Hello folks, I was wondering if there were any scholarly books about the russian revolution that talk about the people at the top pre and post holding power. Interested to see how much power changed political leaders and idealists. I guess if I really get down to it I would like to know if the people at the top were always bad/good people or if they grew into something else after holding significant power? I suppose the book doesnt have to be about the Russian Revolution but I figure that period is chock full of leadership changes.
Practicing Stalinism: Bolsheviks, Boyars, and the Persistence of Tradition by J. Arch Getty might be an option for you. Its less so about who was a tyrant and why, and more about traditions and continuities between the Tsars and the Soviet leadership. It brushes over quite a bit so it isn't always the most incisive, and at times it might be hard to keep up with the context of what he is talking about (probably an assumption that you know who the notables are etc.). While the later chapters are about Stalin's rule and particularly his interactions with the regional bosses (the 'boyars' in the comparison), the middle of the book is more focused on the post revolutionary period which will possibly cover what you're interested in.