Pleasures in Socialism: Leisure and Luxury in the Eastern Bloc

by David Crowley (editor), Susan E. Reid (Editor)

Much has been written about the workings of communist governments in the USSR and the Soviet bloc, yet there is still a great deal to explore regarding their relationship to the everyday lives of the citizens living under them. This third volume builds on the editors’ Style and Socialism and Socialist Spaces, showing how the rise of consumer culture took a unique form in these countries.

Essays from top scholars address topics ranging from fashion and game shows to smoking and camping. The authors of the essays in this collection investigate the ways in which pleasurable activities, like many other facets of daily life, were both a space in which these communist governments tried to insinuate themselves and thereby further expand the reach of their authority,

and also an opportunity for people to assert their individuality.

360 pages, Hardcover

First published August 31, 2010

Reviews

[Andrew Liu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Socialist perfume, Soviet Dior. This book proves that socialism, in particular, the post-Thaw version, could accommodate pleasure and luxuries. However, what does this lead us to? Except for replicating the old Cold War bias towards Soviet socialism's failure of satisfying consumption need, this book seems to make no new conceptualization breakthrough.