Based on extensive research in formerly secret archives, this volume examines the progress of Soviet industrialisation against the background of the rising threat of aggression from Germany, Japan and Italy, and the consolidation of Stalin's power.

A major new contribution to understanding the transition of Soviet society from Stalinism to a more humane model of socialism.

Russian Social Science Reader is one of a series designed for non-linguists who need knowledge of the Russian language in order to pursue their interests in fields other than language or literature. The purpose of this book is to provide real assistance to the trained social scientist who, having already mastered his own discipline, is willing to devote a little time to mastering the Russian language for the purpose of reading specialist material in his own field. The book begins with discussions of Russian syntax and word formation, and Russian political, economic, and legal terminologies. Separate chapters then provide extracts from the Constitution of the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and Constitution of the USSR in Russian with English translations; and extracts dealing with wide range of topics that illustrate a range of linguistic usage. Topics covered include housing and education, employment of the disabled, industrialization, collectivization of agriculture, and the Soviet economic and legal systems.

“One of the finest, most gripping surveys of the history of Russian science in the twentieth century.” —Douglas Smith, author of Former People: The Final Days of the Russian Aristocracy Stalin and the Scientists tells the story of the many gifted scientists who worked in Russia from the years leading up to the revolution through the death of the “Great Scientist” himself, Joseph Stalin. It weaves together the stories of scientists, politicians, and ideologues into an intimate and sometimes horrifying portrait of a state determined to remake the world. They often wreaked great harm. Stalin was himself an amateur botanist, and by falling under the sway of dangerous charlatans like Trofim Lysenko (who denied the existence of genes), and by relying on antiquated ideas of biology, he not only destroyed the lives of hundreds of brilliant scientists, he caused the death of millions through famine. But from atomic physics to management theory, and from radiation biology to neuroscience and psychology, these Soviet experts also made breakthroughs that forever changed agriculture, education, and medicine. A masterful book that deepens our understanding of Russian history, Stalin and the Scientists is a great achievement of research and storytelling, and a gripping look at what happens when science falls prey to politics. Longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction in 2016 A New York Times Book Review “Paperback Row” selection “Ings’s research is impressive and his exposition of the science is lucid . . . Filled with priceless nuggets and a cast of frauds, crackpots and tyrants, this is a lively and interesting book, and utterly relevant today.” —The New York Times Book Review “A must read for understanding how the ideas of scientific knowledge and technology were distorted and subverted for decades across the Soviet Union.” —The Washington Post