The voice of the people: letters from the Soviet village 1918 - 1932

Cover -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Note on Transliteration and Translation -- Note on the Documents -- Introduction -- CHAPTER 1. Revolution and War Communism -- CHAPTER 2. The Old Village and the New Economic Policy -- CHAPTER 3. Smychka: The Bond between City and Village -- CHAPTER 4. Was Society Transformed? -- CHAPTER 5. People and Power -- CHAPTER 6. Whither Socialism? -- CHAPTER 7. The Great Break -- Conclusion -- Notes -- List of Documents -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Y -- Z.

This book presents the first comprehensive collection in English of peasant writings during the early years of the Bolshevik regime. Drawn entirely from Russian archival sources, it presents more than 150 previously unpublished letters addressed to newspapers, government officials, and Communist Party leaders. The letters and accompanying commentary result in a unique history of the Soviet peasantry's engagement and struggle with a powerful state, enabling readers to hear the voice of a social class that throughout history has too often been rendered voiceless