{"product_id":"khrushchev-book-william-taubman-9780743231664","title":"Khrushchev","description":"William Taubman's brilliant biography of one of the key figures of the Soviet Union is a study in contrasts -- how the boy from a peasant background rose to the heights of power; how a single-minded, ambitious political player survived twenty years under Stalin; how he opened up to the West after Stalin's death and yet brought the world close to oblivion in the Cuban Missile Crisis. What emerges is a fascinating picture of a man constantly torn between benevolence and malevolence -- a man who made himself cultured and yet who could never really escape his image as a bullying country bumpkin (most famously demonstrated by his interruption of Macmillan's speech to the UN in 1960 by banging his shoe on the table -- the urbane Macmillan responded, 'Mr President, perhaps we could have a translation, I could not quite follow').  William Taubman has previously edited collections of Nikita Khrushchev's speeches and reminiscences and is completely immersed in this subject -- his biography is likely to remain the standard work for years to come.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49516322423057,"sku":"GOR001725594","price":36.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49634578432273,"sku":"GOR006148208","price":36.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49660782739729,"sku":"GOR002198389","price":36.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51833650708753,"sku":"GOR012683595","price":36.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/074323166X.jpg?v=1751262999","url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-au\/products\/khrushchev-book-william-taubman-9780743231664","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}