David L. Hoffmann is Professor of History at Ohio State University where he teaches Russian History, including an upper-level course on Stalinism. His research focuses on the political, social, and cultural history of the Stalin era. He is author of Peasant Metropolis: Social Identities in Moscow, 1929–1941 (1994); Stalinist Values: The Cultural Norms of Soviet Modernity, 1917-1941 (2003). He is also the co-editor of Russian Modernity: Politics, Knowledge, Practices (2000), and the co-author of Cultivating the Masses: The Modern Social State in Russia, 1914–1941 (forthcoming).

"The often contentious scholarly arguments about the character of Stalinism are fully represented in this important volume assembled and introduced by Ohio State's David Hoffmann. Perfect for the classroom, the essays in this book contain some of the best recent research and thinking about Stalin's key role in Russian History."—Norman Naimark, Stanford University"This is a collection of enormous value to anyone seeking to understand the causes and consequences of Stalin's despotic transformation of Soviet society. It brings together some of the finest historical writing, including more recent scholarship, to reflect the diversity of interpretation of this grim but vitally important episode in twentieth-century history."—Steve Smith, University of Essex"Soviet historical studies have been reanimated .... Students and teachers oof this period confront a proliferation of authorities and viewpoints. The strength of David Hoffmann's collection is in its attempt to reflect this variety of views."— Continuity and Change"Brilliant and illuminating analyses. Hoffman provides a range of first-rate critiques of the regime from various angles."—Journal of Genocide Research

• Acknowledgments ixGlossary xiIntroduction: Interpretations of Stalinism 1David L. HoffmannPart I The Origins of Stalinism 91 Stalin's Role 11Stalin and his Stalinism: Power and Authority in the Soviet Union, 1930–1953 13Ronald Grigor Suny2 Social Origins 37Grappling with Stalinism 39Moshe Lewin3 Socialist Ideology 63The Soviet Tragedy: A History of Socialism in Russia 65Martin Malia4 The Foreign Threat 81The Objectives of the Great Terror, 1937–1938 83Oleg Khlevnyuk5 The Welfare State 105Magnetic Mountain: Stalinism as a Civilization 107Stephen Kotkin6 State Violence 127State Violence as Technique: The Logic of Violence in Soviet Totalitarianism 129Peter HolquistPart II The Consequences of Stalinism 1577 Resistance and Conformity 159Everyday Stalinism: Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times 161Sheila Fitzpatrick8 Stalinist Subjectivity 179Working, Struggling, Becoming: Stalin-Era Autobiographical Texts 181Jochen Hellbeck9 Women and Gender 211Women in Soviet Society: Equality, Development, and Social Change 213Gail Warshofsky Lapidus10 Ethnicity and Nationality 237Nature and Nurture in a Socialist Utopia: Delineating the Soviet Socio-Ethnic Body in the Age of Socialism 239Amir Weiner11 The Postwar Years 275Russia after the War: Hopes, Illusions, and Disappointments 277Elena ZubkovaIndex 302