Contending with Stalinism: Soviet Power and Popular Resistance in the 1930s

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.