The collapse of the USSR, the end of the Cold War and the opening of the Soviet archives have transformed both what is known about the events of the Stalin period and the historian's perspective. Published 50 years after his death, this revised and expanded second edition looks at the entire period of Stalin's rule and includes chapters on ideology, politics, economic development, social change, the nationalities, culture and external relations (including World War II) and the Great Terror. The interpretation stresses the connnection between internal and external policy and the influence of ideology on both. Mawdsley includes many primary resources, which provide insights into the Stalin era. Some of these are important theoretical or propaganda documents which are re-published here together for the first time in many years. Others are secret items from the Russian archives that have only become available since late 1980s.