ЛАВРЕНТИЙ БЕРИЯ: НАЧАЛО ПУТИ. Как делал карьеру в Грузии страшный руководитель российских спецслужб

Support the release of new videos:   / sssmirnov   Bibliography First of all, I recommend reading the collections of documents on the Beria case. Among them, I would highlight the following: Lavrentiy Beria. 1953. Documents. Edited by A. Yakovlev, compiled by V. Naumov and Yu. Simachev The Case of Lavrentiy Beria. A Collection of Documents. Generally edited by O. Mozokhin These collections of documents date back to 1953; they were declassified in the 1990s and 2000s. New research relies primarily on these documents. It covers in detail both the 1953 reforms and the investigation and trial of the Beria case. Anton Vladimirovich Antonov-Ovseenko. "Beria." The first biography of the dreaded People's Commissar, written by the son of the revolutionary Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko. His son, who himself served time in Stalin's camps, became a researcher of Stalin's reign during the Soviet era. He began writing a book about Beria in 1979; it is his first such work. Like other early studies of Stalinism and the Gulag, we now understand how many inaccuracies and unverified rumors this book contains. However, in the author's defense, it must be said that he did not have the opportunity to work in the archives and with documents. However, the data in this work must be treated with extreme caution. Oleg Khlevnyuk, Yoram Gorlitsky, "Cold Peace: Stalin and the End of Stalin's Dictatorship." I have repeatedly stated that Oleg Khlevnyuk is probably the best specialist on Stalinism today. The book discusses the configuration of power under Stalin's late reign and Stalin's entourage. Naturally, considerable attention is also devoted to Lavrentiy Beria. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good scholarly work. Lev Lurye. Leonid Malyarov, "Lavrentiy Beria: The Bloody Pragmatist" A relatively new biography of Beria, it contains interesting documents and testimonies about Beria's life and work in Georgia. This includes a translation of his letters from Georgian. The book itself heavily emphasizes the early part of Beria's life; 1953 and the investigation and trial are covered fragmentarily. Unfortunately, Beria is literally named as the organizer of Stalin's assassination, although the authors stipulate that this is a theory. They nevertheless thoroughly examine the arguments in favor of it (but not the counterarguments). Amy Knight, "Beria: Stalin's First Lieutenant" This American researcher wrote a major academic biography of Stalin in the early 1990s. Unfortunately, she lacked access to later documents and was forced to use the sources she had at the time, including early books about Beria, which contain questionable theories. Nevertheless, Knight's book is detailed and well-written. Simon Montefiore A British writer and journalist, some call him a historian, but I don't think so. His books "Young Stalin" and "Stalin: Court of the Red Monarch" were bestsellers and won awards. But they are more fiction than scholarly research. For example, Montefiore writes about Beria that he was born into a family of Georgian Jews, which is what he calls the Mingrelians. And that his betrayal during the Civil War is a proven fact. There's a lot going on there, but for some reason I remember him calling Beria's wife blonde. Where did he get that from? He could have looked at the photographs. Although I know the answer: Montefiore really did carefully and very uncritically study the diaries of that time, while refusing even the most cursory fact-checking. Someone wrote something in a diary or memoir: therefore it must be so. It says that Beria was a Georgian Jew, therefore he was a Georgian Jew. It says that Beria's wife was blonde, therefore she was blonde! Montefiore's books are excellent storytelling, but rather dubious in terms of historical accuracy. Basically, they're somewhere between a good historical study and the website Anekdoty.ru. And a bestselling author could afford some kind of inexpensive fact-checker, at least one that would Google and Wikipedia. Leonid Mlechin. "Lavrenty Beria: A History Written in Blood." This book by a well-known TV presenter is quite well written. There are no obviously questionable statements; overall, it's based on known facts about Beria's life. There are many useful recollections, and the quotes are well chosen. However, the book leaves the strange impression that the author is writing the script for yet another TV program. He frequently switches from Beria to other characters, for reasons that aren't entirely clear. Something like, "Beria went to Baku to continue his studies, so now let me tell you about my grandfather, who also went to college around that time." Okay, let me (actually, no). Andrey Sukhomlinov. "Who Are You, Lavrenty Beria?" Written in the early 2000s, this book is about the investigation and trial of Beria. The author, a military prosecutor, is valuable for its detailed analysis of the legal aspects of the Beria case. It is the most detai...