Lenin was an unambiguous supporter of total censorship and control of culture, while, interestingly, a young Stalin defended Bulgakov against charges of 'bourgeois' leanings. By charting the direction of theatre, literature and the Bolshevik leadership in this period, Steven Richmond provides a fascinating history of cultural life in communist Russia - and an insight into the character of totalitarianism itself. Essential reading for students and scholars of twentieth century social, literary and cultural history, this will become one of the key works on censorship in the early Soviet Union.