Overview

Resistance has become an important and controversial analytical category for the study of Stalinism. The opening of Soviet archives allows historians an unprecedented look at the fabric of state and society in the 1930s. Researchers long spellbound by myths of Russian fatalism and submission as well as by the very real powers of the Stalinist state are startled by the dimensions of popular resistance under Stalin.Narratives of such resistance are inherently interesting, yet the topic is also significant because it sheds light on its historical surroundings. Contending with Stalinism employs the idea of resistance as a tool to explore what otherwise would remain opaque features of the social, cultural, and political history of the 1930s. In the process, the authors reveal a semi-autonomous world residing within and beyond the official world of Stalinism. Resistance ranged across a spectrum from violent strikes to the passive resistance that was a virtual way of life for millions and took many forms, from foot dragging and negligence to feigned ignorance and false compliance. Contending with Stalinism also highlights the problematic nature of resistance as an analytical category and stresses the ambiguous nature of the phenomenon. The topics addressed include working-class strikes, peasant rebellions, black-market crimes, official corruption, and homosexual and ethnic subcultures.

Full Product Details

Author:   Lynne Viola
Publisher:   Cornell University Press
Imprint:   Cornell University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.80cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.454kg
ISBN:  

9780801487743

ISBN 10:   0801487749
Pages:   256
Publication Date:   16 July 2002
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General/trade ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Reviews

Drawing extensively on archival research, the contributors demonstrate the wide variation of popular responses to actions initiated by the Stalinist state. . . . Contending with Stalinism is an important work that is well grounded both theoretically and empirically. The combination of theoretical sophistication and empirical research makes this volume a significant contribution to our understanding of both the Stalinist phenomenon and popular responses to it. -Robert Owen Krikorian, George Washington University, Journal of Cold War Studies, Fall 2004

Drawing on a wealth of recently available archival materials, the contributors to this volume greatly enhance our understanding of the 1930s and give us a clearer sense of the size and content of popular resistance under Stalin. Based on solid research, this volume makes a substantive scholarly contribution in illuminating forms of popular resistance with new detail and fresh perspective. -Kate Transchel, California State University, Chico. Russian Review, July '03, 62:3 Contending with Stalinism certainly adds to the continuing discussion of state-society relations... Viola rightly remarks that the term Stalinism lacks explanatory or causal force ; it is necessary to look closely at how people in and outside the governing apparatus behaved. We should hope that this point and the fine research presented here in its support increasingly find their way into textbooks, western civilization classes, and finally the attitudes of the educated public. -Robert W. Thurston, Miami University, Slavic Review 62:4, Winter 2003 Viola's elucidating introduction and essay map out the slipperiness of the concept of resistance, noting the need to contextualize action and intent, and state perceptions and prescriptions. The seven excellent essays illustrate how opposition to the regime in the early 1930s could be overt ... or existential, that is, simply by living in a minority culture... Some Soviets were clearly defiant; others were defined by the regime as deviant and thus disloyal... The Viola collection shows that in the early 1930s organized opposition was still possible, although ultimately futile. -Patricia Herlihy, Brown University, Journal of Interdisciplinary History 35:1, Summer 2004 Drawing extensively on archival research, the contributors demonstrate the wide variation of popular responses to actions initiated by the Stalinist state... Contending with Stalinism is an important work that is well grounded both theoretically and empirically. The combination of theoretical sophistication and empirical research makes this volume a significant contribution to our understanding of both the Stalinist phenomenon and popular responses to it. -Robert Owen Krikorian, George Washington University, Journal of Cold War Studies, Fall 2004 In this volume, Lynne Viola brings together some of the most significant new research on Stalinism. Drawing on a wealth of archival materials, the contributors greatly expand our understanding of this pivotal era in Soviet history. -David L. Hoffmann, Ohio State University Just a few years ago we did not even know there was resistance to the Stalin regime. Now, Lynne Viola has presented and thoughtfully introduced the latest research on this exciting theme. This is essential reading for anyone interested in modern Russia. -J. Arch Getty, University of California Los Angeles Contending with Stalinism is a groundbreaking book about resistance in Stalin's Soviet Union introduced by distinguished historian Lynne Viola. Drawing from materials in newly-opened archives, outstanding young scholars explore the social, economic, ethnic, and sexual dimensions of the topic. -Sheila Fitzpatrick, University of Chicago Lynne Viola has put her scholarly signature on the field of resistance studies with this collection of essays examining the Stalinist 1930s. All the contributions take advantage of research in Soviet-era archival collections now declassified and newly accessible. Many refract the period and its politics through the perspectives of regional archives, and all are informed by recent trends in social and cultural history: the subjects range from Ivanovo textile workers and Riazan' peasant women to homosexuals, black-marketeers, and Soviet zbek officials. -Mark von Hagen, Columbia University

Lynne Viola has put her scholarly signature on the field of resistance studies with this collection of essays examining the Stalinist 1930s. All the contributions take advantage of research in Soviet-era archival collections now declassified and newly accessible. Many refract the period and its politics through the perspectives of regional archives, and all are informed by recent trends in social and cultural history: the subjects range from Ivanovo textile workers and Riazan' peasant women to homosexuals, black-marketeers, and Soviet zbek officials. Mark von Hagen, Columbia University

Author Information

Lynne Viola is Professor of History at the University of Toronto. She is the author of The Best Sons of the Fatherland and Peasant Rebels under Stalin and coeditor of The War against the Peasantry.

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