Conventional readings of Soviet art and architecture suggest that modernist utopian aspirations were virtually banned by Stalin's totalitarianism by 1932. However, this work challenges that perspective, radically redefining the historiography of the era. It uncovers a more complex and contradictory relationship between the Party and practicing architects, demonstrating that the architectural avant-garde managed to persist during a time often viewed as its suppression. This book offers a fresh lens through which to analyze, evaluate, and reimagine the history of modernist expression within its cultural context. It provides new insights into how 20th-century social revolutions and their totalitarian aftermaths influenced the discourse surrounding modernity and modernism. The analysis is grounded in close examinations of archival documents and architectural works, many of which have rarely been discussed in English. It includes iconic projects like the Palace of Soviets and the Soviet Pavilion at the 1937 Paris Exposition, alongside lesser-known works that have been overlooked by historians. In a compelling final chapter, it reveals for the first time the details of Frank Lloyd Wright's celebrated reception at the First Congress of Soviet Architects in Moscow in 1937, amidst the backdrop of Stalin's Terror.
