Comparative Historiography Paper 2

(Nasser) - Malcolm H. Kerr: Nasser co-opted Islamic institutions while violently suppressing independent Islamist movements.

Rise to Power

(Stalin) - Robert Service: Stalin's purges reflected his obsessive need for total control. 

Education

(Stalin) - David L. Hoffmann: Soviet education prioritized political conformity over skills.

Youth Groups

Nasser - Joel Gordon: Nasser's youth organizations lacked the disciplinary rigor of their Soviet counterparts.

Industrialization

Nasser - John Waterbury: The Aswan Dam's economic benefits were deliberately overstated for propaganda.

Religion

Malcolm H. Kerr: Nasser co-opted Islamic institutions while violently suppressing independent Islamist movements.

Collectivisation

Stalin - Robert Conquest: The Ukrainian famine constituted deliberate genocide. 

Propaganda

Nasser - Fouad Ajami: Nasser's radio performances created an illusion of intimate leadership.

Foreign Policy

Stalin - Geoffrey Roberts: The Nazi-Soviet Pact revealed Stalin's strategic miscalculations.

Censorship

Stalin - David Brandenberger: Pravda constructed an alternative reality for Soviet citizens.

Women

Nasser - Beth Baron: Nasser's gender reforms were more symbolic than substantive.

Economic myths

Stalin - Stephen Kotkin: Stakhanovite records were theatrical propaganda. 

Elimination of opposition

Nasser - Hazem Kandil: Nasser's Brotherhood crackdown demonstrated preemptive authoritarianism.

Secret Police

Nasser - Owen L. Sirrs: Egypt's security services were less disciplined but equally brutal.

Factionalism

Nasser - Ami Ayalon: Nasser purchased compliance (in media, party, etc.) rather than imposing outright bans.

Cult of Personality

Stalin - Nina Tumarkin: Stalin's cult appropriated religious devotion techniques. 

Scapegoats

Timothy Mitchell: Anti-colonial rhetoric masked authoritarian power grabs.

Military

Nasser - Kirk J. Beattie: Nasser's military obsession undermined economic development.

Healthcare

Stalin - Mark G. Field: Soviet healthcare prioritized industrial productivity over care. 

Political Prisons

Stalin - Anne Applebaum: The Gulag system functioned as economic infrastructure. 

Urbanization

Stalin - Stephen Kotkin: Moscow's showcase projects highlighted rural deprivation. 

Treatment of Artists

Nasser - Walter Armbrust: Nasser permitted cultural expression only when apolitical.

Minorities

Nasser - Saad Eddin Ibrahim: Copts faced institutional discrimination despite legal protections.

Anti-colonial Legacy

Nasser - P.J. Vatikiotis: Nasser maintained colonial-era administrative structures.

Economic Dependance

Nasser - Paul R. Gregory: Forced autarky caused chronic economic stagnation.