Everyday Stalinism: Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times: Soviet Russia in the 1930s Book Cover

Everyday Stalinism: Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times: Soviet Russia in the 1930s

Book Overview: Everyday Stalinism: Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times: Soviet Russia in the 1930s

Here is a pioneering account of everyday life under Stalin, written by a leading authority on modern Russian history. Focusing on the urban population, Fitzpatrick depicts a world of privation, overcrowding, endless lines, and broken homes, in which the regime’s promises of future socialist abundance rang hollowly. We read of a government bureaucracy that often turned life into a nightmare, and of how ordinary citizens tried to circumvent it. We also read of the secret police, whose constant surveillance was endemic at this time, and the waves of terror, like the Great Purges of 1937, which periodically cast society into turmoil.

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Product Information

ISBN-139780195050011
ISBN-100195050010
PublisherOxford University Press
Publication Date2000-05-11
EditionNew Ed
Languageen
Pages312
Dimensionsin x in x in
Weight lbs

Editorial Reviews

“Fitzpatrick makes subtle use of the press and of police reports that assist in giving us one of the most comprehensive accounts of what it meant to live in Stalin’s Russia in the 1930s.” — Kirkus Reviews

“A fine work–engrossing, well written, superbly documented, and much needed to boot….[The book’s sources] make absolutely fascinating reading….An assiduous scholar, Professor Fitzpatrick seems to have scrutinized every relevant scrap of paper. Her explication is a model of balance and judiciousness….Individual memoirs apart, most histories of this period were written from the top–that is, showing how the policies were shaped and implemented, rather than how they were perceived and experienced by their subjects. It is the latter…that constitutes the major distinction of Fitzpatrick’s book.” — Abraham Brumberg, The Nation

“The author’s rich materials challenge readers to build their own model of Stalin’s people, their complicity and resistance.” — Wilson Quarterly

“A most welcome addition to the literature on Stalin’s Russia….Fitzpatrick has used the entire range of sources available, from familiar memoirs and postwar interview material to contemporary research and an array of archival information….The book is a major contribution to understanding this extraordinary period. Its lucid prose and the inherent interest of its subject matter should make it accessible to undergraduates, as well as to more specialized readers.” — CHOICE

“One of the most influential historians of the Soviet period describes what it was like to live under Stalin in the 1930s–the frantic, heroic, tragic decade of collectivization, forced-draft industrialization, and purges, when ordinary Russians struggled to a find a wearable pair of shoes and lined up in subzero weather at two o’clock in the morning in the hope of getting 16 grams of bread….They were years of unimaginable hardship and brutality but also of idealism, a surreal melange that [Fitzpatrick] captures with admirable matter-of-factness.” — Foreign Affairs

“A fine crossover book for both upperlevel and introductory courses….Well written.” — Roger W. Haughey, Georgetown University

Everyday Stalinism should prove invaluable for any course on Soviet history. Knowing how a nation’s people actually lived, thought, and felt is essential to any real understanding of the past. On this, Fitzpatrick–who has done more than any other scholar to make the complexities of the social history of the Stalin years come alive–delivers as no one else can.” — John McCannon, Norwich University

“Casts new light on a hitherto neglected facet of Stalinism: the everyday life of ordinary citizens in the major urban and industrial centers of the USSR… It is a ‘fun read’ that offers many insights to specialists and students alike.” — American Historical Review

About the Author

Sheila Fitzpatrick

Sheila Fitzpatrick, an internationally recognized historian and author, is renowned for her extensive work on Soviet history, politics, and the cultural metamorphosis in the twentieth-century Russian society. Born in Melbourne, Australia in 1941, Fitzpatrick graduated from the University of Melbourne before heading to St Antony’s College, Oxford for a doctorate in Soviet History. Her erudite scholarship coupled with an unabating passion towards Russian history was always at the forefront, coaxing her towards a rewarding and prolific academic career, including her long-time position as the Bernadotte E. Schmitt Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago.

Fitzpatrick’s work has had a groundbreaking impact on the narrative and understanding of modern Russian history. Renowned for transcending boundaries and redefining perspectives, her research emphasizes the social and cultural dimensions of political processes. Her seminal works include “The Russian Revolution,” “Everyday Stalinism,” “Tear off the Masks!: Identity and Imposture in Twentieth-Century Russia,” and many others. These publications not only amplify her distinguished research style but also reflect her prowess in synthesizing detailed historical events into coherently profound narratives.

Throughout her illustrious career, Fitzpatrick has been conferred with several awards and honors. In addition to delivering keynote lectures at universities worldwide, she has been recognized and sought after for her expert commentaries on contemporary issues concerning Russian socio-political history. Despite her notable global achievements, Fitzpatrick’s roots in her native Australia remain astoundingly evident in her writings and scholarly pursuits, reminding us of her extraordinary versatility and profound influence on global historiography.

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