Books by E. A. Rees

This work provides an in-depth case-study of decision-making in the Soviet Union in the Stalin era. It analyses the role of institutional lobbies in shaping policy, and sheds new light on the Stakhanovite movement, and analyses for the first time the impact of the Great Purges on the railways.

This book analyzes the development of the Stalinist state of the 1930s from the perspective of the changing nature of centre-local relations.

This is the first book in English to explore the relationship between Stalin's ideas and methods, and the practices advocated by Machiavelli and those associated with 'Machiavellian' politics.

This work provides an in-depth case-study of decision-making in the Soviet Union in the Stalin era. It analyses the role of institutional lobbies in shaping policy, and sheds new light on the Stakhanovite movement, and analyses for the first time the impact of the Great Purges on the railways.

'Iron Lazar' is the first English-language biography of Lazar Kaganovich, one of Stalinist Russia's leading deputies. With its focus on the political and personal relations of the Stalin group, this groundbreaking text offers a previously inaccessible insight into Kaganovich's role in shaping policy during the Stalinist era.The study begins by examining Kaganovich's early political career and his ascent to power - a feat achieved via a distinguished role in the Civil War, which led to his elevation into the party Secretariat in Moscow. By 1930 he, Stalin and Molotov effectively constituted Russia's ruling triumvirate, and for a period Kaganovich appeared to be the heir apparent to the Soviet Union. He played a crucial role in enforcing agricultural collectivization, in the reconstruction of Moscow, in railway and industrial administration and in carrying out the Great Terror. A very close associate of Stalin, and a major figure in promoting his cult of celebrity and establishing his dictatorship, Kaganovich subsequently fell out of favour.Rees's work strives to examine the personal and political dynamics shaping the Stalinist system. He notes that Kaganovich was a colourful figure - an orator as well as a forceful administrator - and that he was the most prominent Jewish figure in Soviet political life in this era. This unique biography charts the way in which these personal characteristics contributed to the development of the Stalinist system throughout Kaganovich's career, how he was himself transformed by this experience, and the way in which he subsequently sought to rationalize his role.

This is the first attempt to systematically study the nature of the political leadership system under Stalin. It draws on a wealth of new archival material to highlight Stalin's relations with his co-leaders and wider elite groups, and offers different perspectives on the nature and degree of Stalin's system of personal power.

This is the first book in English to explore the relationship between Stalin's ideas and methods, and the practices advocated by Machiavelli and those associated with 'Machiavellian' politics.

This book analyzes the development of the Stalinist state of the 1930s from the perspective of the changing nature of centre-local relations.