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Armageddon Averted
- The Soviet Collapse, 1970-2000
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins
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Publisher's Summary
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 50 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".
Critic Reviews
"The clearest picture we have to date of the post-Soviet landscape." (The New Yorker)
"A triumph of the art of contemporary history." (The Atlantic Monthly)
"Concise and persuasive. The mystery, for Kotkin, is not so much why the Soviet Union collapsed as why it did so with so little collateral damage." (The New York Review of Books)
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Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Neville Stern
- 17-02-2023
Worth re-reading once a year
Rich in detail and pungent phrases. Especially these days as illiberal wokeness eats away at the West.
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- desvejk
- 19-03-2023
Valuable and insightful perspective
The book offers a unique and insightful perspective on the collapse of the Soviet Union, a topic that historians and political scientists have extensively studied and debated. Stephen Kotkin argues that the Soviet collapse was not a result of the Gorbachev reforms of perestroika and glasnost, as many had previously believed, but rather stemmed from the contradictions and limitations of Communist ideology.
However, while the book presents an intriguing argument, it is not without its flaws. It can be jargon-heavy and sometimes the arguments can be convoluted. This can make the book difficult to follow for those who are not already familiar with the history and politics of the Soviet Union.
Despite this, Kotkin's writing style is engaging and he does an excellent job of bringing to life the everyday hopes and secret political intrigues that affected millions of people before and after 1991. His deep understanding of post-Stalin Soviet society and institutions allows him to convey the high drama of a superpower falling apart while armed to the teeth with millions of loyal troops and tens of thousands of weapons of mass destruction.
Overall, “Armageddon Averted: The Soviet Collapse, 1970-2000” is a valuable contribution to the study of the Soviet collapse, and will be of interest to anyone looking to gain a deeper understanding of this pivotal moment in world history. While the book's intriguing arguments and engaging writing style make it a valuable contribution to the study of the Soviet collapse, readers should be aware that the book's generalised descriptions and complex arguments may present a challenge for those who are not already well-versed in the history and politics of the Soviet Union.
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