The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union Quotes

“This split the scientific community up into factions and promoted conflict. This was Stalin’s objective. It permitted him to intervene and take sides whenever deemed necessary”
― Martin McCauley, The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union

“the ‘creation of the idea of the perpetual enemy’ was indispensable for Stalin.”
― Martin McCauley, The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union

“Critics of this school allege that they are looking for something for which there is not sufficient evidence. They warn that it is misleading to apply criteria to a totalitarian state that have been developed in examining how people interact in a free society. In sum, they are barking up the wrong tree: what we should really be trying to get at is the responsibility of various actors, high and low, for their behaviour. A culturalist might respond that that will only become clear when we have built up a full picture of the whole society: i.e. the doings of every subject and actor.”
― Martin McCauley, The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union

“They are sceptical towards the claims of grand social theories or narratives, whether Marxist, liberal or Christian. There are no universal truths. They were used in the past to legitimate the power of those who know and deny power to those who do not know, and so should be criticised (‘deconstructed’).”
― Martin McCauley, The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union