The Sorcerer as Apprentice: Stalin as Commissar of Nationalities, 1917-1924

by Stephen J. Blank

Overview

The current struggles over nationality policy in Russia and in neighboring states are rooted in the history of the Narkomnats and in policies that Stalin established as Commissar. This history, based in large part on primary research, describes the Commissariat of Nationalities from 1917 to 1924, Stalin's role as its chief, and the policies that were the origins of the current ethnic dilemmas throughout the now collapsed Soviet Empire. This rich history is intended for scholars, students, and policymakers in European history and Slavic studies, and for general readers interested in the background of political and social conflicts in the former Soviet republics today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313286834
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	10/30/1994
Series:	Contributions in Military Studies , #14
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.75(d)
Lexile:	1640L (what's this?)

About the Author

STEPHEN BLANK, Professor of Soviet Studies and National Security Analyst at the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College, coedited The Soviet Military and the Future with Jacob Kipp (1993). He is also the author of War and the New Thinking: Soviet Policies in Central and Latin America (1992) and Operational Strategic Lessons of the Soviet War in Afghanistan (1991).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
The Origins of Narkomnats
The First Days of Narkomnats
Expansion and Consolidation
Narkomnats in Sovnarkom, 1918-19
Narkomnats Reorganization and Nationality Policy During the NEP 1921-23
The Local Branches of Narkomnats, 1918-23
The Development of Soviet Cultural Policy: Language, Education, and Religion
The Origins of Sultangalievism
The Crisis of Soviet Nationality Policy 1922-23
Denouement: The Trial of Sultangaliev and the End of Narkomnats
Epilogue: Narkomnats, the National Question, and the Rise of Stalinism
Appendix: Delegates to Sultangaliev's Trial
Notes
Bibliographic Essay
Index