Review of 'Practicing Stalinism: Bolsheviks, Boyars, and the Persistence of Tradition'
Journal: Reviews in History
Year: 2014

Recent developments in Ukraine and Crimea have raised a number of questions about Russia and her political machinations.Some of the most perceptive reports have noted that Vladimir Putin's inner circle, his decision-making core, appears to have shrunk or concentrated over recent months; now centring around a loyal contingent of hardliners, including friends and former classmates of Russia's über male leader dating back to his years at the KGB Higher School in Leningrad.The implication being that