16 Facts About Merle Fainsod

Merle Fainsod was an American political scientist best known for his work on public administration and as a scholar of the Soviet Union.

Merle Fainsod was born in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania on May 2,1907, and spent his childhood years there.

In 1920, after the death of his father, Merle Fainsod's family moved to St Louis.

In 1932, Merle Fainsod traveled to the Soviet Union on a Sheldon Fellowship, gaining his first exposure to the country.

Merle Fainsod was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1950.

Merle Fainsod was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1961.

In 1969 after violence and unrest on the Harvard campus, Merle Fainsod led the Merle Fainsod Committee to study the issue of reform to Harvard's government.

Merle Fainsod died of a heart attack on February 11,1972 in the Harvard hospital.

In 1934, Merle Fainsod co-authored the book The American People and Their Government with Arnold Lien.

Merle Fainsod revised his doctoral dissertation and published it in 1935 as International Socialism and the World War.

In 1941, Merle Fainsod released his third book, Government and the American Economy, co-authored with Lincoln Gordon.

In 1953, Merle Fainsod finished his book How Russia is Ruled.

In 1963, Merle Fainsod released a revised edition of How Russia is Ruled.

In 1958, Merle Fainsod released another book on the Soviet Union, Smolensk under Soviet Rule.

Merle Fainsod presented many insights into the inner workings of Soviet governance before World War II.

In 1991, Catherine Merridale wrote in the Slavic Review: "Merle Fainsod's interpretation has dated," but she still praised some aspects of the book, including its study of the NKVD and dekulakization.