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A compelling account of the continuities and persistent practices of governance in Russian history that shaped both the way Stalin ruled the Soviet Union as well as how Putin dominates Russia today. Getty deploys his vast knowledge of Stalinism to demonstrate that patrimonial patterns of leadership and popular deference were as much a part of the integrated Soviet system as were the bureaucratic institutional norms of the state. --Ronald Grigor Suny, University of Michigan<br>--Ronald G. Suny

A compelling account of the continuities and persistent practices of governance in Russian history that shaped both the way Stalin ruled the Soviet Union as well as how Putin dominates Russia today. Getty deploys his vast knowledge of Stalinism to demonstrate that patrimonial patterns of leadership and popular deference were as much a part of the integrated Soviet system as were the bureaucratic institutional norms of the state. -Ronald Grigor Suny, University of Michigan -- Ronald G. Suny There hasn't been much sign of Russian `democratization' recently. Perhaps it's time to get back to history, Arch Getty's new book suggests, and the `deep structures' of patrimonial power that have underpinned Russian elite politics from medieval times up to the present. This richly documented and wide-ranging study has made a compelling case for doing so. -Stephen White, University of Glasgow -- Stephen White Getty argues that traditional Russian symbols and practices, combined with clientelistic personal rule at all levels, pervaded the Soviet and even post-Soviet political systems. His extensive use of archive sources imparts authenticity and drama to a compelling account of how the past overpowered a regime dedicated to creating the future. An absorbing study. -Geoffrey Hosking, author of Russia and the Russians: A History -- Geoffrey Hosking A lively and interesting work, Practicing Stalinism will surely spark historiographical controversy and should be the topic of wide discussion. -Lynne Viola, author of The Unknown Gulag: The Lost World of Stalin's Special Settlements -- Lynne Viola

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J. Arch Getty is professor of history at UCLA. He lives in Los Angeles.

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