History informed and Marxian thought fueled the thoughts and deeds of three men, Leon Trotsky, Vladimir Lenin, and Joseph Stalin, who together form what might be called the founding fathers of the modern Russian State, otherwise known as the Soviet Union. This book chronicles the history of their lives and deeds and helps to provide at least a partial explanation of one of the Twentieth Century's greatest tragedies. ( )

1861 Three Who Made a Revolution: A Biographical History, by Bertram D. Wolfe (read 20 Aug 1984) This 1948 book deals biographically with Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin up to 1914. This book is very rough on Stalin and also critical of Lenin. It discusses a lot of theory, as one should expect from its author, who in 1919 was one of the founders of the U.S. Communist Party and broke with Stalin in 1928. The author died in 1977. I did not get too absorbed in this book: maybe it is too heavy for a tyro in the field like me. ( )

from book jacket: "Best book in its field in any language." Edmund Wilson; "Clearly the best study available." Arthur Schlesinger Jr. "By far the best history of the Russian Revolutionary movement available in English . . . It is a long time since I have read a work of such superb historical imagination." William Henry Chamberlin [Newsnote: Soviet control officers seized and destroyed all copies of this book which could be found with then German edition appeared in Vienna.]