I really wish books would be a little more specific with their titles. While I thought that the book would be based on general U.S.S.R. cultural policy towards it's citizens, it turned out to be an account of Soviet cultural imperialism towards the indigenous and ethnic groups living in Siberia. The book does an excellent job at documenting a century of frequently changing cultural policy concerning Russia's surrounding minorities. For instance, at first the goal was to bless these barbarian groups with civilization. Collectivization of their farms and fishing industries ensued, as did education. Russians created a written language using Latin instead of Cyrillic letters due to the fact that they were "more international". (The concept of a state creating a written language for an illiterate population fascinated me.) A few decades later, Stalin reversed the policy, scrapping the old written language for a new Cyrillic one, implementing an indirect policy of Russianization. This book was an interesting account of a small peoples' cultural roller coaster ride - especially if you are the resident of a colony such as myself.
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