What do you think?
Rate this book
Lenin's Brain and Other Tales from the Secret Soviet Archives
The secret world of the Soviet Union revealed
The opening of the once-secret Soviet state and party archives in the early 1990s proved to be an event of exceptional significance. When Western scholars broke down the official wall of secrecy that had stood for decades, they gained access to intriguing new knowledge they had previously only had been able to speculate about. In this fascinating volume, Paul Gregory takes us behind scenes and into the archives to illuminate the dark inner workings of the Soviet Union.
He reveals, for example, the bizarre story of the state-sponsored scientific study of Lenin's brain. Originally conceived to "prove" Lenin's genius, the plan was never revealed to the public--for to do so was more than the security-conscious Soviet leadership could have borne. Gregory also exposes the harsh features of Stalin's criminal justice system--in which the theft of state and collective property was punished far more severely than the theft of private property. Indeed, the theft of small amounts of grain was punishable by ten years in the Gulag or a death sentence. The author also illuminates the true story behind the December 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, telling how the ill-conceived incursion was ordered by a Politburo of aging and ill leaders who would not be around to deal with the long-term consequences of their decision.
In addition, the book examines such topics as Stalin's Great Terror, the day-to-day life of Gulag guards, Lenin's repression of "noncommunist" physicians and his purge of intellectuals, the 1940 Soviet execution of 20,000 Poles, and other previously well-concealed tales.
Paul Gregory, a Hoover Institution research fellow, holds an endowed professorship in the Department of Economics at the University of Houston, Texas, and is a research professor at the German Institute for Economic Research in Berlin.
The opening of the once-secret Soviet state and party archives in the early 1990s proved to be an event of exceptional significance. When Western scholars broke down the official wall of secrecy that had stood for decades, they gained access to intriguing new knowledge they had previously only had been able to speculate about. In this fascinating volume, Paul Gregory takes us behind scenes and into the archives to illuminate the dark inner workings of the Soviet Union.
He reveals, for example, the bizarre story of the state-sponsored scientific study of Lenin's brain. Originally conceived to "prove" Lenin's genius, the plan was never revealed to the public--for to do so was more than the security-conscious Soviet leadership could have borne. Gregory also exposes the harsh features of Stalin's criminal justice system--in which the theft of state and collective property was punished far more severely than the theft of private property. Indeed, the theft of small amounts of grain was punishable by ten years in the Gulag or a death sentence. The author also illuminates the true story behind the December 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, telling how the ill-conceived incursion was ordered by a Politburo of aging and ill leaders who would not be around to deal with the long-term consequences of their decision.
In addition, the book examines such topics as Stalin's Great Terror, the day-to-day life of Gulag guards, Lenin's repression of "noncommunist" physicians and his purge of intellectuals, the 1940 Soviet execution of 20,000 Poles, and other previously well-concealed tales.
Paul Gregory, a Hoover Institution research fellow, holds an endowed professorship in the Department of Economics at the University of Houston, Texas, and is a research professor at the German Institute for Economic Research in Berlin.
- GenresRussiaHistoryNonfiction
181 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2007
4 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 8, 2019
The Inside View of Some Archival Material
Worth the easy read. One learns a bit of the inside story that can’t be related in very general histories.
Worth the easy read. One learns a bit of the inside story that can’t be related in very general histories.
December 20, 2009
Kind of Dry. Had a few interesting stories, but I'm sure they could have had alot more. Perhaps the KGB wouldn't allow it?
September 17, 2015
The subject matter is interesting, but it's told in the most boring way possible.
October 12, 2025
A fascinating collection of essays on various episodes that the Soviet archives shed light on in the late twentieth century when so much was opened up for the first, and last time. Of course some are more interesting then others - the tale of the posthumous fate of Lenin's brain has been told many times (I personally like the novel 'Lenin's Brain' by Tilman Spengler) - the information on the ship of philosophers has been comprehensively told in 'The Philosophy Steamer: Lenin and the Exile of the Intelligentsia' by Lesley Chamberlain but I defy anyone to read the chapter 'Vladimir Moroz: Stalin's Orphans' and if not weep then be sickened at the dry NKVD language that records the destruction of one of Stalin's victims. That he was a child only adds to the poignancy, as does his innocence.
A collection of fascinating vignettes into a world we have never properly come to terms with.
A collection of fascinating vignettes into a world we have never properly come to terms with.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews