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    Marcos Saran
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    Between 1934 and 1941 Stalin unleashed what came to be known as the 'Great Terror' against millions of Soviet citizens. The same period also saw the 'Great Retreat', the repudiation of many of the aspirations of the Russian Revolution. The response of ordinary Russians to the extraordinary events of this time has been obscure. Sarah Davies's study uses NKVD and party reports, letters and other evidence to show that, despite propaganda and repression, dissonant public opinion was not extinguished. The people continued to criticise Stalin and the Soviet regime, and complain about particular policies. The book examines many themes, including attitudes towards social and economic policy, the terror, and the leader cult, shedding light on a hugely important part of Russia's social, political, and cultural history.

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    Between 1934 and 1941 Stalin unleashed what came to be known as the 'Great Terror' against millions of Soviet citizens. The same period also saw the 'Great Retreat', the repudiation of many of the aspirations of the Russian Revolution. The response of ordinary Russians to the extraordinary events of this time has been obscure. Sarah Davies's study uses NKVD and party reports, letters and other evidence to show that, despite propaganda and repression, dissonant public opinion was not extinguished. The people continued to criticise Stalin and the Soviet regime, and complain about particular policies. The book examines many themes, including attitudes towards social and economic policy, the terror, and the leader cult, shedding light on a hugely important part of Russia's social, political, and cultural history.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    11 views127 pages

    Popular Opinion in Stalin's Russia - Sarah Davies

    Uploaded by

    Marcos Saran
    Between 1934 and 1941 Stalin unleashed what came to be known as the 'Great Terror' against millions of Soviet citizens. The same period also saw the 'Great Retreat', the repudiation of many of the aspirations of the Russian Revolution. The response of ordinary Russians to the extraordinary events of this time has been obscure. Sarah Davies's study uses NKVD and party reports, letters and other evidence to show that, despite propaganda and repression, dissonant public opinion was not extinguished. The people continued to criticise Stalin and the Soviet regime, and complain about particular policies. The book examines many themes, including attitudes towards social and economic policy, the terror, and the leader cult, shedding light on a hugely important part of Russia's social, political, and cultural history.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    “7105 hp Cony POPULAR OPINION IN STALIN’S RUSSIA Taror, propaganda and dissent, 1934-1042 SARAH DAVIES ta ie EU CENTRAL EUROCEA CAMBRIDGE wa ee cational enh Dern diiaiont eae Seamer rt Pn ne ty em ae nd tc fo eB gy Fo all tase wh spot out Contents Lisef ale Adeleigeats tof eben and erie feces Gly andl one et Trodeton 1 Workes the economy, and about policy 2) Peasars andthe folive 3 Women, family policy, edcation 4 Religan and che nationalities queson 4 Terria relations 8 The Contiaton and eletions 7. The Great Terror “Ur and them’ social ident and the teror 9 The leader culkin ofcil discourse 10 Alfinative representations of the leader and leader cat 1 Negative representations ofthe leader and leader cult Conclusion page x Bee 39 % 93 ng or 7 155 168 FRE i = BY Tables ‘Anti Soviet agiaon ses bee 16 ‘Wage diferention amongst Leningrad industrial workers in 1996 4 [Abortion in Leningrad, 1930-1994 (per 1000 population) 6 ‘Abortions in Leningrad, 1996-1998 8 Acknoroledgements This book isthe product of archival rexearch in Rusia carried out dlsig the haleyon years of s99%-3, when large numbers of highly tla docaments were made avalale to researchers forthe fre time. For allowing me access to thes, I xm gratefl to the archivists at all the istations where T worked, but especialy to Tass Pavlovna Bondareviain andthe late Inna I marcvaa Sazonove at "TsGAIPD SP, "The doctoral thesis from which thie tudy evolved was mperveed bby Mary McAuley and David Presland, who both gave enormour amounté of thir te and energy to! advising, eridcsing, and encouraging me. Its largely than to their dediation and ethi= ‘nom that dhe book bas materalined, "Many other people were generous with dheir advice at diferent stages of the work, My thesis examines, Cris Ward and Catherine Andrejev, made simulating suggestions on how to improve he ‘work, as did Catherine Merrdale, who read and commented on he whole manuscript. Shela Fitzpatrick, whoss wn seiarch on he Tocial and cultrat history of the gos has been an inspiration, would ike to thank ll the wvho have commented on workin progres or helped in other way, a particular Joa Baber, Cathryn Brennan, Mary Bucley, Bob Devies, Pasi Dukes, David Hofmann, Amhony Kemp-Welch, Hiroali Keromiys, Natalia Lebina, Gabor ‘Riuerspors, Lewis Siegelbaum, Bors Starkov, Robert Thurion, the patipant of the Univers of Chicago's Worksop on Leters in 1996. Iam alo gratefl tomy teachers at St Andrew and SSEES for encouraging my interest al things Resa My coleapues at Durham have been more thin patient. Alex Green put up with ths work and wih me for far oo long ~ Ich him, and ally fiends and fay or thei sepport. T woul ale ike Aroaedgenants za to thank Cambridge University Pren and Michael Holdsworth, John Hlasasn, and Karen Anderson Howes. Last, but not lat, Twi to fcknowiedge the rancial stance of the Leverhalme Tras, the Bidsh Academy, the Brith Counel, the Piie-Reid Fund ae the ‘Thomas Res Ise atthe University of Aberdeen None of thee invitations of indhiduals beare any responsi forthe witakes thd shortcomings ofthe work, which ar sine lone. 193 26Jan-10 Feb 18 Sep 25-8 Nov, 1 Dee December "995, igt6Jen. Jan-Mar, Feb o-3t Aug. 225ep. 25Sep. 17 Nov. 29Dec 1098 saJune ay}une 12g Aug Sepemuber ‘cram Dee Chronology Seventeenth Party Congrest USSR joins Leage of Nations ‘TaK plenum decret end of brea rations Elective from Jaosary 1935 ‘Asasination of Kirov Local vovietcletone “rial of Zinoviev,Kameney, and others Mass expulsions hom Leningrad [New model loli charter adopted Seathanow's record Miliary ranks renored End of ronson neat, ts, Sb, et int All Union Conference of Stamanovites Stalin's speech ‘Lt has become beter, ie har become merrier Decree ending reictions on acest higher education on the bai of socal origin Dra of new Consnution published Deere In defence of the mother and ei ‘Thal of Zinovey, ameney, and others Ezhov suceedsIgoda as head of NKVD laryes fur ia many regions ‘Adoption of new Gonsition 1997 jen. ag goJen Ee, 25 Feb Mar giMay faJune Dec. 1998 ig Mar. Bee 1999 Jaosary tora ae o7May 23 Aug Sep 2gNow 0 Dee oo teMer 26June 20ct 1042 sane Crna » Abortive population ceaut ‘Trial of Radek, Pata, and others Death of Ordshonkidee “Tak plenum exclades Bubharn and Rykov fom party, and cal for vance Suicide of General Gararnik ‘Talachevsbil and oser generals executed Bletons to Supreme Soviet, “Tra of Bulbarin,Rykov, lagoda, and others Beri succeeds Exhoy as head of NKVD Decres an labour dspine Population census Eighteenth Party Congres announces end of pore ester on meavares to prevent squander of publi fle land ‘Molotov-Ribbeatzop pactsigned USSR annexes eaters Poland Winter War with Flan begin Stalin prizes insted Peace weaty with Flan Labour decree Decre on fer for higher clases and my, and Aecreeonlabour reserves Hier invades USSR Abbreviations and archive references GARE Gonudartvenayiarkhie Ross Fderatss GAN Gouarstvenayiarkhiv Novosbirsol oblast P Lengradtaa rode Pe Pade RR Racin Rae RTSKAIDNI Romi entrKiraneniajizucheni olamentoy nove itor se Shela Fiapauich, Sans Pant Reson nd Sari in he Rion Vile dtr Calan, Oxtrd, 194 se Slave Ree st J. Gety and. Manning eds, Stine “err Nea Pte, Cambridge, 955, TsGASPD ‘Teentaal gosudarvennyl ark Sankt Peuarburge THGAIPD SP Tuentral yi gonudarstvenny ark trio: poliichshthdokamentor Sankt Peterburga TKADMO Tate ranenia dokurmentoy molodeehayte congenial ‘The archival reference tem has been adopted for the sake of ten their voices have betm slenced by the ch and powerful Ip Stalin's Rusia, this proces of encing was parsalarly inadious|oe onky were people literally slenced~ shot, or incarerated in concenttion camps for expresing unorthodox ows ~ but alto the endre Sovet media clasinated vrtaly all feference to herecal opinin. Distant voices were wien out of history by the Stalinist Seripwrters~ but ht forever. Ta Jeter ad top secret documents, hidden in the archive, Use voces were presered. The aim ofthis book & simple: to "elens’them, and Slow them to speak for themislver afar at potuble, However, Inevitably the selection and ergansaion ofthe terial wl hve left jis mark, What falows is jut one of many powible interpretations ‘Hat could, and should be uedrtaken, ‘This book fecises on popular epinion during a formative and momentous period of Soviet history. The years 1934-41 witested both the ‘Great Reweat and the “Great Teor! Th term ‘Great Reeat, coined by the rocblogist Timashelf, ymboles the repr ddiaton of many of the wlues and aspirations of the Tusian Revoluion of October 1917 Ts dhe words of Stalin's arch-enemy, ‘Trouby, the Revaludon had been “berayed’, and hd given way (0 2 'Sowter Thermior'? The Rutan Ravalon, cnria? us under the banner of socialism and the liberation ofthe working cas, was followed by a bloody cv war, portrayed asa clas struggle of the pot snd exploited aguine the rich capitate Daring the wa, the Bolshevik Party exabished a ‘dicatorhip ofthe proletariat” and Invoduced ‘war communis’, a series of measure incuding the ‘aonalastion of iadutry, 1 grin rvonopy, the abolition of fee ‘wae, and rationing. The Bolsheviks won the ct ar, but athe face of mounting Social disecon, were forced to abandon war 2 nedcion communi in gan inode he New Economic Pay NEP. Free ade war end aod ony hey nday, are ed fog wae remained wae st cote “The conoy, haere byw and evn, begun Lowy 2 scorer Hower, NEP sui war hed wi contectons K ‘Souci arta Sourthed”cstomied bythe ey caple “repmes who fund the wean a nghtbs an Pato With the grow ofthe par an wate sparta eee to many, including Troy an the oporon wich erased wad hak, ithe coon ws being om bys new toreuengy Rea owen he party and he proatian ained we repo mee ‘rind rd ncplyet conned to ight weno es Tee east, mame, were beng ocouaged by ular $y. Ther elas to sappy th tov th pain precited ‘conocer ee of NED [NEP wat both ecmcialy bl and dolly unacep- tbl othe leaden Ina, Sain whe hn seed pee Eaoving the death of Lenin ar ontnoving hist Toey, Karen, td Zino tance!» pew Peon rm bore’ many way as enchant ofp. Weta perce arp idan cre ut corn oes das the tof whch operated om gel end fgg, New facores tnd ve Ste rng oy endure Sub, tnd the buravercy cxpnded te easton of apart ‘at nite in on, wate pnt fed lay te ones Mion f peasant wre stro verted in Sia eng e Paley Themanive open to coleetvaaton by so-le!ae Kes to paral nate, and compte coleciviton wat net complied ul th ofthe ‘rent Pune Wer oq Tae Prod 2p gh experienced Carat Revlon

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