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 1917
Click to go the casahistoria site on the 1917 revolutions |
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 Lenin’s
Russia Click for extensive links on the casahistoria page |
Biographies
- Stalin
AKA Josef Vissarionovich Dzughashvili Barebones details from
a new site, NNDB. Clearly set out and good links to basic info
on other leading figures connected with Stalin
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 CNN
Cold War: Stalin Fine outline bio of Stalin, from
CNN's Cold War series §
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The warlords: Joseph Stalin. Another TV piece: Channel 4
background article on Stalin. Good potted bio.
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Joseph Stalin Interesting modern Russian bio of the Soviet
leader from the Russian international TV news channel RT Russia.
As it concludes: “Today the role of Stalin in Russian history is
the subject of bitter public debate, with a number of Russian
history textbooks calling him “an effective manager” and others
presenting him as absolute evil.”
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Stalin: the Totalitarian State The first page of a
multi-page section about Stalin. Gives a basic overview with
some source support.
- Stalin
Biographical Chronicle Extremely detailed chronology
of Stalin, pick a year from (the minutely printed) timeline and
get a blow by blow listing of Stalins activities day by day
almost .... Can be slow to load. be patient!
- Stalin,
his father and the Rabbit. Full and detailed review of the
book on Young Stalin by Simon Sebag Montefiore. This is a good
article by the author which could save you the 300 pages of the
book...
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 Another
View of Stalin by Ludo Martens a Belgian historian noted for
his work on the Soviet Union. He is chairman of the Belgian
Workers Party. The full text of the book in English. Now divided
into three pdf’s to make access easier. The link is to part 1.
Click for Part II
and/or Part III
- Two brief extracts on Stalin's personality:
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Twenty Letters to a Friend (1967) a psychological insight
into Stalin's personality from his daughter, Svetlana Alliluyeva
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Khrushchev Remembers (1971) a psychological insight into
Stalin's personality from Nikita Khrushchev, a close colleague
and future leader of the Soviet Union §
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Stalinka Univ of Pittsburgh website of images and intended
exclusively for educational and research purposes. Well set out
& worth exploring to see his life in pictures.
The succession
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Simon Sebag Montefiore:
Young
Stalin
This has to be read by
anyone who seriously wants to understand what made Stalin
tick. The account of his youth and formative years (up to
Oct/Nov 1917) clearly indicates the impact of growing up in
the wilds of (still lawless and gangster riddled) Georgia
and the Caucasus. Sebag Montefiore's account does more
though - it explains perhaps the ease with which the USSR
slid into oligarchy and lawlessness in the 1990's - because
of a general underlying tradition of violence, but also the
dangers of faith schools and the risks of encarcerating
enemies of the state in similar places. Stalin? More
educated and culturally rounded than I had thought, but
presents as not a pleasant character at all - easy to
understand his purges and ruthlessness as later USSR leader.
Equally repugnant seemed to be his inclination towards
impregnating teenage girls at least half his age - one of
whom was only 13, (he was in his 30's......) Very readable
nonetheless.
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2. The Stalinist State
Stalinism
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Stalinism in the 1930s: the Second Revolution. Lecture notes
on Stalinism in the 1930's from
Goucher College. Rudimentary but a good, clear overview with
statistical support§
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Leninism versus Stalinism : Was Stalin the executor of Lenin’s
will - or just his comrades? IB notes based on an article by
Simon Hartfree in Modern History Review, Vol.8, Issue 2.
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 Communist
Party;
Politburo;
NKVD;
Secret Police from Spartacus educational Site. Excellent
introductory sections for an overview linked to documents
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Humanising Stalin? By Simon Sebag Montefiore BBC background
essay to its programme on the death of Stalin. "History portrays
Stalin as an inhumane and vicious leader - but he was a man as
well as a monster. Do we betray his victims by noting his human
side, or will the full picture help guard us against potential
tyrants in the future?"
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Stalinism: Its Origins and Future Huge online book looking
at Stalinism's origins as well as where it led to in the lat
20th century. Not over objective, but also has a full list of
potted biographies as a footnote to the immense work.
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The Age of Totalitarianism: Stalin and Hitler by Steven
Kreis. These lectures were written over the past five years and
served as the basis for European history classes at Florida
Atlantic University and Meredith College.
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The Nature of Stalinism Online lecture by Ted Grant
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A New Society By Prof Rempel, Western New England College.
Detailed lecture
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Glory to our Great Party Jokes about the Communist Party,
the Soviet regime, the standard of living, etc
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 The
Making of the Stalinist State 1928-1941 Dr Jane McDermid
puts Stalin's Russia under the microscope from the first of the
Five Year Plans to the outbreak of World War II. This is part 1,
click
here for part 2.
Local Control
Cult of the Personality
Propaganda
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The Commissar Vanishes Well produced site looking at the way
photography was manipulated during the Stalin period
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The Chairman Smiles: Soviet Posters "By 1930, propaganda
focuses on political discipline and the Five Year Plans,
ambitious programs for the collectivization of agriculture and
establishment of heavy industry. The posters give a powerful,
dynamic impression, using photomontage, compositions with
diagonal lines, and strong contrasts in colours and shapes."
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Museum of Russian Poster. Good chronological listing of
posters by year from this Russian site.
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The Soviet Poster- Revolution by Design Clearly explained
and illustrated sections on the main aspects the poster on
Stalinist policies. Click on the "View posters" by each section
to see all the posters.
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Soviet Constructivistic propaganda 1920 - 1929 Visually
interesting site of examples of constructive agitprop..
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"Life's Getting Better" In 1934, Stalin announced in a
speech that "life was getting better" as a result of his program
and encouraged artists to promote the "better life" of the
Soviet Union. One of the best-known songs of these years was the
1936 "Life's Getting Better," written by Aleksandr Aleksandrov,
founder and leader of the Red Army Ensemble. From the Mosaic
site (can be slow to load). §
Collected Documents
- Stalin documents from the early period (Can be slow to load,
patience!):
Economics:
1927-41: Overview
The Terror
Women in
Stalin's Russia
3. Cultural Policy
What happened - and the
impact:
- Music
under Soviet Rule - Designed by the late Ian MacDonald (the
author of "The New Shostakovich") Very technical but of interest
should you wish to be a musician interested in the history of
Soviet music.
- Library of Congress's Documents from the Soviet Archives -
Attacks on Intelligentsia:
4. Death of Stalin
Finally:
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Requiem From the Mosaic Western Civilisation site.
"Historians have struggled to understand Stalinism and
particularly the Great Terror, which reached its peak in 1937.
Perhaps the last voice should be Anna Akhmatova's (1889-1966).
Akhmatova, a poet, saw her husband, the poet Nikolai Gumilyov,
arrested and shot by Soviet authorities in 1921. Her son, Lev,
was arrested in 1937. The poem "Requiem," reproduced here,
offers her testimony of the Stalin era.
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Stalin's Body Removed From Lenin's Tomb After his death in
1953, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin's remains were embalmed and
put on display next to Vladimir Lenin. Why did the Soviet
government change their mind? What happened to Stalin's body
after it was removed from Lenin's tomb?
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"Stalin Old and New" Looks at the legacy of Stalin with
regard to the collapse of communism by Anthony D'Agostino The
Russian Review, vol. 54, no. 3, July 1995
5. General Information
- Soviet
Union From the Library of Congress Country Studies . Uncited,
but clear, concise and thorough description of the key stages,
both before and after the events of 1917. Well presented.
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Russian Studies on the Internet A very thorough, and
quite academic listing of sites relevant to Russian History. For
serious casahistorians in particular, but difficult to
navigate.
- Red Files
PBS overview site on the USSR. Interactive and looks good, but
is actually a nightmare to navigate.
Propaganda section is the most useful.
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 Who
is who? A set of brief biographies of key figures during
the Revolutionary period |
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 Glossary
An explanation of the main events, words, places connected
with Russia, 1917-41 |
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 Timeline
of Stalin A basic timeline of key events during the Stalin
era |
Links to documentary
evidence
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Chronology of Russian History: Soviet Period A well
presented university site, looking at the grand sweep of
Russian/Soviet history from a chronological position. Good
linked access to documents such as Tsar´s abdication letter,
Order No 1, April Theses... §
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 History
of the Soviet Union This website of translated documents by
the Univ of East Anglia is designed to give students easy
access to a wide selection of sources on Russian history
translated into English and available electronically.
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Internet Modern History Sourcebook: Russian Revolution Key
Documents on the revolutionary period
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PLP translations: an enormous number of books/documents
translated by Computer Based Learning Unit, University of Leeds.
This links to the enormous index. Good for browsing for sample
documents - but you need a general idea of what/who you are
looking for as the index is author based, not thematic §
- J. V.
Stalin Internet Library. Very large collection of Stalin
speeches and writing. Set out chronologically from the Marx2Mao
site
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Stalin Reference Archive: Large compendium of Stalin writing
& speeches by
Marxists Internet Archive (at times inaccessible if download
limit is exceeded!)
the casahistoria Russia/USSR core sites:
Background to
Revolution
1917 Revolutions
Lenin´s Russia
Stalin's Russia
1927-39
Stalin: Economics & Terror, 1927-41
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