The Dilemmas of De-Stalinization: Negotiating Cultural and Social Change in the Khrushchev Era

by Polly Jones (Editor)

The Khrushchev era is increasingly seen as a period in its own right, and not just as 'post-Stalinism' or a forerunner of subsequent 'thaws' and 'reform from within'. This book provides a comprehensive history of reform in the period, focusing especially on social and cultural developments. Since the opening of the former Soviet archives, much new information has become available casting light on how far official policies correlated with popular views. Overall the book appraises how far 'Destalinization' went; and whether developments in the period represented a real desire for reform, or rather an attempt to fortify the Soviet system, but on different lines.

296 pages, Hardcover

First published November 18, 2005

Reviews

[elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of essays that addresses the somewhat nebulous topic of de-Staliniziation (and, by proxy, of the Secret Speech and the Thaw [glasnost']) during Khrushchev's fairly limited run as leader of the U.S.S.R. It's quite comprehensive in that it covers varying aspects of social change and the subsequent changes in the Soviet culture that arose as a result of the catalysts of de-Stalinization, the Thaw, and the Secret Speech. It also demonstrates how de-Stalinization and social/cultural reforms fed off of one another to effect policy change in both conservative and liberal directions.

One thing I wish it would have covered was Eastern Europe. Some of the most important changes and events occurred as a result of de-Stalinization in Eastern Europe, especially in Poland, Hungary, and the re-engagement with Tito in Yugoslavia. Including Eastern Europe would have given the reader a more complete picture of what was happening in the interaction between the Soviet people and the Communist Party.