ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the work of Soviet historian Anna Pankratova (1897–1957)—one of the twentieth century's most influential contributors to the study of Russian labour history. Following the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953, Pankratova championed the liberalization of historical scholarship in the Soviet Union and was instrumental in the rewriting of Stalinist history books. Widely recognized for her commitment to both revolutionary activism and historical scholarship, she was appointed to a series of prestigious positions throughout her career, including as a member of the Academy of Sciences, head of history at Moscow State University, and editor-in-chief of the leading Soviet history journal, Voprosy istorii [Questions of History]. Though writing under “the banner of Soviet patriotism,” Pankratova consistently challenged official orthodoxies, risking the loss of not only her career but indeed her life. In recognition of her ability to survive numerous political purges, scholars have come to refer to Pankratova as the historian with nine lives. The chapter concludes with an extract from a Memorandum written by Pankratova to Party officials in 1956, in which she considers public reaction to a change in the characterization of the Soviet past after Stalin's death.
