Professor Geoffrey Roberts is Head of the School of History at University College Cork, Ireland. An acknowledged authority on Soviet military and foreign policy, he has published many books and articles, including Stalin’s Wars: From World War to Cold war, 1939-1953 (Yale University Press 2006) and Molotov: Stalin’s Cold Warrior (Potomac Books 2102). His biography Stalin’s General: The Life of Georgy Zhukov is the first major biography of the Soviet Marshal in a generation and is based on extensive archival research. While the book vindicates his reputation as the greatest general of the Second World War it also challenges the many myths surrounding his life and career, not least those generated by Zhukov’s own self-serving memoirs. Professor Roberts’ talk will focus on the qualities that made Zhukov such an effective commander.
Hosted by the History of Warfare Research Group