Armageddon Averted : Soviet Collapse, 1970-2000

The Soviet Collapse, 1970-2000

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Government, Communism & Socialism, History, Asian, Russia
Cover of the book Armageddon Averted : Soviet Collapse, 1970-2000 by Stephen Kotkin, Oxford University Press, USA
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Stephen Kotkin ISBN: 9780199743841
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA Publication: December 15, 2009
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Stephen Kotkin
ISBN: 9780199743841
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Publication: December 15, 2009
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

Featuring extensive revisions to the text as well as a new introduction and epilogue--bringing the book completely up to date on the tumultuous politics of the previous decade and the long-term implications of the Soviet collapse--this compact, original, and engaging book offers the definitive account of one of the great historical events of the last fifty years. Combining historical and geopolitical analysis with an absorbing narrative, Kotkin draws upon extensive research, including memoirs by dozens of insiders and senior figures, to illuminate the factors that led to the demise of Communism and the USSR. The new edition puts the collapse in the context of the global economic and political changes from the 1970s to the present day. Kotkin creates a compelling profile of post Soviet Russia and he reminds us, with chilling immediacy, of what could not have been predicted--that the world's largest police state, with several million troops, a doomsday arsenal, and an appalling record of violence, would liquidate itself with barely a whimper. Throughout the book, Kotkin also paints vivid portraits of key personalities. Using recently released archive materials, for example, he offers a fascinating picture of Gorbachev, describing this virtuoso tactician and resolutely committed reformer as "flabbergasted by the fact that his socialist renewal was leading to the system's liquidation"--and more or less going along with it. At once authoritative and provocative, Armageddon Averted illuminates the collapse of the Soviet Union, revealing how "principled restraint and scheming self interest brought a deadly system to meek dissolution.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Featuring extensive revisions to the text as well as a new introduction and epilogue--bringing the book completely up to date on the tumultuous politics of the previous decade and the long-term implications of the Soviet collapse--this compact, original, and engaging book offers the definitive account of one of the great historical events of the last fifty years. Combining historical and geopolitical analysis with an absorbing narrative, Kotkin draws upon extensive research, including memoirs by dozens of insiders and senior figures, to illuminate the factors that led to the demise of Communism and the USSR. The new edition puts the collapse in the context of the global economic and political changes from the 1970s to the present day. Kotkin creates a compelling profile of post Soviet Russia and he reminds us, with chilling immediacy, of what could not have been predicted--that the world's largest police state, with several million troops, a doomsday arsenal, and an appalling record of violence, would liquidate itself with barely a whimper. Throughout the book, Kotkin also paints vivid portraits of key personalities. Using recently released archive materials, for example, he offers a fascinating picture of Gorbachev, describing this virtuoso tactician and resolutely committed reformer as "flabbergasted by the fact that his socialist renewal was leading to the system's liquidation"--and more or less going along with it. At once authoritative and provocative, Armageddon Averted illuminates the collapse of the Soviet Union, revealing how "principled restraint and scheming self interest brought a deadly system to meek dissolution.

More books from Oxford University Press, USA

Cover of the book Psychophysiological Recording by Stephen Kotkin
Cover of the book Fire in the City:Savonarola and the Struggle for the Soul of Renaissance Florence by Stephen Kotkin
Cover of the book The Landscape Of History : How Historians Map The Past by Stephen Kotkin
Cover of the book Bodies of Evidence : The Practice of Queer Oral History by Stephen Kotkin
Cover of the book The Oxford Companion to Beer by Stephen Kotkin
Cover of the book The Classical Tradition : Greek and Roman Influences on Western Literature by Stephen Kotkin
Cover of the book Lincoln: A Very Short Introduction by Stephen Kotkin
Cover of the book Truth and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code:A Historian Reveals What We Really Know about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Constantine by Stephen Kotkin
Cover of the book Aging Our Way: Independent Elders, Interdependent Lives by Stephen Kotkin
Cover of the book Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right by Stephen Kotkin
Cover of the book Royals and the Reich:The Princes von Hessen in Nazi Germany by Stephen Kotkin
Cover of the book The Cyprus Problem : What Everyone Needs to Know by Stephen Kotkin
Cover of the book Sex And The Soul : Juggling Sexuality, Spirituality, Romance, And Religion On America's College Campuses by Stephen Kotkin
Cover of the book The Lion's World: A Journey into the Heart of Narnia by Stephen Kotkin
Cover of the book Nilsson: The Life of a Singer-Songwriter by Stephen Kotkin
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy