ABSTRACT
The question underlying all studies of Lysenkoism is what determined its success. Why was Lysenkoism attractive to the Stalinist regime and the regime that followed after Stalin’s death? The scope of this question may also be extended to, Why was (and may still be) Lysenkoism so appealing to many people, including scientists? As with any complex historical phenomena, the answers developed in some works on Lysenkoism are routinely refuted in other works. However, in this give-and-take, there emerge several common themes in terms of which the discussion of Lysenkoism is couched. These themes are: the correspondence of Lysenkoism and classical genetics to Marxist-Leninist dialectical materialism, the fitting of Lysenkoism and genetics into the dominant ideology of Stalinist Russia, Stalin’s personal preference for one of these doctrines, and the practical achievements of the Lysenkoist and genetic doctrines.
