AmidstthevastliteratureonthepartiesandpoliticsofrevolutionaryRussiaanditsnearconstantappropriationforpresentistpurposesovertheyears,StatesofAnxietyassessestheeffectsofthegreatscarcitiesandenormouslossesthatRussiaexperiencedbetween1914and1921,aperiodofdramaticcivilconflictsandRussia’s“longWorldWar.“Scarcitiesmeantnotonlythedeficitsofnecessarygoodslikefood,butalsotheiraccompanyinganxietiesandfears.Usingarchivaldocumentsandmaterialsoftheperiodalmostexclusively,thisstudyexploreshowthetsarist,democraticliberal,democraticsocialist,andBolshevikregimesalladdressedtheformsandeffectsofscarcityandlossinwaystheyhopedwouldassuretherevolutionaryoutcomesoftheirownhistoricalimaginations.Lookingcloselyattheirefforts,itsuggestshowandwhyeachfailedtodoso.ApproachingtheRussianrevolutionaryperiodinthesetermsinvolvesexploringabroadrangeofconnectedissues.Materialscarcitiesinvolvedproblemswithmarketexchange,prices,andinflation,aswellasprocurement,production,anddistribution.Theyinvolvedfiscalpolicies,monetaryemissions,andtheeffectsofescalatingdebt.Buttheyalsodirectlyengagedculturalunderstandingsoffairness,sacrifice,andsocialdifference,andwereaccompaniedbywhattodaywouldbecalledtodaytheanxietiesof“foodinsecurity,“thedangerousrisksofunemployment,andarangeoffearsaboutfamilyandcommunitywelfare.Officialsandmembersofvariousstateandpubliccommitteesofvariouspoliticalorientationsfacedboththethreatsandactualitiesofmarketcollapse,rampantspeculation,blackmarkets,increasinglyvisiblesocialinequalities,andanarrayofemotionalfieldswhoseimplicationsneedtobeunderstood.Thestatisticalandotherobjectivedimensionsofscarcityandlossaregenerallydescribedinwaysthatomittheircomplexemotionaldimension,asthelanguageof“foodinsecurity“obscurestheactualeffectsofhunger.Whiletakingintoaccountimportantrecentcontributionstoalargehistoriography,neweffortstodecipherhistoricalfeelingsandemotions,andattentiontothelanguagesthroughwhicheventsandfeelingsbothwererepresentedandgivencoherence,thisbookcontributestoabroaderunderstandingofthesocialandculturalfoundationsofuprisingsandrevolutionaryupheavals.
prices production ANXIETY STATES PRICES PRODUCTION
