David L. Hoffmann

By focusing on the concept of "cultural norms" David Hoffman seeks to identify the particulars of just what was "Stalinist" about the Soviet Union in the 1930s, when so many of the values and goals espoused by the Soviet leadership were also of importance to other societies seeking to cope with the demands of mass society. To a large degree utopian intentions could not overcome the crusading mentality of the Communist Party, nor the ruthless mentality bred by the Russian Civil War; never mind how much of this whole experience you want to attribute to Stalin's nature as a personage.

I should really like this book better, but it seems like it could have been a little more substantive. One gets the impression that it was really written for college undergrads, and that if you've done any serious reading at all about the Soviet Union you might feel vaguely like you're being talked down to. I also have the thought that if you're going to do a somewhat comparative analysis go truly comparative, and then examine the Soviet experience not just in terms of the liberal capitalist experience, but also in regards to the fascist experience.… (meer)