
Collapse
The Fall of the Soviet Union
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Narrated by:
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David de Vries
A major study of the collapse of the Soviet Union - showing how Gorbachev's misguided reforms led to its demise
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, 5,000 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 20th 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.
©2021 Vladislav M. Zubok (P)2021 TantorListeners also enjoyed...




















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My only wish is that professor Zubok would write a sequel on the 1990s…
One of the best books I’ve EVER read
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A Detailed Depiction of the Collapse of the Soviet Union
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Exceptionally detailed account of the end of the Union
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The Soviet Union had a strong state but failing economy. The state could have been used in improving the economy, through market-oriented reforms, like what China did in the same period. Nevertheless, though Gorbachev didn't intentionally go out to dismantle the state's institutions, his acts largely rendered it in inaction, leading to the leadership failure in boosting the economy, and later collapse of the state under Yeltsin and rise of the Oligarch which eventually led to the rise of Putin and restoration of the authoritarian rule. The strong dose of national separatism and inaction of the state, made possible by Gorbachev's leadership vision and personality, were the root cause of the collapse.
Comprehensive and insightful
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Interesting
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A excellent book about the institutional suicide of the USSR
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A fascinating read
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Incredibly detailed and gripping
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focuses on the politics leading up to the collapse
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Cautionary tale for the 2020's
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