Sheila Fitzpatrick is an Australian-American historian whose work delves into the social and cultural history of the Stalinist Soviet Union. She examines how social identity and daily life shaped this era, positing that the political culture of Stalinism may have paradoxically achieved democratic revolutionary aims. A leading figure among the second generation of "revisionist historians," Fitzpatrick approaches Soviet history from a distinct "from below" perspective. Her scholarship seeks to uncover social processes independent of state intervention, offering nuanced insights beyond previously dominant models.
Soviet Displaced Persons and the Birth of the Cold War
352 pages
13 hours of reading
The book explores the experiences of approximately half a million Soviet "displaced persons" after World War II, focusing on their struggles and aspirations for resettlement amid the escalating Cold War tensions. It delves into the personal stories of these ordinary individuals, highlighting their resilience and the complexities of navigating a world marked by political upheaval and uncertainty. Through their journeys, the narrative sheds light on the broader historical context and the impact of geopolitics on human lives.
The narrative delves into the complexities of the early Russian-Australian community, highlighting the tensions between anti-Communist sentiments and admiration for Soviet accomplishments. It explores the efforts of Australian-Soviet intelligence agencies to monitor and sway this diverse group, capturing the conflicting aspirations of those longing for liberation versus those contemplating a return to their homeland. Through this lens, the book provides a nuanced understanding of identity, loyalty, and the geopolitical influences shaping the community.
Review from previous edition A lucid and indeed instantly classic explanation
of the revolutionary spirit in its pre-1917 and Lenin-then-Stalin dominated
stages Tribune
Moscow in the 1960s was the other side of the Iron Curtain: mysterious, exotic, even dangerous. In 1966 the historian Sheila Fitzpatrick travelled to Moscow to research in the Soviet archives. This was the era of Brezhnev, of a possible 'thaw' in the Cold War, when the Soviets couldn't decide either to thaw out properly or re-freeze. Moscow, the world capital of socialism, was renowned for its drabness. The buses were overcrowded; there were endemic shortages and endless queues. This was also the age of regular spying scandals and tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions and it was no surprise that visiting students were subject to intense scrutiny by the KGB. Many of Fitzpatrick's friends were involved in espionage activities - and indeed others were accused of being spies or kept under close surveillance. In this book, Sheila Fitzpatrick provides a unique insight into everyday life in Soviet Moscow. Full of drama and colourful characters, her remarkable memoir highlights the dangers and drudgery faced by Westerners living under communism.
The first chronicle of Stalin's inner political and social circle―from a leading Soviet historianStalin was the unchallenged dictator of the Soviet Union for so long that most historians have dismissed the officials surrounding him as mere yes-men and political window dressing. On Stalin's Team overturns this view, revealing that behind Stalin was a group of loyal men who formed a remarkably effective team with him from the late 1920s until his death in 1953. Drawing on extensive original research, Sheila Fitzpatrick provides the first in-depth account of this inner circle and their families. She vividly describes how these dedicated comrades-in-arms not only worked closely with Stalin, but also constituted his social circle. Stalin's team included the wily security chief Beria; Andreev, who traveled to provincial purges while listening to Beethoven on a portable gramophone; and Khrushchev, who finally disbanded the team four years after Stalin's death. Taking readers from the cataclysms of the Great Purges and World War II to the paranoia of Stalin's final years, On Stalin's Team paints an entirely new picture of Stalin within his milieu―one that transforms our understanding of how the Soviet Union was ruled during much of its existence.
The essays explore a fresh perspective on Stalinism and Nazism, challenging traditional narratives and methodologies. By reexamining their histories, the authors aim to uncover deeper insights into these regimes, offering a critical analysis that reshapes our understanding of their impact and legacy.
The Russian Revolution had a decisive impact on the history of the twentieth century. Now, following the collapse of the Soviet regime and the opening of its archives, it is possible to step back and see the full picture of this event for the first time. This volume tells the gripping story of a Marxist revolution that was intended to transform the world, but instead visited enormous suffering on the Russian people, and, like the French Revolution before it, ended up devouring its own children. The author offers insightful descriptions of the February and October Revolutions of 1917, the Civil War, the interlude of NEP, Stalin's "revolution from above," the various Five Year Plans, and the Great Purges, all treated as discrete episodes in a twenty year process of revolution. The book incorporates data from archives that were previously inaccessible not only to Western but also to Soviet historians, as well as drawing on important recent Russian publications such as the memoirs of one of the great survivors of Soviet politics, Vyacheslav Molotov. In the bibliography, the author, an internationally known expert on Soviet history, highlights the most important of the recent scholarly works, directing readers to the burgeoning Western scholarship on the Russian Revolution in the last ten to fifteen years. This third edition uses newly available Soviet archival material and the latest Russian and Western research to provide an authoritative, compact account of one of the key events of modern history
The book offers a comprehensive evaluation of various sources related to the Stalinist period in Russia, analyzing materials such as memoirs, official documents, city directories, and computerized databases. Experts from both Western and Soviet backgrounds contribute their insights, highlighting the potential and richness of these diverse resources for understanding this historical era.
