The Fall of Soviet Communism, 1986-1991
Summary
The feel-good place to buy books
The Fall of Soviet Communism, 1986-1991 by Jeremy Smith
The fall of communism and the break-up of the Soviet Union into 15 independent states in December 1991 was one of the most significant events of the 20th century. In the last years of Soviet rule, images of mass protests on the streets of Moscow, Tbilisi and Vilnius, bloodshed in Baku, striking miners, Mikhail Gorbachev wooing the West, and Boris Yeltsin defiantly mounting a tank in front of the White House building in Moscow, shattered all of the old certainties about the seemingly unbreakable communist system. Gorbachev and Yeltsin were the dominant figures in this process, but non-Russian national movements, workers, intellectuals, and international developments all had roles to play. Jeremy Smith presents the dramatic events of 1985-91 in a clear and succinct form, setting out a variety of interpretations for the demise of communism in the Soviet Union, and suggesting new approaches to answering the unresolved question of why it happened. Smith discusses the long-term and short-term factors behind the extraordinary collapse, assessing the impact of economic crisis, nationalism, personalities and democratization in the process.
'A clear, concise and well-judged account of the demise of Soviet communism and of the USSR as a state' - Stephen White, University of Glasgow
JEREMY SMITH is Lecturer in Russian History at the Centre for Russian and East European Studies at the University of Birmingham, UK, and has previously worked at the University of Helsinki, Finland. His previous publications include The Bolsheviks and the National Question, 1917-23 (1999), also published by Palgrave Macmillan.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781403916020 |
| ISBN 10 | 1403916020 |
| Title | The Fall of Soviet Communism, 1986-1991 |
| Author | Jeremy Smith |
| Series | Studies In European History |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Year published | 2005-06-01 |
| Number of pages | 144 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |