Forsake Fear : Memoirs of an Historian

First published in 1991, Forsake Fear is the history of historians in post-war Soviet society. Nekrich, in recounting his own brave story, tells us how he dared to challenge the prevailing conformism. From his unique ad riveting vantage point, Nekrich also provides a broader picture of Soviet society and its intellectual life during high Stalinism and after. In 1945, Aleksandr Nekrich returned from the front. He spent the next three decades at the centre of the Soviet historical profession. He maintained friendships with such noted public figures such as Ivan Maisky, Soviet ambassador to Britain, and Abram Deborin, whom Stalin branded a ‘Menshevik-idealist.’ He also encountered writers, artists, scientists, and even spies. Among Soviet historians, Nekrich was the only one who dared to break the taboo and declare that the Stalin-Hitler pact was advantageous to Nazi Germany. This book will be of interest to students of history, literature, international relations, and political science.