Soviet Leaders from Lenin to Gorbachev

Soviet Leaders from Lenin to Gorbachev PDF Author: Thomas Streissguth
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781881508021
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 168

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Book Description
Surveys the history of the Soviet Union through the exploits and achievements of the seven men who were its leaders from 1917 to 1991; Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev, Leonid Brezhnev, Yuri Andropov, Konstantin Chernenko, and Mikhail Gorbachev.

Soviet Leaders from Lenin to Gorbachev

Soviet Leaders from Lenin to Gorbachev PDF Author: Thomas Streissguth
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781881508021
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 168

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Book Description
Surveys the history of the Soviet Union through the exploits and achievements of the seven men who were its leaders from 1917 to 1991; Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev, Leonid Brezhnev, Yuri Andropov, Konstantin Chernenko, and Mikhail Gorbachev.

The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Empire

The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Empire PDF Author: Dmitriĭ Antonovich Volkogonov
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 624

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Book Description
Following his great trilogy of biographies of the giants who dominated the history of the Soviet Union - Stalin (1991), Lenin (1994) and Trotsky (1996) - Dmitri Volkogonov delves deeper into the Soviet archives to produce new character evaluations and political assessments of the seven leaders who ruled the Soviet Union from 1917 to 1991. A former general in the Soviet Army's propaganda department, Director of the Institute for Military History, and Defence Adviser to President Yeltsin from 1991 to his death from cancer in December 1995, Dmitri Volkogonov had unrivalled access to Soviet military archives, Communist Party documents and secret presidential files. Basing his new book on these inside sources, he has continued his pioneering work of revealing the truth behind the activities of the world's most secretive political leaders. He throws new light on: Lenin's paranoia about foreigners in Russia; his creation of a privileged system for top Party members; Stalin's repression of the nationalities and his singular conduct of foreign policy; the origins and conduct of the Korean War; Khrushchev's relationship with the odious secret service chief Beria; Brezhnev's vanity and stupidity; the Afghan War; Poland and Solidarity; Soviet bureaucracy; Gorbachev's Leninism and role in history.

Autopsy For An Empire

Autopsy For An Empire PDF Author: Dmitri Volkogonov
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1439105723
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 841

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Book Description
The late Dmitri Volkogonov emerged in the last decade of his life as the preeminent Russian historian of this century. His crowning achievement is the account of the seven General Secretaries of the Soviet Empire in Autopsy for an Empire, a book that tells the entire history of the Soviet failure. Having utilized his still-unequaled access to the Soviet military archives, Communist Party documents, and secret Presidential Archive, Volkogonov sheds new light on some of the major events of twentieth-century history and the men who shaped them. We witness Lenin’s paranoia about foreigners in Russia, and his creation of a privileged system for top Party members; Stalin’s repression of the nationalities and his singular conduct of foreign policy; the origins and conduct of the Korean War; Kruschev’s relationship with the odious secret service chief, Beria, and his handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis; Brezhnev’s vanity and stupidity; a new view of Poland and Solidarity; the ossification of Soviet bureaucracy and the cynicism of the Politburo; and Mikhail Gorbachev’s Leninism and his role in history. By profiling the seven successive Soviet leaders from Lenin to Gorbachev, Volkogonov also depicts in painstaking detail the progressive self-destruction of the Leninist system. In his clear-eyed character assessments and political evaluations, lucidly translated and edited by Harold Shukman, Dmitri Volkogonov has once again performed an invaluable service to twentieth-century history.

The Soviet Union

The Soviet Union PDF Author: Charles River Editors
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781081683511
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 376

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Book Description
*Includes pictures *Includes a bibliography for further reading For 30 years, much of the West looked on with disdain as the Bolsheviks took power in Russia and created and consolidated the Soviet Union. As bad as Vladimir Lenin seemed in the early 20th century, Joseph Stalin was so much worse that Churchill later remarked of Lenin, "Their worst misfortune was his birth... their next worst his death." Before World War II, Stalin consolidated his position by frequently purging party leaders (most famously Leon Trotsky) and Red Army leaders, executing hundreds of thousands of people at the least. And in one of history's greatest textbook examples of the idea that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, Stalin's Soviet Union allied with Britain and the United States to defeat Hitler in Europe during World War II. Stalin ruled with an iron fist for nearly 30 years before his death in 1953, which may or may not have been murder, just as Stalin was preparing to conduct another purge. With his death, Soviet strongman and long-time Stalinist Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971), who had managed to stay a step ahead of Stalin's purges if only because he participated in them, became the Soviet premier. Personal histrionics aside, Khrushchev meant business when dealing with the West, especially the United States and its young president, John F. Kennedy. After sensing weakness and a lack of fortitude in Kennedy, Khrushchev made his most audacious and ultimately costly decision by attempting to place nuclear warheads at advanced, offensive bases located in Cuba, right off the American mainland. As it turned out, the Cuban Missile Crisis would show the Kennedy Administration's resolve, force Khrushchev to back down, and ultimately sow the seeds of Khrushchev's fall from power. By the time he died in 1971, he had been declared a non-citizen of the nation he had ruled for nearly 20 years. Leonid Brezhnev became First Secretary of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union in late 1964 after a plot to oust Khrushchev. Little is remembered in the public imagination about Brezhnev in comparison to Mikhail Gorbachev, Vladimir Lenin, or Joseph Stalin, despite the fact Brezhnev ruled the USSR from 1964-1982, longer than any Soviet leader other than Stalin. In fact, he held power during a tumultuous era that changed the world in remarkable ways, and that era has been favorably remembered by many former Soviet citizens. It marked a period of relative calm and even prosperity after the destruction of World War II and the tensions brought about by Khrushchev. Foremost amongst Brezhnev's achievements would be the détente period in the early 1970s, when the Soviets and Americans came to a number of agreements that reduced Cold War pressures and the alarming threat of nuclear war. Mikhail Gorbachev was chosen as the new General Secretary at the relatively youg age of 54 in March 1985. Gorbachev hoped to build the Soviet economy to relieve the persistent shortages of consumer goods it faced, which were caused by enormous military spending of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev tried to introduce some economic reforms, but they were blocked by communist hardliners. Gorbachev then came to the belief that the Soviet economy could not improved without political reform as well. In comparison with other Soviet leaders, Gorbachev was leader of the USSR for a relatively short period, but the changes that took place under his leadership were monumental, including some that were intended and others that were unforeseen. Gorbachev oversaw the end of the Cold War and the peaceful transition away from communism in Central and Eastern Europe, and he ended the war in Afghanistan and many other proxy conflicts in the developing world. Gorbachev improved relations with the West and developed enough trust with President Ronald Reagan and President George H.W. Bush to decommission thousands of nuclear weapons.

Leaders of Russia and the Soviet Union

Leaders of Russia and the Soviet Union PDF Author: John Paxton
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135456976
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 270

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Book Description
This reference work surveys the leaders of Russia and the Soviet Union- from Michael, the first Romanov tsar in 1613, through the creation and dissolution of the Soviet Union, to the present day President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. Chronologically arranged, these biographies paint a thorough yet succinct portrait of 30 leaders including discussion about the family and education of each ruler, important legislation, events, and wars under each leader's rule; and each leader's achievements and impact on Russia or the Soviet Union.

Political Elites in the USSR

Political Elites in the USSR PDF Author: Thomas Henry Rigby
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 338

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Book Description
This important book presents Professor Rigby's key writings on the creation of elites in the Soviet Union. It shows how the nomenclature system evolved as a key instrument for directing and controlling all spheres of national life, drawing its elite echelons together in a single bureaucratic ruling class.

From Romanov to Gorbachev

From Romanov to Gorbachev PDF Author: Peter Mantin
Publisher: Hutchinson Radius
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 104

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Book Description
Illustrated with photographs,sketches and maps. ; Primary source material - Speeches , writings and posters of the day.

Soviet Succession Struggles

Soviet Succession Struggles PDF Author: Anthony D'Agostino
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1040005632
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 307

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Book Description
Soviet Succession Struggles (1988) is a key study of the history, nature and development of Soviet politics and politicians from the earliest days of Soviet Russia up to the rise of Gorbachev. It examines the power struggles between opposing factions within the Soviet leadership, and identifies two main political standpoints that were always vying for ultimate control of the Communist State.

Russians: 4 in 1 Leaders of Soviet Russia 1917–1991

Russians: 4 in 1 Leaders of Soviet Russia 1917–1991 PDF Author: A.J.Kingston
Publisher: A.J.Kingston
ISBN: 1839382627
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 363

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Book Description
Are you interested in the fascinating history of Soviet Russia? Do you want to understand the individuals who shaped one of the most powerful nations of the 20th century? Then look no further than "Russians: 4 in 1 Leaders of Soviet Russia 1917–1991." This book offers a comprehensive examination of the lives and legacies of the four most influential leaders in Russian history: Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev, and Mikhail Gorbachev. Through detailed explorations of their ideologies, policies, and the events that defined their respective tenures in power, this book provides an insightful look at the forces that shaped modern Russia. From Lenin's establishment of the Bolshevik government to Stalin's brutal purges, Khrushchev's reforms, and Gorbachev's attempts at perestroika and glasnost, each leader's impact on Soviet Russia is examined in depth. Through their stories, readers can gain a deeper appreciation for the complexities of the Soviet system and the challenges faced by those who sought to lead it. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in Russian history, politics, or the global events of the 20th century. It is a rich and engaging exploration of the lives of the individuals who shaped one of the most powerful nations of the modern era, and their legacies that continue to resonate to this day. Order your copy of "Russians: 4 in 1 Leaders of Soviet Russia 1917–1991" today and discover the fascinating story of these four remarkable leaders.

Gorbachev: His Life and Times

Gorbachev: His Life and Times PDF Author: William Taubman
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393245683
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 928

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Book Description
A National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist “Essential reading for the twenty-first [century].” —Radhika Jones, The New York Times Book Review In the first comprehensive biography of Mikhail Gorbachev, William Taubman shows how a peasant boy clambered to the top of a system designed to keep people like him down, found common ground with America’s arch-conservative president Ronald Reagan, and permitted the USSR and its East European empire to break apart without using force to preserve them. Drawing on interviews with Gorbachev himself, transcripts and documents from the Russian archives, and interviews with Kremlin aides and adversaries, Taubman’s intensely personal portrait extends to Gorbachev’s remarkable marriage to a woman he deeply loved. Nuanced and poignant, yet unsparing and honest, this sweeping account has all the amplitude of a great Russian novel.