Olga Velikanova is Associate Professor of History at the University of North Texas, USA. She specializes in Soviet popular opinion studies and works extensively with declassified Communist party and secret police archives relating to the surveillance of the Soviet population. She is author of five books and numerous articles in this area discussing Soviet social mobilization campaigns and popular perceptions of Soviet politics and of Lenin's image involving historical, anthropological and political culture methods.

First full-length study of the Soviet Constitution of 1936 from the perspective of mass political culture

Draws extensively on archival research to reveal popular opinion and comments about Soviet citizens' values in relation to Stalinist reality

Explores the co-existence of liberal and authoritarian ideas in Soviet society and how this dichotomy created tensions among citizens

1. Introduction.- 2. Sources.- Part I. Government Goals for the Constitution Revision and National Discussion.- 3. The Origins of Constitutional Reform.- 4. Moderation in the Policies of the Mid-1930s.- 5. Motives for the New Constitution.- 6. Soviet Sociopolitical Mobilizations.- 7. The State's Goals for the Nationwide Discussion.- Part II. Popular Perceptions of the Constitution.- 8. The Economic Situation at the Grassroots Level.- 9. Liberal Discourse.- 10. Voices against Liberties.- 11. Other Comments and Recommendations.- 12. Outcome of the Discussion: From Relaxation to Repression.- 13. On Russian Political Culture in the Twentieth Century.- 14. Conclusion.