Eugene Tarle (Russian: 袝胁谐械薪懈泄 孝邪褉谢械) was a Soviet historian and academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He is known for his books about Napoleon's invasion of Russia and on the Crimean War, and many other works. Yevgeny Tarle was one of the founders of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Russia's diplomatic university.
One of the most fascinating books about Stalin I've ever read. This biography of Napoleon tells us of a great man who took control of a great revolution and crushed it, turning the emancipatory impulse of the masses toward a program of war and conquest. He wants power above all else, personal power, and if the destruction of the Ancien Regime is the path to this power, then he will crush the old world without a second thought. But in this story, Napoleon fails precisely because he cannot stomach starting the fire of social revolution. He fails because he does not have the courage to counterpose Lafayette with Marat, as Tarl茅 writes in his sneaky little epilogue. He fails, above all, in Russia, when he rejects the silver bullet of serf emancipation. And yet although this is a book intended to destroy a god, it cannot, for all it tries, fall out of love with its protagonist; Napoleon, for all his power-hungry violence and his bourgeois blinders, is the Little Corporal who kills the Duke of Enghien. What a remarkable book. I stand by my contention that no one, no one writes better books than dissident Communists.
Great historical read written with ease and expertise by one of the best Russian historians of the French Revolution and Napoleon. Akad. Evgeny Tarle presents us a concise but comprehensive account of the life of one remarkable and prominent person - that of Napoleon - on the background of a very dynamic period of the European history - the transition from feudalism to capitalism, the fall of aristocracy and the rise of the bourgeoisie in France and his struggle for global dominance. The author gives reasonable explanation of all major military and political successes and failures of Napoleon and analyse his hidden motives from a political, sociological, military and economical standpoint.
I must write something here. This is one of very small set of the books which affected me immensely. It had imprinted in my mind for a long time, if not forever. That's for sure.
It is a comprehensive biography tells us one man's lifepath throughout bloody wars, especially in the heart of Europe. With the detailed information almost about every battle enforce us to imagine there. And strategic-games lovers also should read...
Plot-like storytelling which makes it fresh and interesting but I wouldn't recommend to read for research based reasons because the lots of information makes it hard to clear your mind on what you need from it.