Russia and the Idea of the West

Gorbachev, Intellectuals, and the End of the Cold War

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Government, Communism & Socialism, International, International Relations
Cover of the book Russia and the Idea of the West by Robert English, Columbia University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Robert English ISBN: 9780231504744
Publisher: Columbia University Press Publication: October 25, 2000
Imprint: Columbia University Press Language: English
Author: Robert English
ISBN: 9780231504744
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication: October 25, 2000
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Language: English

An intriguing "intellectual portrait" of a generation of Soviet reformers, this book is also a fascinating case study of how ideas can change the course of history. In most analyses of the Cold War's end the ideological aspects of Gorbachev's "new thinking" are treated largely as incidental to the broader considerations of power—as gloss on what was essentially a retreat forced by crisis and decline. Robert English makes a major contribution by demonstrating that Gorbachev's foreign policy was in fact the result of an intellectual revolution. English analyzes the rise of a liberal policy-academic elite and its impact on the Cold War's end.

English worked in the archives of the USSR Foreign Ministry and also gained access to the restricted collections of leading foreign-policy institutes. He also conducted nearly 400 interviews with Soviet intellectuals and policy makers—from Khrushchev- and Brezhnev-era Politburo members to Perestroika-era notables such as Eduard Shevardnadze and Gorbachev himself. English traces the rise of a "Westernizing" worldview from the post-Stalin years, through a group of liberals in the late1960s–70s, to a circle of close advisers who spurred Gorbachev's most radical reforms.

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

An intriguing "intellectual portrait" of a generation of Soviet reformers, this book is also a fascinating case study of how ideas can change the course of history. In most analyses of the Cold War's end the ideological aspects of Gorbachev's "new thinking" are treated largely as incidental to the broader considerations of power—as gloss on what was essentially a retreat forced by crisis and decline. Robert English makes a major contribution by demonstrating that Gorbachev's foreign policy was in fact the result of an intellectual revolution. English analyzes the rise of a liberal policy-academic elite and its impact on the Cold War's end.

English worked in the archives of the USSR Foreign Ministry and also gained access to the restricted collections of leading foreign-policy institutes. He also conducted nearly 400 interviews with Soviet intellectuals and policy makers—from Khrushchev- and Brezhnev-era Politburo members to Perestroika-era notables such as Eduard Shevardnadze and Gorbachev himself. English traces the rise of a "Westernizing" worldview from the post-Stalin years, through a group of liberals in the late1960s–70s, to a circle of close advisers who spurred Gorbachev's most radical reforms.

More books from Columbia University Press

Cover of the book NGOs as Newsmakers by Robert English
Cover of the book Muslim Identities by Robert English
Cover of the book Christ Without Adam by Robert English
Cover of the book Groups That Work by Robert English
Cover of the book The Israeli Secret Services and the Struggle Against Terrorism by Robert English
Cover of the book Democracy, Islam, and Secularism in Turkey by Robert English
Cover of the book The Columbia Anthology of Japanese Essays by Robert English
Cover of the book The Evolutionary Biology of Flies by Robert English
Cover of the book The Cinema of István Szabó by Robert English
Cover of the book Sound Technology and the American Cinema by Robert English
Cover of the book Global Markets, Domestic Institutions by Robert English
Cover of the book Imitation and Creativity in Japanese Arts by Robert English
Cover of the book Critical Children by Robert English
Cover of the book Nomadic Theory by Robert English
Cover of the book After Evil by Robert English
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