Stalin, Bukharin, and History as Conspiracy

The following essay, a detailed examination of the 1938 Moscow Trial at which Nikolai Bukharin was the major defendant, is presented here not only for its intrinsic interest, but as a contribution to the discussion of totalitarianism which has been conducted recurrently in our pages. For those of our readers who recall from their own experience the storm of controversy raised by the Moscow Trials, Mr. Tucker’s analysis will raise a variety of fascinating problems; for readers too young to remember the Trials, this account should be of special value in making them familiar with one of the major events of our time.

Robert Tucker is a Professor of Politics at Princeton University and director of its program in Russian studies; ...