Soviet Criminal Justice under Stalin, first published in 1997, is a comprehensive account of Stalin's struggle to make criminal law in the USSR a reliable instrument of rule. Using recently declassified archives, Peter Solomon tells the revealing story of non-political justice, on the local scene as well as in the center. Contrary to conventional wisdom, Solomon emphasizes the initial weakness of the Soviet state and the limits of Stalin's capacity to rule. Solomon's study also offers new perspectives on collectivization, the Great Terror, the politics of abortion and the disciplining of the labour force. This book should appeal to anyone interested in the political, social, or legal history of the USSR, judicial reform in post-Soviet states, law in authoritarian regimes, or comparative legal development.

Soviet Criminal Justice Under Stalin is a comprehensive 1997 account of Stalin's struggle to make criminal law a reliable instrument of rule.
Reviews
"A historical study examines Stalin's struggle to make criminal law in the U.S.S.R. a reliable instrument of rule. Data were obtained from recently declassified archives and from interviews and secondary sources." Criminal Justice Abstracts
"This erudite, calmly reasoned book should be the starting point for all who want to understand how the Soviet Union was ruled, and why it failed." Jane Burbank, The Russian Review
"Solomon does an excellent job of placing Soviet criminal policy in a comparative context. All Russian historians of the modern period, as well as scholars of law, legal history, revolutions, and comparative politics will find this book essential reading." J. Arch Getty, Slavic Review
"This large work on criminal justice under Joseph Stalin is a first-rate book on a difficult subject. Yet Peter H. Solomon Jr.'s discussion of the Soviet use of criminal justice and its bureaucratization makes a fascinating read. ...demonstrates the complex and contradictory development of Stalinism well. The present book has to be read by anyone interested in Stalinism." Hiroaki Kuromiya, American Historical Review
"...monumental... Solomon exploits an impressive array of sources, including the recently declassified holdings of several archives, central and local newspapers and journals, and approximately sixty interviews with former Soviet legal officials. This study will become required reading for specialists interested in the history of Soviet law, institutions, education, labour, and society,as well as for students of comparative legal system." Heather Coleman, Canadian Journal of History



Book Information
ISBN 9780521400893
Author Peter H. Solomon, Jr
Format Hardback
Page Count 520
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 930g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 33mm