This book brings together fascinating testimonies from thirty inhabitants of the "Kommunalka," the communal apartments that were a common feature of Russian cities during the Soviet era. Beginning in 1920, multiple Russian families--purposefully selected from different social classes--were relocated and crammed together into single apartments. The intent was not simply to level out class differences, but also to create spy networks within homes and extend the government's surveillance and control over citizens. Possibly the most important social experiment undertaken by the Soviet regime, the...

This book brings together fascinating testimonies from thirty inhabitants of the 'Kommunalka,' the communal apartments that were the norm in housing in the cities of Russia during the whole history of the Soviet Union.