Stalinism and its origins became a hot political issue in the last days of the Soviet Union and remains a question of abiding importance and concern for those interested in Russian affairs. The aim of this book is to survey the literature dealing with Stalinism, provide a rounded analysis of what Stalinism means, and suggest a line of investigation to be pursued if we are to understand the origins of the system. An update of the first edition in light of the opening of the Soviet archives and recent scholarship, this book surveys arguments about the origins of the Stalinist phenomenon. It discusses the way in which the different faces of Stalinism (economic, social, cultural and political) changed over time, and shows how the fall of the USSR was connected to the nature of Stalinism.