Explores the origins, manifestations, and legacies of the "Stalinism" in the Soviet Union. Using a combination of primary and secondary sources, it interrogates the appropriateness of using the term "totalitarianism" in describing the Stalinist system, examines the impact of Stalinsim on "ordinary" Soviet citizens with a special emphasis on women and non-Russian nationalities, and questions the significance of Stalin's Revolutions and the Great Patriotic War in shaping the U.S.S.R. until its collapse in 1991. 3 Cr.