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The cover of Everyday Stalinism: Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times: Soviet Russia in the 1930s

Everyday Stalinism: Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times: Soviet Russia in the 1930s

Sheila Fitzpatrick

How did ordinary Soviet people try to live normal lives, find food and protect their families when the state was unpredictable and often cruel?

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At a glance

Author
Sheila Fitzpatrick

Why read it

  • You will see how people cope and plan inside a system where rules and rewards change without warning
  • You will understand why feeling unable to control your fate leads to passivity, and what people did anyway
  • You will learn to read history through everyday tactics for getting by, getting ahead and staying safe

Who it is for

  • A grandchild trying to understand a family's Soviet past
  • A worker in a company where policy flips every quarter
  • Someone curious how normal life persists under pressure

Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. 1 “The Party Is Always Right”
  3. 2 Hard Times
  4. 3 Palaces on Monday
  5. 4 The Magic Tablecloth
  6. 5 Insulted and Injured
  7. 6 Family Problems
  8. 7 Conversations and Listeners
  9. 8 A Time of Troubles
  10. Conclusion

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