Under Joseph Stalin, ‘The Short Course on the History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks)’ defined ideology in the USSR. It was compulsory reading for every party member and governed all references to Soviet history, not only in print but on the theatrical stage and silver screen as well. Itwas quite literally the USSR’s master narrative—a hegemonic statement on history, politics, and Marxism-Leninism that scripted Soviet society for a generation. Abroad, the book served as an ideological blueprint during the early Cold War—in Eastern Europe, the People’s Republic of China, and throughout the communist world. This critical edition of the Short Course, edited by the historians David Brandenberger and Mikhail Zelenov, exposes for the first time the enormous role that Stalin played in the development of this all-important text, as well as the unparalleled influence that the dictator wielded over the Soviet historical imagination.