How the Soviet Union got over Stalin – or thought it did
His successors proclaimed a more liberal socialism. But was it ever real?
ByJoseph Stalin
The friendship that made Shostakovich
The Gates of Kyiv explores the friendship between the composer and the pianist Maria Yudina – and the horrors of…
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Why Vladimir Putin is beholden to Stalin’s legacy
The Russian president has embraced the Soviet cult of fear and control. His invasion of Ukraine is a colossal gamble…
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Vladimir Putin has failed to learn Stalin’s lessons
The Russian president wants his country to be feared and respected, but the failures of his military are increasingly clear.
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Will Vladimir Putin declare war on 9 May?
Fears are rising that the Russian president will use the annual Victory Day holiday to escalate his offensive in Ukraine,…
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“It gets people killed”: Osip Mandelstam and the perils of writing poetry under Stalin
The cat-and-mouse game between the poet Osip Mandelstam and the Soviet dictator could only end in death.
ByJulius West’s reports for the New Statesman offer a first hand account of the uneasy beginnings of Bolshevik rule.
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What are “Trots” and “Tankies”?
Unpicking the political name-calling on the British left.
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