| Title | : | Stalin's Peasants: Resistance and Survival in the Russian Village after Collectivization |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0195104595 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780195104592 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 416 |
| Publication | : | First published April 21, 1994 |
Stalin's Peasants is a story of struggle between transformationally-minded Communists and traditionally-minded peasants over the terms of collectivization--a struggle of opposing practices, not a struggle in which either side clearly articulated its position. But it is also a story about the impact of collectivization on the internal social relations and culture of the village, exploring questions of authority and leadership, feuds, denunciations, rumors, and changes in religious observance. For the first time, it is possible to see the real people behind the facade of the "Potemkin village" created by Soviet propagandists. In the Potemkin village, happy peasants clustered around a kolkhoz (collective farm) tractor, praising Stalin and promising to produce more grain as a patriotic duty. In the real Russian village of the 1930s, as we learn from Soviet political police reports, sullen and hungry peasants described collectivization as a "second serfdom," cursed all Communists, and
blamed Stalin personally for their plight.
Sheila Fitzpatrick's work is truly a landmark in studies of the Stalinist period--a richly-documented social history told from the traumatic experiences of the long-suffering underclass of peasants. Anyone interested in Soviet and Russian history, peasant studies, or social history will appreciate this major contribution to our understanding of life in Stalin's Russia.
Stalin's Peasants: Resistance and Survival in the Russian Village after Collectivization Reviews
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I have just completed both Fitzpatrick's book and Robert Conquest's 'Harvest of Sorrow.' The two could hardly be more different in approach and tone. Fitzpatrick's book is curiously non-emotional, and by that I mean that she compiles material that Conquest did not include, and all that is very useful, but she seems not to notice much of the human tragedy that collectivation and the Terror Famine brought about. This is not to say that her book is not entirely useful, particularly on the technical and legal aspects of collectivation, but in all a rather 'bloodless' book that would appeal to specialists. It is not a book I would recommend to the general reader, who, most likely, would lay the book aside no later than then end of the introduction. That intro., by the way, is quite fine, a very useful summary of the contents of the entire book.
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This, as the author concedes, is a study bounded by the collectivisation of 1929-1930 and the Soviet Unions entry into WWII in 1941 and is said to present us with information gained from recently released Soviet archived documents.
I will admit that just as with 'Peasants in Russia from Serfdom to Stalin: Accommodation, Survival, Resistance' I found this to be a slog. My main interest in rural Russia lies with the resistance strategies and this does give a broad sweep of what took place.
Again, I would say, aimed at the student and scholar of modern Russian history. -
Познавательный рассказ о перипетиях жизни крестьянства в сталинскую эпоху, включая коллективизацию и раскулачивание
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A detailed, informative and useful book about its topic, but also boring. The narrative is very dry, the sentences are long and the paragraphs are dense. I often felt my eyes growing heavy after reading a few pages. The author no doubt is trying to appeal to both the academic and mainstream audiences, but don't even academics appreciate a compelling narrative to go along with the nitty gritty details?
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Covers the social history of collectivization. Although the topic is interesting, Fitzpatrick tries to reach both an academic and mainstream audience. Very repetitive and could be at least half of the length with the same amount of content.
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If you need some facts about Peasants under Stalin...this is the book for you! Not the most fun to read but the facts are really interesting!
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An exceedingly detailed look at the other side. What was life like for peasants in the 1930s? And what did they do to fight back against the fickle leaders? The answers are here.
