Collapse: The Fall of the Soviet Union

A major study of the collapse of the Soviet Union—showing how Gorbachev’s misguided reforms led to its demise

“A deeply informed account of how the Soviet Union fell apart.”—Rodric Braithwaite, Financial Times

“[A] masterly analysis.”—Joshua Rubenstein, Wall Street Journal

In 1945 the Soviet Union controlled half of Europe and was a founding member of the United Nations. By 1991, it had an army four million strong with five thousand nuclear-tipped missiles and was the second biggest producer of oil in the world. But soon afterward the union sank into an economic crisis and was torn apart by nationalist separatism. Its collapse was one of the seismic shifts of the twentieth century.

Thirty years on, Vladislav Zubok offers a major reinterpretation of the final years of the USSR, refuting the notion that the breakup of the Soviet order was inevitable. Instead, Zubok reveals how Gorbachev’s misguided reforms, intended to modernize and democratize the Soviet Union, deprived the government of resources and empowered separatism. Collapse sheds new light on Russian democratic populism, the Baltic struggle for independence, the crisis of Soviet finances—and the fragility of authoritarian state power.

Over dit product

Boekdetails

Meer over Collapse

Over dit product

Boekdetails

Misschien vind je dit ook leuk

Murdoku: 80 Murder Mystery Logic Puzzles: Volume 1 – The Perfect Gift for Puzzlers and Cosy Crime Fans!

Chanel: Collections and Creations

Japan: The Cookbook (Cucina)

The World Atlas of Coffee: 2nd edition (old edition)

National Geographic Stunning Photographs

The Rolling Stones All the Songs Expanded Edition: The Story Behind Every Track

Louis Vuitton: A Perfume Atlas

Ride: Cycle the World

Queen of Shadows: From the # 1 Sunday Times best-selling author of A Court of Thorns and Roses

The Science of Animals: Inside their Secret World