Massenverfolgungen und dogmatischer Import

Abstract

"Research on Stalinism, in comparison to the reception of National Socialism, has to struggle with a source and methodology asymmetry in the area of totalitarianism. This led to uncritical acceptance of analytical and evaluative categories, to dogmatic adoption and, as a consequence, to highly problematic conclusions that, at the same time, prove to be very resistant. As a first step out, this paper is offering positivistic source analysis of the mass persecutions in the Soviet Union." (author's abstract)