In essays written jointly by specialists on Soviet and German history; the contributors to this book rethink and rework the nature of Stalinism and Nazism and establish a new methodology for viewing their histories that goes well beyond the now-outdated twentieth-century models of totalitarianism; ideology; and personality. Doing the labor of comparison gives us the means to ascertain the historicity of the two extraordinary regimes and the wreckage they have left. With the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union; scholars of Europe are no longer burdened with the political baggage that constricted research and conditioned interpretation and have access to hitherto closed archives. The time is right for a fresh look at the two gigantic dictatorships of the twentieth century and for a return to the original intent of thought on totalitarian regimes - understanding the intertwined trajectories of socialism and nationalism in European and global history.
#2170166 in Books Cambridge University Press 1998-03-28Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.50 x .31 x 5.43l; .30 #File Name: 0521627427128 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Interesting Little ReadBy The Lovecratian RecluseBarely 85 pages in length; it is a good introduction into researching and understanding the economic history of the USSR. Compiled after the collapse of the Soviet Union; it shows the economic conditions immediately prior to the revolutions of '17 and traces economic development on through to the early 50's. One good aspect of this work was in pointing out how official statistics were troublesome in dealing simply because falsification was the norm back then in avoiding being purged or removed from ones post. Nevertheless they were able to take much of the information available and piece together the likely actual development of the nation into the height of the Cold War era.Not really for the average reader; but more so for the scholarly type.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Short popular introduction to the history of Soviet industrializationBy M. A. KrulR.W. Davies; who can probably lay claim to the title of being the single person most knowledgeable about the economic history of the USSR; was asked to write this popular introduction to the topic in the Cambridge series "New Studies in Economic and Social History"; intended for a wider public than usual for such monographs. The result is an excellent and readable; while information-dense; overview of about 84 pages of real content.Davies begins with the Czarist industrialization; putting it in the context of the attempts (earlier by Peter the Great and others) to modernize Russia to maintain its military power on the continental scene. He shows how the state undertook protectionism and investment in railways; as well as inviting much foreign investment; to develop Russia's industry in the period before WWI. He then continues with War Communism and its attempts to win the Civil War and stave off famine; then the NEP and its compromise politics. The main part of the booklet; as one might expect; is taken up however by Stalin's industrialization policies; their methods; and their effects. Afterward there is a short discussion of Khrushchov's reforms; his attempts to develop agriculture more (always the weakest link in the Soviet chain) and the subsequent beginning of the collapse in the 1970s under Brezhnev.Davies is not just a very competent historian; but also a very even-handed one. He takes the time to explain the controversial issues in Soviet economic history (and there are many); the positions of various players in it; and his own. He himself is neither afraid to criticize the USSR nor afraid to give it the credit that is due. One thing that is unfortunate is that this book was published in 1998; and therefore did not include the major new modelling study of the Soviet industrialization by Robert C. Allen; "Farm to Factory" (Farm to Factory: A Reinterpretation of the Soviet Industrial Revolution (Princeton Economic History of the Western World)); which was published in 2003. Allen's book constitutes a major defense of the Preobrazhensky-Stalin heavy industrialization strategy as against the NEP (and Paul Gregory's capitalist road); and is recommended as a complement to this book.0 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A very good guideBy L. Silva SantistebanIf you want an overview on this subject you should give a try on this book
