Everyday Stalinism : ordinary life in extraordinary times : Soviet Russia in the 1930s

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. 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 Here is a pioneering account of everyday life under Stalin, written by one of our foremost authorities on modern Russian history. Focusing on urban areas in the 1930s, Sheila Fitzpatrick shows that with the adoption of collectivization and the first Five-Year Plan, everyday life was utterly transformed. With the abolition of the market, shortages of food, clothing, and all kinds of consumer goods became endemic. It was a world of privation, overcrowding, endless queues, and broken families, in which the regime's promises of future socialist abundance rang hollow. We read of a government bureaucracy that often turned everyday life into a nightmare, and of the ways that ordinary citizens tried to circumvent it, primarily by patronage and the ubiquitous system of personal connections known as blat. And we read of the police surveillance that was ubiquitous to this society, and the waves of terror, like the Great Purges of 1937, that periodically cast this world into turmoil. Fitzpatrick illuminates the ways that Soviet city-dwellers coped with this world, examining such diverse activities as shopping, traveling, telling jokes, finding an apartment, getting an education, landing a job, cultivating patrons and connections, marrying and raising a family, writing complaints and denunciations, voting, and trying to steer clear of the secret police "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 shows how living conditions and day-to-day practices changed dramatically with "Stalin's Revolution" at the beginning of the 1930s. With the abolition of the market, shortages of food, clothing, and all other consumer goods became endemic. As peasants fled the collectivized villages, major cities soon faced an acute housing crisis - whole families were jammed for decades into tiny single rooms in communal apartments. It was 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. Citing extensive research in archives only recently opened to historians, Everyday Staliinism is a true, compelling story of ordinary people trying to live normal lives under extraordinary circumstances."--Back cover Contents 10 Acknowledgments 12 Introduction 16 Milestones 19 Stories 23 A Note on Class 26 1 “The Party Is Always Right” 29 Revolutionary Warriors 30 Stalin’s Signals 39 Bureaucrats and Bosses 43 A Girl with Character 50 2 Hard Times 55 Shortages 57 Miseries of Urban Life 65 Shopping as a Survival Skill 69 Contacts and Connections 77 3 Palaces on Monday 82 Building a New World 83 Heroes 86 The Remaking of Man 90 Mastering Culture 94 4 The Magic Tablecloth 104 Images of Abundance 105 Privilege 110 Marks of Status 121 Patrons and Clients 124 5 Insulted and Injured 130 Outcasts 131 Deportation and Exile 137 Renouncing the Past 142 Wearing the Mask 147 6 Family Problems 162 Absconding Husbands 166 The Abortion Law 175 The Wives’ Movement 179 7 Conversations and Listeners 187 Listening In 191 Writing to the Government 198 Public Talk 201 Talking Back 205 8 A Time of Troubles 213 The Year 1937 217 Scapegoats and “The Usual Suspects” 222 Spreading the Plague 228 Living Through the Great Purges 232 Conclusion 241 Notes 252 Bibliography 290 Index 304 A 304 B 304 C 304 D 305 E 306 F 306 G 306 H 306 I 307 J 307 K 307 L 307 M 308 N 308 O 308 P 308 R 309 S 309 T 310 U 311 V 311 W 311 Y 311 Z 311 Few histories of everyday life start with a chapter on government and bureaucracy.