In this appraisal of the Stalinist regime and its interaction with Russian society during the Terror of the 1930s, Robert W. Thurston uses a wide array of material from newly opened archives. He draws a picture of Stalinism, arguing that the Soviet leader did not intend or need to terrorize the country. More people believed in his quest to eliminate internal enemies than were frightened by it, while millions participated in the full range of the state's acts.