Policing post-Stalin society

Stalin and Our Times

The paper considers how a number of features of Stalin’s rule that appear most pointless or counter–productive from a present day standpoint, summed up as “futile repression”, can be understood as the rational choices of a dictator optimising his regime. The same reasoning may be applied to those aspects of Stalin’s legacy that are most commonly seen as positive, such as the industrial and mili...

a Post - Communist Society

Society and Post-Graduate Programmes

It is not always possible to give up-to-date information about future meetings, etc., because programmes are not always completed in time to be included. A list of medical societies and secretaries has, therefore, been given at the end of this news. Some regular '^formal meetings held in Bristol at which visitors will be welcome are included. The editor will be glad to receive corrections and a...

Stalin on Stamps: Design, Propaganda, Politics

Was Stalin Necessary for Russias Economic Development?

This paper studies structural transformation of Soviet Russia in 1928-1940 from an agrarian to an industrial economy through the lens of a two-sector neoclassical growth model. We construct a large dataset that covers Soviet Russia during 1928-1940 and Tsarist Russia during 1885-1913. We use a two-sector growth model to compute sectoral TFPs as well as distortions and wedges in the capital, lab...