Paper Trails: Bloodlands

There is a tired old debate: Who was worse, Hitler or Stalin? In Bloodlands, the 2010 book by historian Timothy Snyder, the reader discovers the terribleness of each man — and discovers, too, that some countries in Eastern Europe suffered under both tyrants, in rapid succession. What Snyder calls the "bloodlands" are those countries, like Ukraine and Poland, that were doubly terrorized, usually by Stalin in the 1930s and by Hitler in the 1940s.

By contrasting the two reigns of terror, Snyder offers insights into the different techniques people can use to wreak evil: Stalin worked more by starvation, for example, while Hitler used mass killings. But more important, Snyder shows the ways that people, once brutalized, are often easier to brutalize again. Having suffered under Stalin, some were eager to be complicit with Hitler, thinking that his reign would at least be a respite.

This show also features a mini-review by contributor Paul Zakrzewski.

The book is unforgettable; the interview, very listenable.