Taking a break from the thrilling world of statistics, today I zero in on the crown jewel of Soviet industrial expansion, the construction of the industrial city of Magnitogorsk. From an empty steppe there was built an entire city with the purpose of cranking out the steel and iron that would help fuel Soviet industry. It was no small task, and the eventual success of the project stands as a testament to the perseverance of the Soviet workers who made it happen.

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Kotkin, Stephen Magnetic Mountain: Stalinism as a Civilization University of California Press 1997
2. Allen, Robert C. Farm to Factory: A Reinterpretation of the Soviet Industrial Revolution Princeton University Press 2003

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