Snyder sets the stage for his exploration of the mass killings conducted by the Nazi and Soviet regimes, which claimed approximately 14 million lives from 1933 to 1945. This period, marked by unprecedented violence, saw the deaths of non-combatants—primarily Jews, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Poles, Russians, and Balts—through deliberate policies of starvation, shooting, and gassing. Snyder introduces the concept of the Bloodlands as the region spanning from central Poland to western Russia, through Ukraine, Belarus, and the Baltic States, where these atrocities occurred. He emphasizes that these killings were not incidental casualties of war but the result of calculated policies by Hitler and Stalin. The Preface highlights the scale of human suffering inflicted upon the civilian populations, underscoring the personal and collective tragedies that unfolded. Snyder’s narrative is not just a recounting of historical events but a call to recognize the individuality of each victim and the complexity of the historical forces at play, challenging the reader to confront the horror and scope of mass murder in the heart of Europe.

Snyder traces the origins of the Nazi and Soviet regimes to the aftermath of World War I, highlighting how the conflict transformed Europe’s political and economic landscape.