Everyone remembers the bumbling characters around Stalin’s deathbed in Armando Iannucci’s film Death of Stalin , but who knows what actually came next? Those bumblers from the Politburo, Stalin’s heirs, immediately and efficiently launched into reforms across the board. Meanwhile, the West’s vigilant Soviet-watchers almost completely missed the story … In this vivid, deeply knowledgeable short book, award-winning historian Sheila Fitzpatrick offers a new look at a crucial moment in history.
