On the Ideological Front: The Russian Intelligentsia and the Making of the Soviet Public Sphere

Dr. Finkel examines the early Soviet state's reaction to the public intellectuals in its midst. These public intellectuals were, in some sense, a valuable resource for the early state, but they also were seen as competitors for public loyalty. How the state engaged with these intellectuals, then gradually turned them out, is a chilling story, and Finkel does a masterful job of balancing comprehensiveness with lively storytelling.