The book was published twice in Russian, translated into English, and individual chapters appeared in many European languages. The book is highly appreciated by reviewers in world literature as the most complete description of the history of the intervention of the Communist Party in the development of science, which opened up space for the prosperity of charlatans and crooks and led to the prohibition of many priority areas of Russian science. Extensive archival finds allowed the author to radically rework the book for this edition, by incorporating new data and concepts. Chapters appeared about the persecution of scientists in the early 1930s, about the destruction of Vavilov’s school, and about the mass arrests of biologists and agronomists. The personal fate of N. I. Vavilov, who was actively involved in the development of Soviet biology, supported the Soviet government (and its promoter Lysenko) and was nevertheless repressed, is examined in a new way. For the first time, it is documented that at the end of the 2nd World War, many leaders of the Soviet state were ready to remove Lysenko from the position of dictator in science, but under pressure from Stalin they fell silent and moved collectively to the extermination of genetic research. After Stalin's death, Khrushchev again took Lysenko under party guardianship. Saturated with a variety of archival and scientific materials, the book nevertheless reads like an exciting detective story, and the persuasiveness of the argument and the rigor of the researcher do not prevent the author from revealing the characters of the characters, restoring the dynamics of the event, and, as he writes, “the history of party violence in the most important sphere of life of the Soviet country.” .The book is intended for a wide range of readers interested in both general issues of the history of the USSR and specific problems of the influence of totalitarian rule in the 20th century, as well as the fate of outstanding scientists of Russia. Fourth edition, revised and expanded.