Caviar with Champagne

The book explores the paradox of luxury goods in Stalin's Russia during the 1930s, a time marked by political repression and widespread poverty. It reveals how the Soviet government sought to establish a commercial culture that mirrored Western consumerism, promoting high-quality products like caviar and champagne while millions faced starvation. Through previously overlooked archival materials, the author analyzes the ideological motivations behind this shift towards consumption and the contradictions it presented within a socialist framework.