Marples is professor of history at the university of alberta. Sometimes key historic moments occur for the most mundane of reasons. What are some good books documenting the collapse of the. Its a wellresearched, fascinating look at how the soviet union was affected and reacted to the german invasion and the four years of conflict that followed. In his book he asked why, if saudi arabia had such an effect on soviet oil prices, did prices not fall in 1980 when the production of oil by saudi arabia reached its. Set over the grave not only of the soviet military, but of the soviet empire, it is about much more than missiles and tanks. The dominant argument is that they had a run on the bank. This period began with high economic growth and soaring prosperity, but ended with a much weaker soviet union facing social, political, and economic stagnation. Soyuz sovetskikh sotsialisticheskikh respublik, former republic. Essentially a better history than many others on the market. The collapse of the soviet union has widely been seen as the result of the arms race and cold war, and the failure of the soviet side to keep pace with new technology. The collapse of the soviet union 20th century history song.
Reading russia and the soviet union in the twentieth. List of books and articles about collapse of the soviet union. Soviet history was rewritten to show for the first time that stalin was a mass murderer who killed millions of innocents and former general secretary leonid brezhnev lived an extravagant, corrupt, and materialistic life. It was the first time the soviets had intervened in a country.
Collapse of the soviet union questia online library. There is much interesting history in the collapse of the soviet military. Whatever trust remained in the soviet system had been shattered. Taking the soviet collapse the most cataclysmic event of the recent past as a case study, this text engages students in the exercise of.
Includes pictures includes a bibliography for further reading the cold war moved into one of its most dangerous phases after brezhnevs death as both sides deployed nuclear weapons within alarming proximity in europe. The collapse of the soviet union office of the historian. Taking the soviet collapse the most cataclysmic event of the recent past as a case study, this text engages students in the exercise of historical analysis, interpretation, and explanation. The social history of the soviet collapse still has to be written. This signaled the end of the cold war between the soviet union and the united states. History of the communist party of the soviet union. History books always blame it on the failure of communism as an. Strayer suny at brockport has produced a nicely written college text on the subject that would be useful. Darwinist, abridges and reads this special audio version of charles darwins famous book. Collapse of the soviet military yale university press. Border of the soviet union the breakup of the soviet union, 1991 the august coup on august 18, 1991, the hardliners detained gorbachev at his vacation home on the black sea. If you want understand dissolution of ussr or modern russia this should be your last book. The dissolution of the soviet union, or collapse of the soviet union, was the process of internal disintegration within the union of soviet socialist republics ussr, also referred to as the soviet union, which began in the second half of the 1980s with growing unrest in the national republics and ended on 26 december 1991, when the ussr.
This was the first large demonstration in the baltic republics to commemorate the anniversary of an event contrary to official soviet history. Marples, 9780582505995, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Ten minute history the decline and dissolution of the soviet union short documentary duration. Thirty years ago, on may 19,1983, eugene whelan, the liberal cabinet minister of the trudeau era who passed away this february, was late for dinner. This is a good, if slightly heavy history of the ussr, best suited perhaps for alevel students. The final days of the soviet union reprint by serhii plokhy isbn. Its not every day an author is able to rewrite history, and do so credibly. The baltic republics then declared independence from the soviet union. The image of an imperialist totalitarianism, spreading its red grip over the globe, was at one and the same time the product of western anxieties and the producer of inflated fears. Collapse of the soviet union during the 1960s and 1970s, the communist party elite rapidly gained wealth and power while millions of average soviet citizens faced starvation. The history of the soviet union from 1982 through 1991 spans the period from leonid brezhnevs death and funeral until the dissolution of the soviet union. The reforms implemented by president mikhail gorbachev and the backlash against them hastened the demise of the soviet state. The collapse of the soviet union 20th century history. This book argues that the disintegration was mainly a result of two interrelated factors.
Evolutionary approaches to the collapse of the soviet union see change as a. One of the worlds two superpowers had collapsed without a war, alien invasion or any other catastrophe, with the exception of one rather farcical and unsuccessful coup. Instead, he ordered a strategic policy reevaluation in order to establish his own plan and methods for dealing with the soviet union and arms control. By attributing the soviet collapse to the impact of american actions, us policy makers overrated. Also containing a chronology, glossary and who s who of key figures, the collapse of the soviet union is essential reading for students of twentieth century european history.
The history of the soviet union has long fascinated me from the start of the empire when the peasants rose up against the establishment and lenins bolshevik red army stormed the winter gardens to the fall of the empire and the events that led up to its collapse. Simon sebag montefiore, bbc history magazine best history books of the year. Including firstperson accounts, anecdotes, illustrations and diagrams to illustrate key concepts, mccauley provides a seminal history of twentiethcentury russia. History of the communist party of the soviet union bolsheviks from marx to mao m l. This book is a central, reference text on the subject, the collapse of the soviet union. Failed attempts at reform, a standstill economy, and the success of the united states against the soviet unions forces in the war. At midnight on december 31, 1991, the flag of the s. When i read, on the inside cover, the following sentence. S that set up one of the biggest, and potentially apocalyptic standoffs in history. The collapse of the soviet union a documentary film 2006. Turning points in world history the collapse of the soviet union hardcover edition paul a.
This book is intended for use in history and political science courses on the soviet union or more generally on the 20th century. The collapse of the soviet union started in the late 1980s and was complete when the country broke up into 15 independent states on december 25, 1991. After overthrowing the centuriesold romanov monarchy, russia. Dissolution of the soviet union news newspapers books scholar. Why did the soviet union collapse understanding historical. Despite considerable detail on the insandouts of bolshevik and soviet politics it is quite readable.
What is the best book on the final years of the soviet union. Discover librarianselected research resources on collapse of the soviet union from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic. This anthology chronicles the disintegration of the soviet empire. The collapse of the soviet union in december 1991 changed the worlds geopolitical balance. If youre interested in wwii, i usually recommend ivans war by catherine merridale. Start a free trial of quizlet plus by thanksgiving lock in 50% off all year try it free. Aug 21, 2017 without the intensification of glasnost the soviet union could have survived longer than its collapse in 1991.
Early the next day, hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles rolled into moscow. Fresh off of the economic and political victory that was world war ii for the united states, the soviet union sent a challenge to the u. A 1922 treaty between russia, ukraine, belarus and transcaucasia modern georgia, armenia and azerbaijan formed the union of soviet socialist republics ussr. The focus is on the behavior of soviet communist elites party nomenklatura and their role. Decades later, gorbachev marked the anniversary of the disaster by stating, even more than my launch of perestroika, chernobyl was perhaps the real cause of the collapse of the soviet union five years later. The collapse of the soviet union chapter 10 the cambridge. A history of russian nationalism from ivan the great to vladimir putin. The first is a common focus on the soviet union in the cold war zubok and fursenkonaftali focus only on the soviet side, whereas leffler aims for a more balanced account, including the american. Much has been written about the collapse of soviet union su and all too frequently, us ingenuity.
The absolute best book i have read on the subject is serhii plokhys the last empire. The ussr officially ceased to exist on 31 december 1991. Stalin made the country into the power it became, but at its roots even dating back to 1880s corruption would play a. Bush did not automatically follow the policy of his predecessor, ronald reagan, in dealing with mikhail gorbachev and the soviet union. Learn more about one of the key events of the 20th century in this article. These reforms, once initiated, spun out of control and led to the breakdown of the soviet union. The inside story of the collapse of the soviet union. A brief history of the soviet union essay 1117 words. History of the communist party of the soviet union 1939. Nine of the 15 soviet republics agreed to sign a new union treaty, granting far greater freedom and autonomy to individual republics. The soviet union was the first state to be based on marxist socialism see also marxism. Seven lessons from the soviet collapse ivan krastev september 2012 in 1992 the world woke up to find that the soviet union was no longer on the map.
In comparison with other soviet leaders, gorbachev was leader of the ussr for a relatively short period, but the changes that took place under his leadership were monumental, including some that were intended and others that were unforeseen. In 1990, following the example of eastern europe, the three baltic states of lithuania, latvia, and estonia announced their independence from moscow, and other soviet republics demanded greater sovereignty. Second congress of the russian socialdemocratic labour party. Choose from 500 different sets of history collapse soviet flashcards on quizlet. Serhii plokhy is the professor of history and director of the ukrainian research institute at harvard university. Discover librarianselected research resources on collapse of the soviet union from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals, magazines, newspapers and more.
A masterful account of the collapse of the soviet union. Ian morris, professor of history at stanford university and author of why the west. Oct 27, 2019 11 insightful books about the soviet union worth reading. This compact and wellwritten book from soviet historian peter kenez is an excellent short history of the soviet union. The afghanistan war and the breakdown of the soviet union. Aug 31, 2006 the collapse of the soviet union book. Due to the years of soviet military buildup at the expense of domestic development, economic growth stagnated. The cambridge history of communism edited by juliane furst september. There isnt really an adequate work on this subject, and most of the essential russian sources are untranslated. Plokhys book is intimidatingly thick, but it is beautifully written and studded with. Everything you know about the collapse of the soviet union is wrong. Glasnost eliminated traces of stalinist repression, like the banning of books and the omnipresent secret police, and gave new freedoms to soviet. The collapse of the soviet union a documentary film.
Dec 10, 2014 the absolute best book i have read on the subject is serhii plokhys the last empire. Collapse of the soviet union, sequence of events that led to the dissolution of the u. The history of the ussr under mikhail gorbachev charles river editors on. The rise and fall of the soviet union crc press book. Much has been written about the collapse of soviet union su and all too. Turning points in world history the collapse of the. Any real history of the soviet union will have at its core joseph stalin. The reversion of the soviet union to russia has generated a cottage industry of assessments. Introduction more than its famous vodka, the soviet union has had an. In the years since the dissolution of the soviet union in december 1991, scholars and popular writers have produced a veritable avalanche of books on this monumental event in world history.
Perhaps the most welcome aspect of kenezs book is his willingess to acknowledge the centrality of ideological considerations in shaping both the views and policies of the ussrs marxist leaders. The collapse of the soviet union, 19851991 david r. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new customers receive 15% off your. John allen many historians mark the beginnings of the collapse as december 1979, when thousands of soviet troops invaded neighboring afghanistan. As the cold war consensus of the 1950s gave way to a growing discomfort with american policy, the soviet union itself was evolving away from stalinism. List of books and articles about collapse of the soviet union online. The final days of the soviet union by serhii plokhy. In 1990, among all the consumer goods in the soviet union only 11%.
The history of the soviet union from 1964 to 1982, referred to as the brezhnev era, covers the period of leonid brezhnevs rule of the union of soviet socialist republics ussr. The dissolution of the soviet union, or collapse of the soviet union, was the process of internal. The collapse of the soviet military is a marvelous tombstone of a book. Learn history collapse soviet with free interactive flashcards. Debates on the soviet unions collapse book, 2019 worldcat. Additionally the book helps paint a picture of the history shaping the major actors. However, if it was not for the chernobyl meltdown and its failed coverup, gorbachev would not have felt obligated to intensify his policy of glasnost. The collapse of the soviet union, 19851991 by david r. False historical analogies, wrong conclusions, misinterpreted signals. I think the two memoirs interesting and important of gorbachevs assistant, a. Gorbachev, trying to keep on the right side of history, desperate to win reelection. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. A literally worldchanging book, darwin put forward the antireligious and scientific idea that humans in fact evolved over millions of generations from animals.