“Maybe some people are shy about writing; but I will write the real truth. . . . Is it really possible that people at the newspaper haven’t heard this. . . that we don’t want to be on the kolkhoz [collective farm]; we work and work; and there’s nothing to eat. Really; how can we live?â€â€”a farmer’s letter; 1936; from Stalinism as a Way of Life What was life like for ordinary Russian citizens in the 1930s? How did they feel about socialism and the acts committed in its name? This unique book provides English-speaking readers with the responses of those who experienced firsthand the events of the middle-Stalinist period. The book contains 157 documents—mostly letters to authorities from Soviet citizens; but also reports compiled by the secret police and Communist Party functionaries; internal government and party memoranda; and correspondence among party officials. Selected from recently opened Soviet archives; these previously unknown documents illuminate in new ways both the complex social roots of Stalinism and the texture of daily life during a highly traumatic decade of Soviet history. Accompanied by introductory and linking commentary; the documents are organized around such themes as the impact of terror on the citizenry; the childhood experience; the countryside after collectivization; and the role of cadres that were directed to “decide everything.†In their own words; peasants and workers; intellectuals and the uneducated; adults and children; men and women; Russians and people from other national groups tell their stories. Their writings reveal how individual lives influenced—and were affected by—the larger events of Soviet history.
#109228 in Books John Lukacs 2001-09-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.70 x .60 x 5.10l; .45 #File Name: 0300084668256 pagesFive Days in London May 1940
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. a drama at the hinge of timeBy Jason GI do not think in the history of the West; has it been as easy to point to such dramatic turning points; of the rising and falling of many; as the five days in London from May 24 through May 28th; 1940. From the perspective of over 70 years now; I think it is easy to just assume that the events that have happened since then - the winning over fascism; the ascendancy of the West over the communist bloc (led by America and Britain); even the lives that have lived in many cities and towns and their countless opportunities and choices. But what Lukacs has done in this work is to show how decisions made by so few; in such a small space changed the world largely for the better.Five Days reads like a drama. Lukacs has an introduction; setting the scene in late May of 1940; the dire situation of so many continental European nations falling to NAZI Germany; leading to the march on Paris itself. He then spends a chapter on each day. He closes with a conclusion; showing the immediate effects of the decisions; particularly on morale and military achievement.What should strike the reader here is the very small geography of this book - essentially the City of Westminster; the high government offices in London; and the relatively small cast of characters. I think the author makes the case well that so few people were involved here; that the reader can grasp the personalities involved; and see the consequences of why people acted like they did.The reader will come away with the lingering wariness of conflict from the British Conservative party; particularly from the King's favorite; Lord Halifax. The real conflict of this drama is between Churchill; who had just surprisingly become Prime Minister and who was regarded with real wariness by the Conservative leadership; and Halifax. Also; the reader will understand a bit of the native; grassroots British character; and why it did not collapse in the face of real pressure from Germany.The reader should come away with a great lesson in how leadership; consensus and turning opinion are done; particularly at the high government level; through a fog of seemingly contradictory information.Understanding the real hinge of fate here; the reader should come away with why World War II was fought the way it was; from this point forward; and why an Empire stood against a new pagan tyranny; largely based on its character.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Riveting.By Timothy J HurstTense and absorbing account of how WWII nearly was lost by the allies as a result of irresolute leadership in Britain; and how Churchill saved the day with his boldness and clear-sightedness. If you also read 'The Gathering Storm' by Churchill (also on Kindle) you will have a feast of information to go on with.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Churchill Against the WallBy John C. KolojeskiWhat a grand idea to focus on just five days in history that meant so much to Churchill and the world. Call it baptism under fire or rapid descent into hell; Churchill's first days were indeed one of the greatest challenges of his and our lifetimes. The author; John Lukacs; does a remarkable scholarly job of both research and analysis of the key players as well as the early events of World War II. Churchill; Chamberlain; Lord Halifax; Hitler all come alive during this brief but crucial time period in May 1940.
