|
|
libcats.org
Armageddon Averted: The Soviet Collapse, 1970-2000Stephen KotkinIn 1991, the world looked in amazement at the collapse of the Soviet Union. But as Stephen Kotkin asserts in his concise, uncompromising history, this downfall was neither sudden nor unexpected but rather inevitable. 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 theglobal 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. Kotkin also provides vivid portraits of key personalities. Using recently released archive materials, for example, he paints a newpicture of Gorbachev's rise to General Secretary. Further, we see Gorbachev, the virtuoso tactician and resolutely committed reformer, "flabbergasted by the fact that his socialist renewal was leading to the system's liquidation" - and more or less going along with it. Here, too, is Boris Yeltsin,full of the theatrics and "ham-handed populism" that especially aggravated Gorbachev. Finally, Kotkin creates a compelling profile of the "stable mess" that is 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. 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."
EPUB | FB2 | MOBI | TXT | RTF
* Конвертация файла может нарушить форматирование оригинала. По-возможности скачивайте файл в оригинальном формате.
Популярные книги за неделю:
Система упражнений по развитию способностей человека (Практическое пособие)Автор: Петров Аркадий НаумовичКатегория: Путь к себе
Размер книги: 818 Kb
Сотворение мира (3-х томник)Автор: Петров Аркадий НаумовичКатегория: Путь к себе
Размер книги: 817 Kb
Introduction to Functional Programming (Prentice Hall International Series in Computing Science)Автор: Richard Bird, Автор: Philip WadlerКатегория: Математика, Прикладная математика
Размер книги: 4.73 Mb
The Clean Coder: A Code of Conduct for Professional Programmers (Robert C. Martin Series)Автор: Robert C. Martin
Размер книги: 6.06 Mb
Только что пользователи скачали эти книги:
Фицрой - капитан «Бигля». (FitzRoy of the Beagle)Автор: Меллерш Г. Е., Автор: Перевод с английского Г.А.Островской. Под редакцией и с послесловием С.П.Хромова.Категория: Науки о Земле. Горное дело.
Размер книги: 43.90 Mb
Radiation Health Risk Sciences: Proceedings of the First International Symposium of the Nagasaki University Global COE Program ''Global Strategic Center for Radiation Health Risk Control''Автор: Masahiro Nakashima, Автор: Shunichi Yamashita, Автор: Yuji Nagayama, Автор: Kunihiro Tsukasaki, Автор: Noboru TakamuraКатегория: Наука (общее), Международные конференции и симпозиумы
Размер книги: 2.04 Mb
Applied Mathematics, Third EditionАвтор: J. David LoganКатегория: Математика
Размер книги: 5.95 Mb
Реализм русской литературы 60-х годов XIX века (Истоки и эстетическое своеобразие)Автор: Лотман Л.М.Категория: КНИГИ ГУМАНИТАРНЫЕ НАУКИ
Размер книги: 5.53 Mb
Нить Ариадны, или Путешествие по лабиринтам психикиАвтор: Елена ЗуеваКатегория: КНИГИ ПСИХОЛОГИЯ
Размер книги: 4.21 Mb
201 Crochet Motifs, Blocks, Projects and IdeasАвтор: Melody GriffithsКатегория: КНИГИ ХОББИ и РЕМЕСЛА
Размер книги: 31.40 Mb
|
|
|