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The Soviet's Expected it
1942 First Edition by Anna Louise Strong. Author of "I Change Worlds".
Paperback
First published December 24, 2013
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About the author
Anna Louise Strong
131 books66 followersAmerican journalist and activist, best known for her reporting on and support for communist movements in the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 17, 2021
I loved this book, and am happy to have found a new author that I definitely want to read more about and read more from.
Coupled with many other things that I've read, I can, with 100% certainty, state that the established Western narrative of the Soviet Union is completely wrong. I'm not saying that Ms. Strong's glowing account and "they can do no wrong" attitude is completely accurate, either; however, I can detect no reason why the author would speak falsely of her experiences. If anything, this book further goes to show that all I know about the Soviet Union of the 1920s and 1930s is that I don't really know the truth and don't accept anything anyone says at face value. The Western account is heavily biased and based in the need to discredit the truth as strongly as possible...and Ms. Strong may be far too much of an idealist willing to turn a blind eye to what is displayed in front of her.
To quote Socrates: "The more I learn, the less I realize I know."
If you are interested in a far different take on the Soviet Union during the 1930s up to the breakout of World War Two, please read this book.
Coupled with many other things that I've read, I can, with 100% certainty, state that the established Western narrative of the Soviet Union is completely wrong. I'm not saying that Ms. Strong's glowing account and "they can do no wrong" attitude is completely accurate, either; however, I can detect no reason why the author would speak falsely of her experiences. If anything, this book further goes to show that all I know about the Soviet Union of the 1920s and 1930s is that I don't really know the truth and don't accept anything anyone says at face value. The Western account is heavily biased and based in the need to discredit the truth as strongly as possible...and Ms. Strong may be far too much of an idealist willing to turn a blind eye to what is displayed in front of her.
To quote Socrates: "The more I learn, the less I realize I know."
If you are interested in a far different take on the Soviet Union during the 1930s up to the breakout of World War Two, please read this book.
July 29, 2022
1941 account of everyday workers' lives in the ussr on the lead up to war, written by an american who'd lived in the ussr for 20 years. covered just about everything to do w soviet society over that time albeit very generally
"There is no fury greater than that of people who, after centuries of oppression, have glimpsed freedom for a little while."
death to fascists
"There is no fury greater than that of people who, after centuries of oppression, have glimpsed freedom for a little while."
death to fascists
October 9, 2025
idk what the hell the soviets expected, but i def didn’t expect whatever tf this book was
i mean it’s definitely…. a product of its time. like it’s js funny that she starts off the book denouncing xenophobia and rightly precising that the soviets are people, like any others, worthy of respect—and then she goes on about how backwards and unholy the ways of every single soviet peoples *except* ethnic russians are……. like mmmkay
it’s definitely not useful, especially now, to read a book on soviet history that essentially propagates the (extremely harmful) idea that the former soviet republics were entirely undeveloped and without any sense of national identity before they were assimilated into the soviet union. in the case of ukraine, this is the exact idea that russian state propaganda presses on in order to “justify” the country’s war on ukraine to both their own citizens and the larger world.
otherwise, i do feel like this book is a sort of american tourist trap??? for lack of a better word. like it seems targeted towards americans/westerners post-ww2 with limited understanding of the soviet people, in order to regale them with dozens of anecdotes and wartime accounts of russians, ukrainians, lithuanians, kazaks, etc. being….. human???? like “look these people are acting in a way that people normally act even tho they’re different from us!!!!!! isn’t it soooo crazy that slavs are literally js like us fr despite their backwards peasant ways????”
like yeah…. definitely *misguided* to say the least.
not to mention the *constant* stalin glazing and the part where she literally gaslights the reader into thinking there were no famines under his rule when this is a WELL known fact 😭😭 like she literally says “famine???? nooooo guys ppl were js a bit hungry, it wasn’t even that bad!!! guys i literally rode thru the countryside and i didn’t see ANY famine so idk must be fake then” LIKE??? shocker, they concealed the worst of it from the soviet-enamoured american journalist already inclined to write of their country to the western public with a positive bias 😭
that being said, i honestly found the novel’s anecdotes to be pretty interesting, tho no idea how true they are, and i really appreciated strong’s emphasis (if not explicit) on the soviets being the ones to defeat hitler, and specifically soviet ukraine’s role in the war. briefly, she also mentions the internment of ukrainians and the general hatred of slavs by hitler and nazi germany. these are all facets of ww2 all too often forgotten today, despite their ever-increasing relevancy.
i also really loved this quote, and it definitely rings very true today:
“there is no fury greater than that of people who, after centuries of oppression, have glimpsed freedom for a little while.”
i mean it’s definitely…. a product of its time. like it’s js funny that she starts off the book denouncing xenophobia and rightly precising that the soviets are people, like any others, worthy of respect—and then she goes on about how backwards and unholy the ways of every single soviet peoples *except* ethnic russians are……. like mmmkay
it’s definitely not useful, especially now, to read a book on soviet history that essentially propagates the (extremely harmful) idea that the former soviet republics were entirely undeveloped and without any sense of national identity before they were assimilated into the soviet union. in the case of ukraine, this is the exact idea that russian state propaganda presses on in order to “justify” the country’s war on ukraine to both their own citizens and the larger world.
otherwise, i do feel like this book is a sort of american tourist trap??? for lack of a better word. like it seems targeted towards americans/westerners post-ww2 with limited understanding of the soviet people, in order to regale them with dozens of anecdotes and wartime accounts of russians, ukrainians, lithuanians, kazaks, etc. being….. human???? like “look these people are acting in a way that people normally act even tho they’re different from us!!!!!! isn’t it soooo crazy that slavs are literally js like us fr despite their backwards peasant ways????”
like yeah…. definitely *misguided* to say the least.
not to mention the *constant* stalin glazing and the part where she literally gaslights the reader into thinking there were no famines under his rule when this is a WELL known fact 😭😭 like she literally says “famine???? nooooo guys ppl were js a bit hungry, it wasn’t even that bad!!! guys i literally rode thru the countryside and i didn’t see ANY famine so idk must be fake then” LIKE??? shocker, they concealed the worst of it from the soviet-enamoured american journalist already inclined to write of their country to the western public with a positive bias 😭
that being said, i honestly found the novel’s anecdotes to be pretty interesting, tho no idea how true they are, and i really appreciated strong’s emphasis (if not explicit) on the soviets being the ones to defeat hitler, and specifically soviet ukraine’s role in the war. briefly, she also mentions the internment of ukrainians and the general hatred of slavs by hitler and nazi germany. these are all facets of ww2 all too often forgotten today, despite their ever-increasing relevancy.
i also really loved this quote, and it definitely rings very true today:
“there is no fury greater than that of people who, after centuries of oppression, have glimpsed freedom for a little while.”
June 7, 2024
A very good book on life in the Soviet Union prior to World War II and how the Soviet Union was able to be so effective during the war.
The author of this book, an American who lived in the Soviet Union for many years, recounts just how amazing the sweeping changes that took place after the end of the Russian Civil War really were and how dramatically life changed for the better.
A good portion of this book is dedicated to the political system of the Soviet Union in one way or another and how democracy really did exist, as well as explaining the attitudes of the Soviet people toward their leaders and the situations that led up to WWII.
There is also a great amount of detail as to how the Soviet Union came to "occupy" (in quotations since it was really anything but an occupation) part of Poland the Baltics and how the people welcomed the arrival of the Soviet military.
Finally, it is explained what steps the Soviets took to prepare for WWII, showing that they always regarded the war as inevitable unlike the French or British, and show how the measures taken to prepare for the war put the Red Army in a position to resist the Germans.
All-round, a great book on Soviet politics, society, and WWII in the Soviet Union all told from the perspective of someone who was personally there to witness it all.
The author of this book, an American who lived in the Soviet Union for many years, recounts just how amazing the sweeping changes that took place after the end of the Russian Civil War really were and how dramatically life changed for the better.
A good portion of this book is dedicated to the political system of the Soviet Union in one way or another and how democracy really did exist, as well as explaining the attitudes of the Soviet people toward their leaders and the situations that led up to WWII.
There is also a great amount of detail as to how the Soviet Union came to "occupy" (in quotations since it was really anything but an occupation) part of Poland the Baltics and how the people welcomed the arrival of the Soviet military.
Finally, it is explained what steps the Soviets took to prepare for WWII, showing that they always regarded the war as inevitable unlike the French or British, and show how the measures taken to prepare for the war put the Red Army in a position to resist the Germans.
All-round, a great book on Soviet politics, society, and WWII in the Soviet Union all told from the perspective of someone who was personally there to witness it all.
October 17, 2025
Many times Anna Louise Strong has been recommended to inspiring communists and Soviet history enthusiasts, so I figured I'd better get my hands on one of her books. (I actually brought this book accidentally, as I had intended to read 'This Soviet World.') But I certainly wasn't disappointed with this purchase! It was a good read.
Anna Louise writes about the world politics of WW2 and the years leading up to it-from a Soviet perspective; there's lots of stuff in here that has been lost to time, quotes from political leaders, and the chapter about how Britain (Chamberlain) was originally reluctant to form an alliance with Russia against Hitler because British oligarchs would have rather seen war against Germany and the USSR. (At least during the invasion of Czech.) I almost feel that with all this knowledge of the USSR's preparations for WW2, I could jump into one of those 12-hour games of Hoi4 and successfully know what to do without ever having played.
My only problem with this book is that Strong clearly has a biased perspective. So just take the reliability of her writing like you would a classical Greek historian.
Anna Louise writes about the world politics of WW2 and the years leading up to it-from a Soviet perspective; there's lots of stuff in here that has been lost to time, quotes from political leaders, and the chapter about how Britain (Chamberlain) was originally reluctant to form an alliance with Russia against Hitler because British oligarchs would have rather seen war against Germany and the USSR. (At least during the invasion of Czech.) I almost feel that with all this knowledge of the USSR's preparations for WW2, I could jump into one of those 12-hour games of Hoi4 and successfully know what to do without ever having played.
My only problem with this book is that Strong clearly has a biased perspective. So just take the reliability of her writing like you would a classical Greek historian.
November 26, 2024
Anna Louise Strong wrote this while WWII was still happening. It's written from the perspective of an American communist living in the USSR. That's her bias and it's very interesting to see what the Soviets were actually thinking at the time.
I think that her explanations about how the Soviets were able to wait until Hitler invaded most of Europe and then the USSR is particularly important to understanding how WWII could have gone completely differently. Seeing how the Cold War started in earnest right after WWII, she explains how the Soviets were worried about the Nazis allying with Britain.
I think that her explanations about how the Soviets were able to wait until Hitler invaded most of Europe and then the USSR is particularly important to understanding how WWII could have gone completely differently. Seeing how the Cold War started in earnest right after WWII, she explains how the Soviets were worried about the Nazis allying with Britain.
November 4, 2025
Truly an amazing an informative book about the building of socialism and unity in the Soviet Union. She talks about how the Soviet people had a burning passion in their hearts to provide and care not only for one another but for all of humanity. In this book she goes over a variety of subjects ranging from limp dick Nazi sympathizer Chamberlin to the burning determination the red army and its citizens possessed to fight the evil fascist invaders.
This is a must read!
This is a must read!
September 21, 2024
A great read. Clear and concise. A refreshing alternative to “America won the war”.
ALS outlines the Soviet position in ww2. That the su planned to fight h from the early 30s, moving its industry eastwards, training soldiers, and creating a strong economy and society that could resist. The su and Stalin are painted in the best light.
ALS outlines the Soviet position in ww2. That the su planned to fight h from the early 30s, moving its industry eastwards, training soldiers, and creating a strong economy and society that could resist. The su and Stalin are painted in the best light.
January 8, 2025
An extremely interesting and personal look into soviet history not from a vast statistical perspective like the perspectives that come up often when discussing Stalin, or Lenin
Anna Louise Strong not only gives insight into life in the USSR but also Soviet attitude towards the world and their country.
Taught me something new and I enjoyed it.
Anna Louise Strong not only gives insight into life in the USSR but also Soviet attitude towards the world and their country.
Taught me something new and I enjoyed it.
July 22, 2025
I've read this book twice, and it is truly wonderful. It doesn't shy away from the challenges and tribulations of socialist construction, but it shows the truth about why the Soviets did what they did: it was all in expectation of an imperialist offensive on their land, and as Strong shows, the Soviets' decisive moves saved itself from a united capitalist invasion of the workers' state.
"They dreaded a joint attack by the armies of most of the world’s nations; they feared that the world line-up would form against the U.S.S.R. ... When the final onslaught came, twenty-two months of fighting in all the lands of Europe had profoundly modified the alignment of forces. The U.S.S.R. actually finds itself in alliance now with Great Britain and receiving war supplies from America, a situation of which, a year or two earlier, the most optimistic Soviet leaders would not have dared to dream. Due to many factors, not the least of which was the Soviet Union’s own diplomacy, the world front, when it began to form, was a front against Hitler."
"They dreaded a joint attack by the armies of most of the world’s nations; they feared that the world line-up would form against the U.S.S.R. ... When the final onslaught came, twenty-two months of fighting in all the lands of Europe had profoundly modified the alignment of forces. The U.S.S.R. actually finds itself in alliance now with Great Britain and receiving war supplies from America, a situation of which, a year or two earlier, the most optimistic Soviet leaders would not have dared to dream. Due to many factors, not the least of which was the Soviet Union’s own diplomacy, the world front, when it began to form, was a front against Hitler."
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews