E-Books →The USSR A history of the Soviet Union

Continuing through the post-war era, the book navigates the Soviet Union's emergence as a global superpower locked in the Cold War rivalry with the West, exploring milestones like the Space Race and tense confrontations that brought the world to the brink. It examines the periods of de-Stalinization and relative "Thaw" under Khrushchev, the political stagnation of the Brezhnev years, and the persistent undercurrents of dissent and nationality tensions beneath the facade of unity. Finally, the narrative covers Mikhail Gorbachev's ambitious, ultimately unraveling reforms of Glasnost and Perestroika, the stunning collapse of the Eastern Bloc in 1989, the dramatic events of the August Coup, and the swift, complex dissolution of the USSR in 1991, concluding with a look at the enduring legacy for Russia and the independent states of the Near Abroad. This history offers a vital understanding of why the Soviet Union rose, how it functioned, and why it ultimately fell, providing essential context for understanding the contemporary world.