HSE Publishing House

Based on the authentic ego-documents, the monograph reconstructs the lifeworld of a Party journalist Michail Danilkin who belonged to the first Soviet generation. The book reconstructs his genealogy, the images of post-war reality, the notions of the Soviet and anti-Soviet, the inner threats for socialism. The backbone of his picture of the world was the figure of Stalin. The book lays particular emphasis on Danilkin’s politically oriented practices which resulted in his conviction in March 1953 under section 10 of article 58 of the RSFSR Penal Code (counter-revolutionary propaganda and agitation). The authors assume that Michail Danilkin’s opinions and actions, notwithstanding their particularity, were nevertheless aligned with the mentality of Party members who worked in the system of Agitprop.
The book is designed for students and professors of humanities, as well as for all interested in the life of people under Stalin.