Debates on Stalinism

Mark Edele is Hansen Professor in History at the University of Melbourne

• Debates on Stalinism: an introductionPart 1: Biography and historiography1. A ‘withering crossfire’: debating Stalinism in the Cold War2. Marxism-Lewinism and the origins of Stalinism3. The Russian origins of totalitarianism: empire and nation4. Unrevisionist revisionismPart II: Cold War debates5. Stalinism with Stalin left in6. Totalitarianism and revisionism7. After revisionismPart III: contemporary debates8. Fighting Russia's history wars9. Holodomor: a transnational historyNew perspectives on Stalinism? A conclusionFurther readingIndex

‘[…] explains – in clear and lucid terms – why Stalinism is important, and why it is still important today.’Professor Matthew Stibbe, Sheffield Hallam University' [...] Edele is to be commended for his exposition of the intricate, intense debates over the past half-century within Anglo-American academia and more recently within the Soviet successor states, notably Russia and the Ukraine.History Australia'[...] this book presents an excellent overview of some of the conflicts over Stalinism and an incisive analysis of some of the themes within that debate. It is a welcome addition to our literature on this subject.'The Russian Review'[...] His approach to debates among historians about Stalinism is biographical, contains a good deal about their infighting, and seeks to define – and complicate – schools of thought. That he has made a worthy contribution to Manchester University Press’ series on Issues of Historiography is a testament to the magnitude of his reading, the sharpness and consistency of his argument, and the unusual politicisation of the subject he has chosen.'Labour History"demonstrates that a historiographical essay (a genre many students consider boring) can be interesting reading… excellent medicine against … [historical amnesia] for all students of Stalinism."IVAN KURILLAEuropean University at St. Petersburg, JSPPS 7:2 (2021)