The famous writer Alexander Nikonov analyzes the roles of the Soviet Union and Germany, Stalin and Hitler in the Second World War and in the history of the 20th century in general. Following the author of “Icebreaker” Viktor Suvorov, Nikonov cites numerous documentary facts and convincing logical conclusions that allow us to create an objective picture of the pre-war world, the Great War and its consequences. The topic is extremely sensitive and is still extremely painful for the majority of our compatriots who lived in Soviet times , and for young citizens of modern Russia. No one questions the grandiose feat of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War; We are talking about a deadly confrontation between two despotic regimes, two bloody dictators. The main theme of A. Nikonov’s work is Civilization. As in his other books, he helps the reader to go beyond the usual stereotypes and persistent myths (on which, unfortunately, what is commonly called national identity is largely based) and learn to form his own view of historical processes. For a wide range of readers .