Building Socialism in Bolshevik Russia: Ideology and Industrial Organization, 1917-1921

Review “This thoughtful book has an interesting thesis: that the failure of the Bolsheviks to create 'the socialist society to which their doctrine pointed and on which their legitimacy depended' was the consequence of their attempt to do so through the process of 'societal mobilization'. . . . He then provides strong support for his thesis by analyzing the weakness of central control, focusing on the bureaucratization of state power and on the development of gray and black markets, the demonstrative consequences (along with repressive force) of the inability of the state to create a socialist order.”—Slavic Review“In this study of a neglected period of Soviet history, the author concentrates on issues that reveal the complex and changing relationship between state and society. It is an important document for the serious students of Soviet studies and history.”—Educational Book Review“Adding to the current interest of historians in the process of socialist state-building, Remington emphasizes the importance of studying socialist 'society-building' as well. . . . an intriguing concept.”—American Historical Review Product Description Remington profiles the Bolshevik project of social transformation and political centralization known as War Communism. He argues that the effort to institute a centrally planned and administered economy shapedthe ideology of the regime, the relations between the regime and the working class, and the character of state power. About the Author Thomas F. Remington is professor of political science at Emory University.