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Annals of Communism
Stalin's Master Narrative: A Critical Edition of the History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks), Short Course
A critical edition of the text that defined communist party ideology in Stalin’s Soviet Union
The Short Course on the History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks) defined Stalinist ideology both at home and abroad. It was quite literally the the master narrative of the USSR—a hegemonic statement on history, politics, and Marxism-Leninism that scripted Soviet society for a generation. This study exposes the enormous role that Stalin played in the development of this all-important text, as well as the unparalleled influence that he wielded over the Soviet historical imagination.
The Short Course on the History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks) defined Stalinist ideology both at home and abroad. It was quite literally the the master narrative of the USSR—a hegemonic statement on history, politics, and Marxism-Leninism that scripted Soviet society for a generation. This study exposes the enormous role that Stalin played in the development of this all-important text, as well as the unparalleled influence that he wielded over the Soviet historical imagination.
- GenresHistory
760 pages, Hardcover
Published March 26, 2019
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February 9, 2020
This book has felt like the longest book that I have ever read.
While it has been fascinating to read a book that encapsulates such a supreme piece of Communist Party propaganda at a very particular point in time, I think this book fails in its premise.
What this edition offers over just purchasing a copy of the Communist Party history is a side-by-side comparison of the initial draft of this book by two writers, and the edits and changes that were made by Stalin in 1938. However, I don’t feel like much is gained from explicitly reading both versions of the book (which is what you do) as it means that so much time is spent reading the same information twice but with different structure. Couple this with the fact that propaganda is going to be repetitive, makes this a difficult book to read.
That’s not to say that the analysis of the edits doesn’t provide an insight into Stalin’s motivations - because of course they do - but that purpose can be served by Brandenberger’s introduction to each chapter (which he succeeds at marvellously).
My issue with this book comes from its description as a “critical edition”. There is minimal fact-checking of the content of this Communist Party history. Due to the fact that I wanted a critical look on the party dogma, I am quite disappointed with what this book offers and how it accepts Stalin’s words as fact.
The annotations throughout primarily serve as references to who is believed to have made each edit, rather than pointing out deliberate lies or exaggerations.
The most outlandish example is the glaring absence of any critiques of the famously corrupt show trials in 1936-1938, allowing them to be presented as evidence of the “conspirators” and their “misdeeds” and “deliberate sabotage”.
After all of that, I’m glad that I read this as it’s a relic that needs to be captured and made more readily available. However, as all this book has made me want to do is read another - actually critical - book lets me know that this book fundamentally fails.
While it has been fascinating to read a book that encapsulates such a supreme piece of Communist Party propaganda at a very particular point in time, I think this book fails in its premise.
What this edition offers over just purchasing a copy of the Communist Party history is a side-by-side comparison of the initial draft of this book by two writers, and the edits and changes that were made by Stalin in 1938. However, I don’t feel like much is gained from explicitly reading both versions of the book (which is what you do) as it means that so much time is spent reading the same information twice but with different structure. Couple this with the fact that propaganda is going to be repetitive, makes this a difficult book to read.
That’s not to say that the analysis of the edits doesn’t provide an insight into Stalin’s motivations - because of course they do - but that purpose can be served by Brandenberger’s introduction to each chapter (which he succeeds at marvellously).
My issue with this book comes from its description as a “critical edition”. There is minimal fact-checking of the content of this Communist Party history. Due to the fact that I wanted a critical look on the party dogma, I am quite disappointed with what this book offers and how it accepts Stalin’s words as fact.
The annotations throughout primarily serve as references to who is believed to have made each edit, rather than pointing out deliberate lies or exaggerations.
The most outlandish example is the glaring absence of any critiques of the famously corrupt show trials in 1936-1938, allowing them to be presented as evidence of the “conspirators” and their “misdeeds” and “deliberate sabotage”.
After all of that, I’m glad that I read this as it’s a relic that needs to be captured and made more readily available. However, as all this book has made me want to do is read another - actually critical - book lets me know that this book fundamentally fails.
Displaying 1 of 1 review