Comprehension as the basis of historicism: about the book “Stalinism and the peasantry”

The article analyses the collection of research papers titled “Stalinism and the Peasantry” (Moscow, 2014). It features the proceedings of the panel discussion which was held in the framework of the research project “The People and Power”. The panel brought out the following questions for discussion: Was there any alternative to the collectivization of agriculture in the USSR under the guidance of I.V. Stalin? What was the collectivization as an option for the agrarian reform? What factors affected the implementation of collectivization? What did it bring to the peasants and the USSR at large? The article discusses the panel's key viewpoints, states serious controversy among them and reveals the reasons for such controversy. The article concludes with the results of the discussion in the context of modern historiographical situation.