Everyday Stalinism: Ordinary Life In Extraordinary Times: Soviet Russia In The 1930s

How did people live during Stalin's reign? This book does a fairly good job of explaining. Hardly an apologetic piece this book talks about nepotism, "connections," cronyism and privilege which were the order of the day, as well as (misplaced) idealism and hero worship. It discusses how the ordinary person got by as well as how the growing class of Communist bureacrat justified their own existence within Soviet society. Societal attitudes and culture are also explored. Not an easy read and if your are not already fairly familiar with the state of affairs in the USSR at this time you will have difficulty following it at times. Still, an excellent book and well worth reading.