Truman, Stalin, Mao, and the Origins of the Korean War. Dulles, Virginia: Brassey’s Inc. 2000.

 1
Thornton, Richard. Odd Man Out: Truman, Stalin, Mao, and the Origins of the Korean War.
Dulles, Virginia: Brassey’s Inc. 2000.
In this comprehensive account covering two years after the outbreak of the Korean War,
Thornton describes the relationships between Joseph Stalin, the autocratic Soviet Union
Leader and Mao Zedong, the first President of the People’s Republic of China. Though
his work chronicles the leadership qualities depicted by three key leaders during the cold
war period: Stalin, Mao, and Truman, it is arguable that Stalin and Communist leverage
on Mao and Peoples Republic of China greatly catches the readers’ attention in regard to
the outbreak of the Korean War. He boldly offers that though circumstantial factors as
well as arguments and advices from aides and staff, it is the leaders emerge with the final
decision which in this case shapes of destroys the world order. Thornton adequately
shows that both Stalin and Mao were destined to counter the American-backed
Capitalism with the Soviet-backed Communism – this is depicted by the ultimate
subdivision of Korea into Capitalist south and Communist north. Thornton’s work is
balanced in all the accounts he offers given that his arguments are not based on facts from
suspicious sources but are drawn from American, Russian and Chinese government
archives in equal measures. In this regard, this book will be of great importance to my
research paper as it will offer not only what Stalin and Mao did but also the reasons
behind their deeds.
2
Gaiduk, Ilya. Confronting Vietnam: Soviet Policy toward the Indochina Conflict, 1954-1963.
Washington, D.C.: Stanford University Press, 2003.
Gaiduk offers critical Cold War information particularly regarding the communism
(Russian and Chinese) input. In tackling this, he puts two men on the spotlight, Stalin and
Mao. In this end, he uses information gathered from the Central Committee of the
Communist Party archives in Straya Ploschad. He bases his work from the Stalin
Collection, a rich archive, from where he draws first-hand information regarding the
Russian foreign policy towards the Indochina conflict as well as on Vietnam question.
The work covers the period after the Geneva Conference of 1954 and of course the
French war. In this regard, it offers a consistent analysis of the course of the Indochina
war, its causes and most importantly its implications on the Communism-Capitalism
relationship.
Ulam, Adam. Stalin: The Man and His Era. London & New York: Tauris Parke Paperbacks,
2007.
In his arguments, Ulam makes it very clear that for Stalin, a united Soviet Union under
the auspices of Communism was the biggest dream ever. Perhaps this explains the
reasons as to why even after his death back in 1953 it took almost four decades for the
Union to break. The secret behind his power could even be cracked by his successors
some of whom attempted to bring the Union into fall but failed. Strikingly, Ulam presents
Stalin as a mysterious leader who sent countless men to their death in attempts to hold
together the Union. In doing this, he juxtaposes his style to that of his predecessor, Lenin
in great detail that. Ulam draws the content of his work from acknowledged history
3
professors such as Edward Keenan and Leonard Schapiro as well as from a rich bank of
other research fellows. Most importantly, the book draws from the rich historical sources
chronicling the life and times of Stalin. This book will serve a great cause in the overall
preparation of the actual research paper given its rich analytical historical events.
Pollock, Ethan. Stalin and the Soviet Science Wars. Princeton N.J.: Princeton University Press,
2006.
Pollock carries out an intensive analysis of many of Stalin’s scientific briefings and
speeches. In doing this, Pollock gives a basic account of Stalin’s political ideologies, his
leverage in the World War II, his post-war leadership schemes and most importantly his
attempts to form a strong link between the Unions political might and intellectual
acumen. The book describes Stalin as a focused and intelligent leader who sought to
compel the Unions bright brains into venturing in nationalistic causes such as the
manufacture of the first Soviet made nuclear bomb. In doing this, Pollock relies on a
wide range of primary sources accessed from the Russian archives. He also relies on
several books and articles discussing Russian science as well as Stalinism ideologies.
This mixture of primary and secondary sources makes the book’s arguments strong. No
doubt these arguments provide a suitable reference for drawing inferences regarding
Stalinism and its impacts in the spread of Communism. 
4
Rosefielde, Steven. “Stalinism in Post-communist Perspective: New evidence on Killings,
Forced Labor and Economic Growth in the 1930s.” Europe-Asia Studies 48, no. 6
(1996): 959-987.
He adopts an analytical tone in dissecting opposing paradigms regarding