"The Short Course on the History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks)" defined Stalinist ideology both at home and abroad. It was quite literally the the master narrative of the USSR – a hegemonic statement on history, politics, an...

The USSR is often regarded as the world's first propaganda state. Particularly under Stalin, politically charged rhetoric and imagery dominated the press, the schools, and the cultural forums from literature and cinema to the fine arts. Yet party pro...