Before Stalinism: The Rise and Fall of Soviet Democracy

by Samuel Farber

Overview

Before Stalinism is a historical study of democratic life and institutions and their decline in the early years of the Russian Revolution. While attempting to synthesize a wealth of available historical material, the author assesses the extent to which the disappearance of Soviet democracy was due to objective circumstances, for example the impact of the Civil War, and the extent to which it was the result of Bolshevik politics and ideology. The author shows how there were, contrary to later Stalinist and Cold War mythologies, significant disputes within the pre-Stalinist Bolshevik camp about the preservation of the substantial democratic elements of the October upheaval.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780860915300
Publisher:	Verso Books
Publication date:	10/17/1990
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.97(w) x 8.97(h) x 0.64(d)

About the Author

Samuel Farber is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Brooklyn College, New York. Born and raised in Marianao, Cuba, he is the author of several works, including Revolution and Reaction in Cuba, The Origins of the Cuban Revolution Reconsidered, Cuba Since the Revolution of 1959, and The Politics of Che Guevara.

Table of Contents

Dedication.

Acknowledgements.

Major Events in Russian History 1917-1924.

Introduction.

1. The Rise and Decline of Democratic Soviets.

2. The Fate of Workers Control and Trade Union Independence.

3. Freedom of the Press.

4. Repression.

5. Socialist Legality.

Part II: Before Stalinism: Political Alternatives. .

6. Revolutionary Alternatives to Mainstream Bolshevism.

7. After the Civil War: Lenin's NEP as an Alternative (1921-1923).

Epilogue.

Bibliography.

Editorial Reviews

When did the Russian Revolution go wrong and why? Whether one shares Samuel Farber’s views or not, his is an important, at once thoughtful and passionate, contribution to one of the major debates of our time.”
—Daniel Singer, European Correspondent for The Nation

From the Publisher