A Failed Empire: The Soviet Union in the Cold War from Stalin to Gorbachev
ISBN: 9780807859582 | 0807859583
Format: PaperbackPublisher: Univ of North Carolina Pr
Pub. Date: 2/1/2009
Why Rent from Knetbooks?
Because Knetbooks knows college students. Our rental program is designed to save you time and money. Whether you need a textbook for a semester, quarter or even a summer session, we have an option for you. Simply select a rental period, enter your information and your book will be on its way!
Top 5 reasons to order all your textbooks from Knetbooks:
- We have the lowest prices on thousands of popular textbooks
- Free shipping both ways on ALL orders
- Most orders ship within 48 hours
- Need your book longer than expected? Extending your rental is simple
- Our customer support team is always here to help
Western interpretations of the Cold War—both realist and neoconservative—have erred by exaggerating either the Kremlin's pragmatism or its aggressiveness, argues Vladislav Zubok. Explaining the interests, aspirations, illusions, fears, and misperceptions of the Kremlin leaders and Soviet elites, Zubok offers a Soviet perspective on the greatest standoff of the twentieth century.Using recently declassified Politburo records, ciphered telegrams, diaries, and taped conversations, among other sources, Zubok explores the origins of the superpowers' confrontation under Stalin, Khrushchev's contradictory and counterproductive attempts to ease tensions, the surprising story of Brezhnev's passion for detente, and Gorbachev's destruction of the Soviet superpower as the by-product of his hasty steps to end the Cold War and to reform the Soviet Union. The first work in English to cover the entire Cold War from the Soviet side,A Failed Empireprovides a history different from those written by the Western victors.In this widely praised book, Vladislav Zubok argues that Western interpretations of the Cold War have erred by exaggerating either the Kremlin's pragmatism or its aggressiveness. Explaining the interests, aspirations, illusions, fears, and misperceptions of the Kremlin leaders and Soviet elites, Zubok offers a Soviet perspective on the greatest standoff of the twentieth century. Using recently declassified Politburo records, ciphered telegrams, diaries, and taped conversations, among other sources, Zubok offers the first work in English to cover the entire Cold War from the Soviet side.A Failed Empireprovides a history quite different from those written by the Western victors. In a new preface for this edition, the author adds to our understanding of today’s events in Russia, including who the new players are and how their policies will affect the state of the world in the twenty-first century.
| Preface to the Paperback Edition: Russia's Revenge | p. ix |
| Preface | p. xxiii |
| Abbreviations | p. xxix |
| The Soviet People and Stalin between War and Peace, 1945 | p. 1 |
| Stalin's Road to the Cold War, 1945-1948 | p. 29 |
| Stalemate in Germany, 1945-1953 | p. 62 |
| Kremlin Politics and "Peaceful Coexistence," 1953-1957 | p. 94 |
| The Nuclear Education of Khrushchev, 1953-1963 | p... MORE |
| The Soviet Home Front: First Cracks, 1953-1968 | p. 163 |
| Brezhnev and the Road to Detente, 1965-1972 | p. 192 |
| Detente's Decline and Soviet Overreach, 1973-1979 | p. 227 |
| The Old Guard's Exit, 1980-1987 | p. 265 |
| Gorbachev and the End of Soviet Power, 1988-1991 | p. 303 |
| Epilogue | p. 336 |
| Notes | p. 345 |
| Bibliography | p. 417 |
| Index | p. 455 |
| Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved. |
Vladislav M. Zubok is associate professor of history at Temple University
Please wait while this item is added to your cart...
