Zara Witkin's Books

An American Engineer in Stalin's Russia

The Memoirs of Zara Witkin, 1932-1934

By: Zara Witkin

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An American Engineer in Stalin's Russia

The Memoirs of Zara Witkin, 1932-1934

By: Zara Witkin

Witkin's memoirs offer a detailed view of the inner workings of Stalin's bureaucracy- of entrenched planners who refused to try new methods; of construction bosses whose coverups led to terrible disasters; of rival engineers who plagiarized Witkin's work; of workers too defeated to take pride in their own labor.

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Page Count

363

Published Date

ISBN 10

0520071344

ISBN 13

9780520071346

An American Engineer in Stalin's Russia

The Memoirs of Zara Witkin, 1932-1934

By: Zara Witkin

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An American Engineer in Stalin's Russia

The Memoirs of Zara Witkin, 1932-1934

By: Zara Witkin

In 1932 Zara Witkin, a prominent American engineer, set off for the Soviet Union with two goals: to help build a society more just and rational than the bankrupt capitalist system at home, and to seek out the beautiful film star Emma Tsesarskaia. His memoirs offer a detailed view of Stalin's bureaucracy—entrenched planners who snubbed new methods; construction bosses whose cover-ups led to terrible disasters; engineers who plagiarized Witkin's work; workers whose pride was defeated. Punctuating this document is the tale of Witkin's passion for Tsesarskaia and the record of his friendships with journalist Eugene Lyons, planner Ernst May, and others. Witkin felt beaten in the end by the lethargy and corruption choking the greatest social experiment in history, and by a pervasive evil—the suppression of human rights and dignity by a relentless dictatorship. Finally breaking his spirit was the dissolution of his romance with Emma, his "Dark Goddess." In his lively introduction, Michael Gelb provides the historical context of Witkin's experience, details of his personal life, and insights offered by Emma Tsesarskaia in an interview in 1989.

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Page Count

444

Publisher

Univ of California Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0520351088

ISBN 13

9780520351080

The Triumph of the Dark

European International History 1933-1939

By: Zara Steiner

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The Triumph of the Dark

European International History 1933-1939

By: Zara Steiner

In this magisterial narrative, Zara Steiner traces the twisted road to war that began with Hitler's assumption of power in Germany. Covering a wide geographical canvas, from America to the Far East, Steiner provides an indispensable reassessment of the most disputed events of these tumultuous years. Steiner underlines the far-reaching consequences of the Great Depression, which shifted the initiative in international affairs from those who upheld the status quo to those who were intent on destroying it. In Europe, the l930s were Hitler's years. He moved the major chess pieces on the board, forcing the others to respond. From the start, Steiner argues, he intended war, and he repeatedly gambled on Germany's future to acquire the necessary resources to fulfil his continental ambitions. Only war could have stopped him-an unwelcome message for most of Europe. Misperception, miscomprehension, and misjudgment on the part of the other Great Powers leaders opened the way for Hitler's repeated diplomatic successes. It is ideology that distinguished the Hitler era from previous struggles for the mastery of Europe. Ideological presumptions created false images and raised barriers to understanding that even good intelligence could not penetrate. Only when the leaders of Britain and France realized the scale of Hitler's ambition, and the challenge Germany posed to their Great Power status, did they finally declare war.

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Age

Page Count

1248

Publisher

OUP Oxford

Published Date

ISBN 10

019161355X

ISBN 13

9780191613555

Book's by Zara Witkin

An American Engineer in Stalin's Russia

An American Engineer in Stalin's Russia

An American Engineer in Stalin's Russia

An American Engineer in Stalin's Russia

The Triumph of the Dark

The Triumph of the Dark

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