Hello C.B. Rogers!
It would be difficult to recommend only one or two books on this
interesting subject; therefore I am presenting you with four books
with descriptions and reviews for your consideration. I am also
providing a link where you may order each book.
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Armageddon Averted - The Soviet Collapse, 1970-2000
By Stephen Kotkin
Description:
“Combining historical and geopolitical analysis with an absorbing
narrative, Kotkin draws upon extensive research, including memoirs of
dozens of insiders and senior figures.”
“He illuminates the factors that led to the demise of Communism and
the USSR, putting the collapse in the context of the global economic
changes from the 1970s to the present day, examining for example why
the advent of Siberian oil had profound effects on the Soviet Union's
raison d'etre.”
Stephen Kotkin is Director of Russian Studies at Princeton University.
“Kotkin has gathered it together in what is now our most comprehensive
analysis of the Leninist endgame."
--Martin Malia, Washington Post Book World
"A provocative and persuasive interpretation of the last decades of
the Soviet system and the collapse of the USSR."
--Archie Brown
Oxford University Press
http://www.oup-usa.org/isbn/0192802453.html
From Library Journal:
“The director of Russian studies at Princeton and a published scholar
in the field of Soviet studies, Kotkin has written a lively and
provocative work on a subject that has already attracted much
scholarly attention. His central question is, however, his own: why
didn't Soviet elites defend their Union, using their vast military
arsenal to bring about a cataclysmic super-Yugoslavia in the dying
USSR? How could such a massive police state have died so quietly?”
(..)
“This is a much more readable and lively monograph on the Soviet
collapse than others" (..) Kotkin's book should attract both the
academic and the informed general reader.”
You may order this book at Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0195168941/qid=1066316591/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-8613308-7687316?v=glance&s=books
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From Union to Commonwealth: Nationalism & Separatism in the Soviet
Republics
by Gail Lapidus
Publisher Comments:
“The collapse of the Soviet Union and the emergence of fifteen
independent states on its former territory is one of the most
momentous developments of the twentieth century.”
“In this volume, five leading international scholars team up to
examine the forces that lay behind the rise of national movements
which challenged, then destroyed, the stability and territorial
integrity of the former Soviet state offering unique insights into the
links between political structure and nationalism.”
“Presenting a broad and timely analysis of the national dimension of
politics after perestroika, this book is essential reading for all
those seeking to understand the complexities underlying the demise of
the Soviet state, as well as the emergence of new states actively
engaged in defining their national identities at home and abroad.”
Cambridge University Press
http://books.cambridge.org/0521427169.htm
Available at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0521427169/qid=1066334011/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-8613308-7687316?v=glance&s=books
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Paul Hollander’s investigates what caused the collapse of the Soviet
Union.
POLITICAL WILL AND PERSONAL BELIEF
By Paul Hollander
Yale University Press
This book had been reviewed in News Weekly Magazine. Here are a few
brief excerpts from the article.
“Despite his formidable knowledge of the system, Hollander admits that
he was surprised by the sudden collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990 -
and later, by the fact that the best minds of Western societies
offered unsatisfactory explanations for what had happened.”
”He says, in fact, that he wrote the book to try "to better understand
something important". This sentiment will resonate with anyone who has
ever tried to analyse complex events, and finds that putting pen to
paper is the key to making sense of things.”
“Hollander’s book will be read with great interest by all who have
wondered what brought about the collapse of Soviet communism.”
“Whether one accepts in full his analysis, it helps shed light on the
circumstances under which authoritarian or totalitarian regimes can
collapse without a descent into anarchy and bloodshed.”
News Weekly Magazine
Reviewed by by Peter Westmore
Printed in Issue:12 August, 2000
http://www.newsweekly.com.au/articles/2000aug12_books.html
Book Description:
“In this unique analysis of the unexpected collapse of the Soviet
Union in 1991, sociologist Paul Hollander focuses on the human aspects
of the country`s demise. Drawing on autobiographical writings and
interviews with members of the political elite, the author shows how
leaders who experienced a loss of faith in their ideals and an eroding
sense of legitimacy fatally undermined the political system they had
once upheld.”
You may purchase this book at Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0300076207/qid=1066318755/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-8613308-7687316?v=glance&s=books
Read 19 sample pages at the following link:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0300076207/ref=lib_rd_ss/102-8613308-7687316?v=glance&s=books&vi=slide-show#reader-link
(Click on each page to enlarge)
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The Fall of the Soviet Empire
by Anne De Tinguy (Editor)
“The twenty-seven contributors address a fundamental question about
the collapse of the Soviet Union: was the Soviet system's failure
inevitable from its inception, or did the grave errors committed
during its existence lead to its collapse? The essays address ideology
and the failure of the political system; the failure of the economic
system and the rejection of the Soviet order by society; and the
failure of a messianic ambition. This important volume is a
multidisciplinary attempt to explain the events caused the collapse of
the Soviet Union.”
Columbia University Press
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cup/catalog/data/088033/0880333782.HTM
You may purchase this book at Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0880333782/qid=1066317769/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-8613308-7687316?v=glance&s=books
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Other books that may interest you:
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THE COLLAPSE OF COMMUNISM IN THE SOVIET UNION
William E. Watson
Book Description:
“... this one-stop resource contains a wealth of information,
reference material, and analysis of the collapse of communism in the
Soviet Union. Combining narrative description, analytical essays,
lengthy biographical profiles, and the text of key primary documents,
Watson examines the reasons for the decline and fall of the Soviet
Union and its ruling Communist party in 1991. Five essays provide a
historical overview of the rise and fall of the Soviet brand of
communism; the evolution of Gorbachev's perestroika reform policies;
the costly Soviet imperial legacy and the ten-year Afghan war;
nationalism and the dissolution of Soviet unity; and post-Soviet
Russia under the leadership of Boris Yeltsin.”
Purchase at Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/031330162X/qid=1066315914/sr=2-3/ref=sr_2_3/102-8613308-7687316
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Lenin's Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire
By David Remnick (Viking, 1993)
“He combines all these personal stories into one great book that
explains and analyzes why and how this happened. It is very well
written, and while being comprehensive remains comprehensible. It is a
wonderful book and anyone who is interested in Russia (or would like
to become so), likes history in general, or enjoys good semi-academic
writing this book is for you.”
You may order this book at Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0679751254/qid=1066318406/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-8613308-7687316?v=glance&s=books
Read 34 sample pages here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0679751254/ref=lib_dp_TFCV/102-8613308-7687316?v=glance&s=books&vi=reader#reader-link
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THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET MILITARY
By William E. Odom
Yale University Press
http://www.yale.edu/yup/books/074697.htm
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Final Days: The inside Story of the Collapse of the Soviet Union
By Andrei S. Grachev
Synopsis:
"...an exceptionally vivid description of the demise of the Soviet
Union from the standpoint of someone who stood close to Gorbachev and
who had a privileged view of his relations with Yeltsin."
Bookstores.com
http://www.allbookstores.com/book/0813322065
Editorial Review from Book News, Inc:
“Grachev, foreign policy advisor to Mikhail Gorbachev from 1985 until
1991, and then press secretary, describes meetings with Western
leaders, State Council debates on a new treaty of union, and
Gorbachev's private talks with leaders in government, business,
religion, and culture, in his account of debates occurring between the
August coup and the end of the Soviet Union on December 25, 1991.”
You may purchase this book at Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0813322065/absolutsearch05/102-8613308-7687316
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Search Criteria:
Collapse of the Soviet Union
Collapse of the Soviet Union +analysis
I hope you find these recommendations helpful!
Best Regards,
Bobbie7-ga |
