With hindsight, it's really quite remarkable how Trotsky was able to understand so vividly the course the Soviet Union was taking and the disastrous consequences that would then ensue. Anyone interested in the history of Stalinist Russia should at least glance through this book. Trotsky offers not only a detailed analysis of the Soviet Union under Stalin, but an interesting critique as well. Finally, perhaps the most interesting factor in Trotsky's book is how he almost seems to forecast the end of the USSR...nearly 50 years in advance.