The Soviet famine of 1946-47 in global and historical perspective

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Where to find it

Davis Library (6th floor)

Call Number
HC340.F3 G36 2009
Status
Available

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Names:

Summary

This book illuminates a little-known but tremendously significant twentieth-century crisis in the Soviet Union. Drawing on archival materials declassified since the fall of communism, Nicholas Ganson situates the famine of 1946-47 at the crossroads of Soviet social and political history, World War II, the Cold War, ideology, and famine in the modern world. He sheds light on the perspectives of Soviet elites and gives voice to the famine s victims. In revealing the multi-causality of the postwar hunger, this ambitious work challenges the received wisdom about the relationship between politics and famine.

Contents

  • List of Tables p. vii
  • List of Figures p. ix
  • Acknowledgments p. xi
  • Introduction: Famine of Victors p. xiii
  • Part I Origins of the Crisis
  • 1 Tracing the Roots of the Failed 1946 Harvest p. 3
  • Part II Societal Impact and Official Policies
  • 2 Exploring the Causes of Child Mortality p. 27
  • 3 Food Shortages and Ration Reforms in the Towns and Cities: Moscow and Beyond p. 47
  • 4 None Date Call It Resistance? Coping, Opposition, and the Soviet State p. 69
  • Part III The Crisis in Broader Perspective
  • 5 The Famine, the Dawn of the Cold War, and the Politics of Food p. 95
  • 6 The Famine of 1946-47 in the Context of Russian History p. 117
  • 7 Placing the Famine of 1946-47 in Global Context p. 137
  • Conclusion p. 149
  • Notes p. 153
  • Bibliography p. 199
  • Index p. 211

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