The early Soviet Union's nationalities policy involved the formation of many national republics, within which "nation building" and "modernization" were undertaken for the benefit of "backward" peoples. Professor Audrey Altstadt's new book published by Routledge Press considers how such policies were implemented in Azerbaijan and argues that the Soviet policies were in fact a form of imperalism, with "nation building" and "modernization" imposed firmly along Soviet lines. Read more here.