How did people live during Stalin's reign? This book does a fairly good job of explaining. Hardly an apologetic piece this book talks about nepotism, "connections," cronyism and privilege which were the order of the day, as well as (misplaced) idealism and hero worship. It discusses how the ordinary person got by as well as how the growing class of Communist bureacrat justified their own existence within Soviet society. Societal attitudes and culture are also explored. Not an easy read and if your are not already fairly familiar with the state of affairs in the USSR at this time you will have difficulty following it at times. Still, an excellent book and well worth reading.
Author(s): Sheila Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Year: 2000
Language: English
Pages: 311
Contents......Page 10
Acknowledgments......Page 12
Introduction......Page 16
Milestones......Page 19
Stories......Page 23
A Note on Class......Page 26
1 “The Party Is Always Right”......Page 29
Revolutionary Warriors......Page 30
Stalin’s Signals......Page 39
Bureaucrats and Bosses......Page 43
A Girl with Character......Page 50
2 Hard Times......Page 55
Shortages......Page 57
Miseries of Urban Life......Page 65
Shopping as a Survival Skill......Page 69
Contacts and Connections......Page 77
3 Palaces on Monday......Page 82
Building a New World......Page 83
Heroes......Page 86
The Remaking of Man......Page 90
Mastering Culture......Page 94
4 The Magic Tablecloth......Page 104
Images of Abundance......Page 105
Privilege......Page 110
Marks of Status......Page 121
Patrons and Clients......Page 124
5 Insulted and Injured......Page 130
Outcasts......Page 131
Deportation and Exile......Page 137
Renouncing the Past......Page 142
Wearing the Mask......Page 147
6 Family Problems......Page 162
Absconding Husbands......Page 166
The Abortion Law......Page 175
The Wives’ Movement......Page 179
7 Conversations and Listeners......Page 187
Listening In......Page 191
Writing to the Government......Page 198
Public Talk......Page 201
Talking Back......Page 205
8 A Time of Troubles......Page 213
The Year 1937......Page 217
Scapegoats and “The Usual Suspects”......Page 222
Spreading the Plague......Page 228
Living Through the Great Purges......Page 232
Conclusion......Page 241
Notes......Page 252
Bibliography......Page 290
C......Page 304
D......Page 305
H......Page 306
L......Page 307
P......Page 308
S......Page 309
T......Page 310
Z......Page 311
