The Soviet Union and Russia, 1939-2015 A History in Documents

This volume in the Pages from History series explores the history of the Soviet Union from the eve of World War II through its collapse and the years of transition from socialism to capitalism. The Soviet Union and Russia, 1939-2015: A History in Documents not only details the political chronology of changes in Soviet leadership, but also devotes significant attention to the social, economic, and cultural dimensions of everyday Soviet life. It highlights actions and decisions of the Soviet leadership while addressing popular initiatives and responses that shaped the environment in which the leadership operated. The sources--ranging from official documents and pronouncements, to clandestine opposition to the government, to artifacts of everyday life and popular culture--capture Soviet and post-Soviet life in all of its variety and complexity, challenging the stereotype of a monolithic Soviet society. Headnotes, extended captions, sidebars, introductory essays, and a robust photo program provide an essential context that frames the documents.

Karen Petrone is Professor of History at the University of Kentucky. She is the author of The Great War in Russian Memory (2011) and Life Has Become More Joyous, Comrades: Celebrations in the Time of Stalin (2000), and the coeditor of several volumes, including Everyday Life in Russia Past and Present (2015).

Kenneth Slepyan is Professor of History at Transylvania University. He is the author of Stalin's Guerrillas: Soviet Partisans in World War II (2006) and has written several articles and book chapters on the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

What Is a Document?
How to Read a Document

Introduction
Note on Sources and Interpretation
A Note on Terminology

1. The Great Patriotic War, 1939-1945
Prelude to War
Operation Barbarossa and the Government's Call to Arms
Total War: Combat
Popular Responses to the War
Deportation of Nationalities
Victory! The Origins of The Cold War and The Validation of Stalinism

2. Post-War Stalinism, 1945-1953
Postwar Reconstruction
Cultural Censorship and Propaganda
Idealism and Conformity in The Late Stalin Period
The Cold War and Eastern Europe
The Death of Stalin

3. The Thaw, 1953-1964
The Desire for Reform and The Rise of Khrushchev
The Secret Speech and its Consequences
Khrushchev's Economic Reforms
Society and Culture
The Cold War

4. Stability or Stagnation, 1964-1985
The Stalled Train to Communism
Securing Legitimacy
National Tensions in the Brezhnev Era
Cultural and Social Tensions
The Dissident Movement
Détente and the Intervention in Afghanistan

5. Restructuring and Openness, 1985-1991
The Advent of Reform
The Chernobyl Accident
A New Civil Society
Opposition to Gorbachev
The Soviet Union and the World
Disintegration

6. The Crocodile Smiles: Soviet Satirical Cartoons and Social Reform
The Family
Gender and Gender Roles
Housing
Consumerism
Social Issues

7. Democratization or Oligarchy? 1991-2000
The Rise of Yeltsin and The Dismantling of The Soviet System
The Economic Reforms
Constitutional Crisis and Political Turmoil
Nationalism, Conflict, and Identity
The End of the Yeltsin Era

8. Vladimir Putin and the New Russia 2000-2015
The Foundations of Putin's Governing System
National Security and the Near Abroad
Opposition to Putin

Timeline
Further Reading
Websites
Text Credits
Picture Credits
Acknowledgements
Index
About the Authors