Marking the 70th anniversary of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, historian Professor David Reynolds re-assesses Stalin's role in the life and death struggle between Germany and Russia in World War Two, which, he argues, was ultimately more critical for British survival than 'Our Finest Hour' in the Battle of Britain itself. 　　The name Stalin means 'man of steel', but Reynolds's penetrating new account reveals how the reality of Stalin's war in 1941 did not live up to that name. Travelling to Russian battlefield locations, he charts how Russia was almost annihilated within a few months as Stalin lurched from crisis to crisis, coming close to a nervous breakdown. 　　Reynolds shows how Stalin learnt to compromise in order to win, listening to his generals and downplaying communist ideology to appeal instead to the Russian people's nationalist fighting spirit. He also squares up to the terrible moral dilemma at the heart of World War Two. Using original telegrams and official documents, he looks afresh at Winston Churchill's controversial visit to Moscow in 1942 and re-examines how Britain and America were drawn into alliance with Stalin, a dictator almost as murderous as the Nazi enemy.

美国拍摄的影片，描写了在鲁吉亚出生的前苏联领导人约瑟夫·斯大林的传奇一生。一方面他运用自己的领导能力将苏联推上了世界舞台。另一方面他又是狡猾，多疑，无情和残酷的人，为掌牢政权和权利，他向消灭敌人一样冷酷无情的清除自己的朋友及下属......

1941年秋，德军逼近莫斯科，苏联军队奋勇抵抗。严冬来临，前线形势依然十分严峻。希特勒此时决定给苏军致命一击：刺杀斯大林。而苏联国家安全部也对此有所察觉，为了斯大林的安全，大尉别烈日诺立刻带领自己的行动组展开调查。毫无疑问，敌人就潜伏在周围。而此时，一个神秘女人波琳娜突然闯入了别烈日诺的生活。他们之间会发生什么纠葛？行动组会遇到怎样的挑战？谁才是真正的间谍？

该片根据Fabien-Nury同名漫画改编，讲述了斯大林去世后苏共高层激烈的权力争斗。

1949年的哈萨克斯坦，苏俄的强权统治让很多少数民族背井离乡。犹太男孩儿萨沙流落到一个陌生的小镇，他的祖父在同来的列车上离开了人世。萨沙遇到了善良的卡西姆老人，开始了新生活。然而不久一场灾难却降临到了镇子上……片名中的“礼物”有两层含义，其中之一是萨沙坚信只要给斯大林送去70岁生日的礼物，自己就能和失散的父母重聚，另一个含义则是苏联政府在1949年为庆祝斯大林的生日而进行的核试验，在影片中正是这场核试验将收留Sashka的那个小村庄完全从地图上抹去。

1949年的哈萨克斯坦，苏俄的强权统治让很多少数民族背井离乡。犹太男孩儿萨沙流落到一个陌生的小镇，他的祖父在同来的列车上离开了人世。萨沙遇到了善良的卡西姆老人，开始了新生活。然而不久一场灾难却降临到了镇子上……片名中的“礼物”有两层含义，其中之一是萨沙坚信只要给斯大林送去70岁生日的礼物，自己就能和失散的父母重聚，另一个含义则是苏联政府在1949年为庆祝斯大林的生日而进行的核试验，在影片中正是这场核试验将收留Sashka的那个小村庄完全从地图上抹去。

The rise of Stalin, from his early beginning as a bankrobber to the cold-blooded leader of the Soviet Union. 　　Who was Stalin? The man who defeated Nazism? The “Little Father of the Peoples"? Or the greatest criminal of his time? In Apocalypse Stalin, three 52-minute episodes, Isabelle Clarke and Daniel Costelle paint the portrait of one of the fiercest despots of the twentieth century, using archive film of the day. This footage has been perfectly restored and beautifully colorized by the Apocalypse production team. Starting with the fight to the death against Hitler, the series tells the story of the incredible rise to power of Joseph Jughashvili. This cobbler's son from Georgia started with nothing and made his way up the ranks through various intrigues and crimes, ultimately rising to absolute power and adopting the moniker Stalin - “man of steel" in Russian. From a human standpoint, the series describes the enormous tragedy that befell the Soviet people between 1878 and 1945, as they found themselves caught in a trap that became a living hell.

1937年夏天，斯大林主义盛行时最黑暗时期里，穷苦可怜的Parana流浪到苏联边远地区的一个小村庄。村民们对这个身上裹者麻袋布、毫不起眼的小女孩没有施与同情，他们反而对她百般折磨与无情奚落。斯大林的海报下是她的庇护处，于是村民称她为“斯大林的新娘”。自从她在村里出现，便引发了恐惧和愤怒，导致了一系列意想不到的后果。

1937年夏天，斯大林主义盛行时最黑暗时期里，穷苦可怜的Parana流浪到苏联边远地区的一个小村庄。村民们对这个身上裹者麻袋布、毫不起眼的小女孩没有施与同情，他们反而对她百般折磨与无情奚落。斯大林的海报下是她的庇护处，于是村民称她为“斯大林的新娘”。自从她在村里出现，便引发了恐惧和愤怒，导致了一系列意想不到的后果。