The Cult of Ivan the Terrible in Stalin's Russia

Ivan IV, the 16th-century tsar notorious for his reign of terror, became an unlikely national hero in the Soviet Union during the 1940s. This book traces the development of Ivan's positive image, placing it in the context of Stalin's campaign for patriotism. In addition to historians' images of Ivan, the author examines literary and artistic representations, including Sergei Eisenstein's famous film Ivan the Terrible , banned for its depiction of the tsar which was interpreted as an allegorical criticism of Stalin.

Maureen Perrie is Professor of Russian History, Centre for Russian and East European Studies, University of Birmingham.