The Moderate Bolshevik: Mikhail Tomsky from the Factory to the Kremlin, 1880–1936.

This review focuses on *The Moderate Bolshevik: Mikhail Tomsky from the Factory to the Kremlin, 1880–1936*, a biography that addresses a gap in scholarship on the Stalin era by examining the life of Mikhail Tomsky, a key leader of the "Right Opposition" who opposed Stalin's collectivization policies. Tomsky was a prominent Bolshevik involved in major revolutionary events, labor union leadership, and party factional struggles, known for his moderate stance balancing workers' interests with party control. Despite personal closeness to Stalin, Tomsky was persecuted after 1929, leading to his nervous breakdown and eventual suicide in 1936 amid political repression. The book is praised for its thorough research and contribution to Soviet and labor history, though its high cost may limit accessibility.