalitarian regimes meant to wipe out the human spirit and large parts of humanity itself across the world. The book also explains how Hitler and Stalin initially operated within the systems which they later (mis)used for their own selfish and nefarious goals. Whatever their rhetoric and ideology, both sociopathic tyrants ultimately craved power for its own sake, at the expense of everyone else, even the causes (and allies) they initially claimed to support. Bullock's "Hitler and Stalin: Parallel Lives" gives us a detailed, compelling and extremely informative portrait of the faces of evil. It is an indispensable book for all those who want to understand how totalitarian regimes function and the role sociopathic dictators play in changing the course of history. As luck would have it, sociopaths are too self-serving and power-hungry to form lasting alliances. Had Hitler and Stalin not turned on each other, totalitarianism might have triumphed across the globe. As Winston Churchill famously stated in a speech after the German invasion of the Soviet Union: "If Hitler invaded Hell I would make at least a favorable reference to the devil in the House of Commons." Claudia Moscovici, [...] --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.no/products/25167960-hitler-and-stalin-parallel-lives](https://www.desertcart.no/products/25167960-hitler-and-stalin-parallel-lives) --- *Product available on Desertcart Norway* *Store origin: NO* *Last updated: 2026-09-17*