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AQA History is the only series of resources developed with and exclusively endorsed by AQA, providing teachers with complete confidence that they have everything they need to deliver AQA's new AS History specification. ... Read more

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A survey aimed at A-level students of Russian history this century. This book covers the period from Lenin's death in 1924 to the rise of Stalin, the purges and World War II, through to the post-war years, the cold war and the rise of Khrushchev. ... Read more

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Forward Soviet!is the first comprehensive account of Soviet documentary output during the years between the "Great October Socialist Revolution" and the "Great Patriotic War." Drawing on previously closed State archives, Graeme Roberts re-views the great examples of Soviet and world non-fiction cinema and uncovers many fine and intriguing little-known films. He discusses the careers of men and women who made them, including Vertov, Shub, Medvedkin and Karmen and investigates the problems of analysis and context, while offering valuable insights into that context. Forward Soviet!is a powerful demonstration of how the history of Soviet non-fiction film can give insight into the agencies that shaped Soviet history and culture.
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This balanced text has been revised to reflect the dramatic changes that have occurred in the former Soviet Union and to give students the context in which they can understand the roots of those changes. Introduced by a discussion of Russian history just prior to the Revolution, the text looks at the development of the Soviet Union goes beyond the political to reveal the complexity of social, economic, diplomatic, and cultural forces that have shaped this country. Two new chapters bring students up to date on the collapse of the Soviet Union and the legacy of Soviet Communism. Highly praised Problems sections offer conflicting points of view among Soviet, post-Soviet, and Western historians, giving readers insight into the past and present debates in this changing nation. ... Read more

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In this fascinating new interpretation of Cold War history, John Lewis Gaddis focuses on how the United States and the Soviet Union have managed to get through more than four decades of Cold War confrontation without going to war with one another.

Using recently-declassified American and British documents, Gaddis argues that the postwar international system has contained previously unsuspected elements of stability.This provocative reassessment of contemporary history--particularly as it relates to the current status of Soviet-American relations--will certainly generate discussion, controversy, and important new perspectives on both past and present aspects of the age in which we live. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

New Perspectives
Many historians have taken the viewpoint that the Cold War was a great time of strife and conflict and that we were merely a second away from total war with the Soviet Union. Although there was never any formal war between the Soviet Union and the United States, we nonetheless were in conflict in all aspects of society with each other. But John Gaddis in his novel "The Long Peace: Inquiries Into the History of the Cold War" puts forth the argument that the Cold War in fact, as the title suggests, actually time of great peace between the superpowers in terms of open warfare. In it he tries to examine why this "Long Peace" existed, and the factors that contributed to the war staying "Cold" and never escalating to direct military action between the two super powers. Gaddis also presents an interesting viewpoint of the Cold War as possibly being a necessity to both countries. He outlines the war from several different viewpoints and draws on the central theme that most likely we never went to war over direct fear of one another and that inevitably that is not what either country ever wanted.

"The Long Peace" is essentially a collection of essays from primarily the United Sates archives. Gaddis breaks down the novel into several key chapters. Firstly he addresses how Russian-American relations were prior to the outbreak of the Cold War. Leading up to and including World War Two. This is essential as we learn that even during World War Two, the U.S. was already viewing the possibilities of the Soviet Union as a threat post-war.

Most people would deem a viewpoint that the United States and Russia merely stayed in the Cold War for "world ranking" as erroneous. But Gaddis gives us compelling arguments as to why this actually may have some truth. If, according to the documents Gaddis puts forth, the U.S. did not engage in it's multi-faceted approach against communism, not only would we be less powerful militarily today, but we may not be nearly as important in a world scale. By the both powers escalating the conflict to possibly more then it actually was, it allowed them respectively to increase things such as military spending astronomically.

Reasoning behind why the U.S. and the Soviet Union inevitably never attacked one another varies. But one prime example Gaddis entertains is the possible inherent fear we had over one another during the Cold War. This fear was bred further by the existence of nuclear capabilities during the era. Both powers had the capabilities to the kill the other more then ten times in an open nuclear war. So with the existence of nuclear war, most thought it was inevitable should the U.S. and the Soviet Union ever actually get into a war, they would bring there nuclear arms to bear. But in truth and with the realization that should a actual war begin between the two, it would quickly escalate to a nuclear one. This in turn would lead to the inevitable demise of both countries.

One aspect that Gaddis did not address too strongly was how powers outside of the United States and Soviet Union were doing to influence their decisions. For example, the United States involvement in the Vietnam war for the purposes of fulfilling a policy of containment. Or the Soviet Union involvement in Afghanistan and the viewpoint that it was an equivalent of Vietnam for the United States. This I believe is an important aspect that is not factored in to his opinion. What if Cuba had been successfully invaded during the Bay of Pigs? If the U.S. had not gotten involved in Vietnam, would communism have spread throughout the region anyway? Gaddis although not touching on this, does address how the Soviet Union and United States were sometimes forced into decisions by Satellite nations. Both had to take into account what the other would do should they not support one of their "allies". For example the U.S. involvement in the Greek revolution and how we needed to contain the spread of communism in that region.


Another answer to why this book is of importance is that a lot of history novels can be very easily deciphered by whom the author. Although this is one of John Gaddis's earlier works, many reviewers hold it with great acclaim. Added to that is the prominence that he has garnered from his subsequent works on the Cold War. Gaddis is an eminent name in not only in the topic of the Cold War, but as a historian. His delivery of the information is quite superbly done. Rather then taking a stereotypical approach and simply stating facts and leaving a reader to analyze the text, Gaddis gives us his very informative viewpoints in addition to raw information. A majority of this novel is comprised of pages and pages of the references that Gaddis used to compile his arguments. Although at a glance this is merely customary, it further shows the amount of work and dedication that Gaddis has put into this book. Any decently written historical novel will have a majority of it's references cited. This is another prime example as to why Gaddis's work is held so highly. Gaddis also achieves a degree of entertainment in his witty narratives, prefacing the analytical sections. This serves a strong purpose as it can help interest those who may not be of the strict History discipline. Finally he raises some strong questions that anyone who is a student of the Cold War area of history will be forced to generate new inquiries to old ideology.

Good Look at USSR v. US post WWII
A good look at the history of relations between the Soviet Union and the United States in the period between WWII and the mid 1980's.Lack of information from Soviet sources (because they weren't available) adrawback, but good perspective from the NATO side. ... Read more

Product Description
The Yakovlev design bureau started life in 1927 when Aleksandr Sergeyevich Yakovlev (1894-1977) brought out his first aircraft, the two-seat AIR-I. The first nine designs created by Yakovlev remained in prototype form, being developed largely at his own initiative. In 1935, however, his fortune changed when the UT-2 primary trainer entered large-scale production. In the immediate pre-war years and during World War II, the Yakovlev OKB proved quite versatile, developing such varied aircraft as the Yak-4 light bomber of 1939, the Yak-6 light transport, and the Yak-1 fighter of 1940. The latter was the progenitor of a highly successful series of fighters including the Yak-7, Yak-9, and Yak-3. After the war, diversity continued. For a while, fighters were still strongly on the agenda; the Yak-15 first flew on 24 April 1946, the same day as the MiG-9, and eveolved into the Yak-17 and Yak-23 featuring the same 'pod-and-boom' layout. The twin-engined Yak-25 interceptor was brought out in 1952, again becoming the first in a line of twinjet tactical aircraft - mostly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Civil aircraft development also continued on a large scale, the OKB developing such successful aircraft as the Yak-18 trainder/aerobatic aircraft family, the Yak-40 feederliner (1966) and the Yak-42 short/medium-haul airliner (1974). The company even tried its hand at helicopters; the tandem-rotor Yak -24 was brought out in 1952, entering small-scale production in 1955. Though overshadowed as a 'fighter-maker by Mikoyan and Sukhoi, the Yakovlev OKB did not give up. The Yak-38 VTOL attack aircraft first flew in 1970, entering service with the Soviet Navy in 1976. A major success was achieved in 2002 when the Yak-130, the company's latest trainer, was selected by the Russian Air Force. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

OKB Yakovlev: A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft
Well done history of aircraft development, design and production by the Yakolev team.Well chosen photographs accompany the extremely informative text and data.Additionally the book is attractive and physically a first-class piece of work.

Yakolev history and aircraft revealed
Yefim Gordon and his asociates are working through Russian aircraft manufacturers similar to the way Putnam books did with predominantly UK manufacturers, This book is 384 pages of information, many photos and many drawing. There is a section called "A brief history of the Yakolev OKB" followed by sections on Lightplanes 1924-43 and continuing with 10 further types categories and ending with pilotless aircraft and a short color photo selection. Although expensive, it is a good value for the money particularly if you are interested in Russian aviation history and cannot read Russian ... Read more

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"If I find a Ukrainian who is worthy of sitting at the same table with me, I must have him shot," declared Nazi commissar Erich Koch. To the Nazi leaders, the Ukrainians were Untermenschen—subhumans. But the rich land was deemed prime territory for Lebensraum expansion. Once the Germans rid the country of Jews, Roma, and Bolsheviks, the Ukrainians would be used to harvest the land for the master race.

Karel Berkhoff provides a searing portrait of life in the Third Reich's largest colony. Under the Nazis, a blend of German nationalism, anti-Semitism, and racist notions about the Slavs produced a reign of terror and genocide. But it is impossible to understand fully Ukraine's response to this assault without addressing the impact of decades of repressive Soviet rule. Berkhoff shows how a pervasive Soviet mentality worked against solidarity, which helps explain why the vast majority of the population did not resist the Germans. He also challenges standard views of wartime eastern Europe by treating in a more nuanced way issues of collaboration and local anti-Semitism.

Berkhoff offers a multifaceted discussion that includes the brutal nature of the Nazi administration; the genocide of the Jews and Roma; the deliberate starving of Kiev; mass deportations within and beyond Ukraine; the role of ethnic Germans; religion and national culture; partisans and the German response; and the desperate struggle to stay alive.

Harvest of Despair is a gripping depiction of ordinary people trying to survive extraordinary events.

Customer Reviews (6)

Ukrainians as WWII Victims and Victimizers; OUN-UPA Genocide of Poles
This Dutch historian discusses such relatively-familiar events as the Soviet famine-genocide of Ukrainians, the scorched-earth policies of both the retreating Soviets and Germans, deportations of Ukrainians for forced labor, imposed Nazi hunger (p. 45), etc. The German occupation cost the lives of at least 1 million people of all nationalities in the Reichskommissariat Ukraine alone. (p. 307).

As for Ukrainians and Jews, "Both factions of the OUN were anti-Semitic themselves, and wartime documents with regard to leading Banderites show that during the German invasion, they wanted the Jews, or at least Jewish males, killed, and that they were willing to participate in the process." (p. 83, 348; see also p. 288, 429).

Berkhoff then elaborates on the little-known OUN-UPA genocide of Poles (pp. 286-300). Soviet partisan leader Strokach said that the UPA has, "...the aim of totally destroying the Poles in Ukraine." (p. 287, 428). Berkhoff also quotes a fascinating letter, by SB-leader Vasyl Makar, who describes the "action to destroy the Poles" which had "not produced the expected results". (p. 287, 428). What further proof is needed for genocide? The fact that all Poles weren't killed wasn't from the UPA not trying!

Unfortunately, Berkhoff cites secondary sources that grossly underestimate the Polish victims. (p. 286, 427). In actuality, detailed village-by-village compilations (Siemaszko and Siemaszko for Volyn, and Komanski for the Tarnopol area) alone record over 45,000 Polish deaths. Owing to the fact that their coverage is spotty, and then only applicable to a fraction of the relevant overall geographic area, the actual number of Poles murdered by the OUN-UPA genocide is easily in the 150,000-300,000 range.Berkhoff also errs in implying that Taras Czuprynka (Roman Shukhevych) ended the killings. (pp. 298-299). To the contrary, there exists a document in which Skukhevych called for the speeding-up of the destruction of Polish villages prior to the arrival of the Red Army.

Berkhoff is perceptive in realizing that the Polish killing of Ukrainians near Zamosc-Kholm (Chelm), often used as a pretext for the OUN-UPA genocide of Poles, will not do. It was neither indiscriminate, nor remotely commensurate, nor even "initial". He writes: "Here too, the complaints of the main aggressor had some validity. Polish underground activists had been murdering Ukrainian leading figures in the Lublin district since at least May 1942, and Polish partisans (which had grown in number after a Nazi campaign to expel peasants) assaulted police stations, which were manned by Ukrainians. But Ukrainian policemen there had been killing Poles, and overall the events were more complex than the Banderites would like to admit." (p. 293). Berkhoff also understands the fact that Volhynian Poles siding with Germans against Ukrainians was a response to, not provocation of, the OUN-UPA genocide against Poles, and that it seemed much larger than it actually was because of the involvement of Germans who spoke Polish (Silesian Germans, Volksdeutsche, etc.)(p. 294).

Finally, Ukrainians also suffered from the UPA. (pp. 297-298). There were massive killings of suspected traitors, draconian terror against even minor peasant disobedience, grudge-killings, increasingly-onerous restrictions and levies of goods, etc.

Harvest of Despair
Harvest of Despair; Life and Death in Ukraine Under Nazi Rule
Karel Berkhoff
Belknap Press

The history of Ukraine is a tangled web of invasion, exploitation, and, despite it all, hope.As you drive through the Ukrainian countryside, you can see monuments to the "Great Patriotic War" and most major cities have more than one memorial to the Soviet citizens who defended their homeland against the Nazi invaders who planned on re-making Ukraine into a German agricultural colony.

Karel Berkhoff's Harvest of Despair is an attempt to look at the Nazi plans for the occupied Ukraine and Ukrainian reaction to them.In every sense, the Ukrainian people were caught between a rock and a hard place- the two choices left to them were Hitler's Nazis or the Stalin's Soviet Union.Berkhoff's narrative places the Ukrainian choices into context, explaining why the two choices were variously chosen, and why, in the end, both proved inadequate.

When the Nazi's first invaded Ukraine in June, 1941, many welcomed the Germans as liberators.Indeed, the treatment that the Ukrainian peasantry received under Stalin's collectivization plan and engineered famine would make almost any alternative seem attractive.Coupled with the lack of good information about Nazi rule in other parts of Europe and the almost total collapse of Soviet defenses, Germany seemed a ray of hope.That hope was soon dashed as the nature of Nazi rule manifested itself.

The Nazis planned on making Ukraine an agricultural colony to be populated by "Germanic" people. The Slavic Ukrainian people, by definition inferior according to Nazi ideology, were at best an impediment to these plans.The Ukrainians were tolerated insomuch as there were economically useful to the Nazi regime.Peasants, who produced food in abundance, were allowed to survive, albeit with the ever-present danger of forced labor in Germany or summary execution.City dwellers, especially those who were not deemed economically useful were expected to starve, which they did by the thousands.

The brutality of the Nazi regime, whether revealed in the mass execution of the local Jewish populations, the summary executions under the most flimsy of pretexts, or the conditions suffered by those in forced labor in Germany, soon soured the Ukrainians to the prospect of their "liberation."But the Ukrainians found themselves as powerless in the face of Nazi power as they did under the Soviets.That there was resistance at all, be it evading work to sheltering Jews, is remarkable in a society where resistance to authority was swiftly and severely punished, regardless of the regime.

Berkhoff organized Harvest of Despair thematically, which allows the reader to "spiral" their knowledge into a coherent whole after reading the entire work, while allowing each chapter to stand alone if necessary.One item that would have been useful to the general reader would be an explanation of the German military and civilian terms in greater detail.Comparisons with other Nazi occupied territory would have also been useful as context.Whether the Ukrainian experience was typical or not would help the general reader understand the extent in which Ukraine suffered, before, during, and after the occupation.Harvest of Despair is a well researched and written treatment of this horrible chapter of history.

Ukraine under the Nazis.
The author does a good job of academically analyzing the Nazi Rule of Ukraine.He depicts the initial joy of the German invasion followed by the killing of the Jews, Roma, and POWs, forced starvation of the city dwellers, limited employment of civilians and the generally repressive rule of the German authorities.Indeed, if the Germans were on their best behavior and treated the locals correctly, the local population would have brought them over to their side.However, the Germans and their rule forced to look at the starving thirties with nostalgia.Ukrainians switched sides and fought for the Red Army, partisans, and the nationalists.This arrogance by the Germans and their thoughts of the master race just may have cost them the war.

This is an OK book.I think the author tried to appeal to the academic audience for this book and sacrificed the general readership.The book sheds light on why the Germans lost the support of the Ukrainian population through their tactics and inhumanity.When a population bloodied by Stalin preferred his leadership to that of the Nazis, a small part of the war in the East was decided.For this reason, WWII historians should read this book.

Sheds light, and spares no one
This beautifully researched book should help substitute some well-documented scholarship for the acrimonious debates that have raged since the conclusion of World War II.Some of these debates upon which the book sheds light: Was Ukraine victim of Nazi aggression or its collaborator?Did Eastern and Western Ukraine experience cardinally different occupation policies?Did Eastern and Western Ukrainians both welcome the German invasion of 1941 and for what reasons?Did the two parts of the country develop different defense mechanisms against German policies?How did the common people react to initial promises, and how did they react later to the actual policies of exploitation and starvation of Ukrainian urban centers? Did the two factions of the OUN develop different strategies of dealing with the occupation? Did Eastern Ukrainians welcome OUN workers to mitigate Nazi excesses? Did the differing schools of thought among the Nazi hierarchy itself - that is, Koch versus Rosenberg, et al - in dealing with Ukrainians have much impact?Did the de facto on-the-ground changes in policy come too late?

Much in the book is especially relevant today - as the debates flare up again - and could, for example, help explain the radically different views Western Ukrainians and Eastern Ukrainians take toward the OUN and the UPA.I highly recommend this fair and objective book, and I must admit that as Ukrainian myself, this book spares no sensibilities and at times the truth hurts - all the more reason, I believe, to read the book.

Chilling work
I don't know why this book did not get good reviews from our esteemed Amazon customers. This book details the immense hardship in the Reichkommisariat Ukraine ruled by the "brutal dog" Erich Koch. It gives many examples of Ukrainians being executed for the smallest reasons like having a knife or looking like a 'bandit'. The chapter of starvation in Kiev is eye opening as most people don't know the starvation that effected occupied Soviet cities and large towns due to economic exploitation and stealing by the German occupiers. The chapters dealing with the elimination of the Jews, Roma, and POW's are poignant. Another reason why this book is great is the author's great sympathy for the Ukrainian people who in the west are all regarded as Nazis. The truth of the fact is that 20% of Ukrainians died as a result of Nazi rule or at the front fighting in the Red Army. Also few books deal with the sufferings of the Slavic peoples of the Soviet Union who were considered Untermenschen (subhumans) by the Germans. This book is well worth it if you want to know the tremendous suffering of the Soviet peoples in their Great Patriotic War.
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Product Description
An examination of political, social and cultural developments in the Soviet Union. The book identifies the social tensions and political inconsistencies that spurred radical change in the government of Russia, from the turn of the century to the revolution of 1917. Kenez envisions that revolution as a crisis of authority that posed the question, 'Who shall govern Russia?' This question was resolved with the creation of the Soviet Union. Kenez traces the development of the Soviet Union from the Revolution, through the 1920s, the years of the New Economic Policies and into the Stalinist order. He shows how post-Stalin Soviet leaders struggled to find ways to rule the country without using Stalin's methods but also without openly repudiating the past, and to negotiate a peaceful but antipathetic coexistence with the capitalist West. In this new edition, he also examines the post-Soviet period, tracing Russia's development up to the present day. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A History of the Soviet Union from the Beginning to the End - Peter Kenes
It's an excellent book, very comprehensive.While it was second hand, it was in perfect condition.

An EXTRAORDINARY "LIFE HISTORY"...in this case, that of the Soviet Communist Party
Wow! I just finished this book, and I must say that it TRULY was an excellent, and most informative read!

I remember when I picked it up I had those funny little "brain thoughts" (the ones like your conscience that says things to you, silently within your head), "Are you SURE you really want to read stuff like this?" and "Why would anyone want to know anything about the Communist Party?".

Well, let me tell you, this book, in actuality, should perhaps be placed on EVERY high school reading list. I was fascinated by this book. And, the information that I learned from it is almost stunning to know.

How the demise of the Czarist system, already in a state of anarchy, lead to the easily successful October Revolution, and then to the Bolshevicks fighting the "Whites" for control of the country. Lenin and Trotsky setting up the State for Marxism, and Communism.

From the original NEP, which sort of worked, through the ever-increasing and stupid purges of Stalin, hurting the Communist State so deeply it could really not recover from them, through the devastation of WWII in the already economically bankrupt country, through Kruschev's Reign, on through Breshnev's, Gorbachev's, and Yeltsin's and into the "modern" and "free" Russia under Putin, this book just grips and holds you all the way through.

It is broken down into "ages" if you will, of the Soviet development, and is easily understandable and shows one with near photographic clearness the mistakes made by those in charge, and also the reasons why, Communism, or closed-government systems do not, and cannot, work. As the book progresses, it is ever-clearer just how far off the mark the government is getting, until finally, the implosion from within is unavoidable.

A truly fascinating piece of clearly written history that EVERYONE should read....trust me! By all means, pick up a copy of this truly wonderful and educational "progression" of the Soviet and get to see why this kind of government cannot work, with clearly seen outcomes and happenings from our own lifetime that mark the slow demise of the "System".

This book is yet another great example of the value of those old words from my grade school days "Please Read...and Grow Your Mind." I cannot recommend this book highly enough. ~operabruin

Political and Economic Summary of the causes of the Failure of the Soviet Union
Peter Kenez has written a succinct book on the underlying reasons for the success of the October Revolution and the failure of the Soviet Union.When the Russian Empire disintegrated in 1917, the country itself was on the verge of anarachy.Trotsky, brilliantly constructed the Red Army and used the railroad system to attack and keep at bay on the periphery four armies. Lenin instituted 'war communism' with the optimism that the rest of Europe would soon join him in a socialist revolution.

When the European-wide revolution didn't materialize, the Bolshevicks didn't have a 'Plan B' so they just winged it.The "New Economic Program" which in reality was a mixed-economy, was the last time that Communism worked in the Soviet (which means council) Union.Under the NEPmen people were able to get consumer goods for the first time, and parallel to this there was a literacy push that pushed illiteracy down by half.Then Lenin died...and so did the hope of creating a 'new socialist man'.

In his will Lenin named Trotsky as his successor and warned his old comrades against Stalin.But Stalin had used his time as Commissar for Nationalities to gain control of the internal security service (the Cheka later the NKVD, KGB) and was able to have himself declared Party Secretary.As we all know, whoever controls the Party makes the rules.In a period of ten years, Stalin was able to get rid of all the 'old comrades' and firmly take hold of the country.

Like a recovering alcoholic, Stalin (a Georgian) was determined to be more Russian that any Russian (his idols were Peter the Great and Ivan the Fearsome/Terrible) and that so should everyone else.He spent his whole life compensating for a withered right arm and a speech impediment (a lisp).His five year plans devastated agriculture, which never truly recovered; while building a military-industrial complex that measure quantity but not quality.(If you produce millions of poor quality items, where only thousands are needed, some are useful and the rest go to waste.)

Stalin fought the Second World War using men/soldiers like products of his industrial plants; he could afford to lose 25 million men, the Germans could not.His designers built weapons by copying German equipment and making out of the fewest parts possible, so that once again quantity was able to overcome quality flaws.After the war, the Soviet Army never went home from Eastern Europe.They stayed and kept the new 'Peoples Democracies' in power and in line.

Having become a superpower, the Soviets refused to be left behind by the US; so they strove to create power for power.Unfortunatley, unlike the US, over a quarter of the Cities in the Soviet Union were destroyed during the war.Even if they had solely concentrated on rebuilding, recovery would have been difficult.But having to keep an eye on the 'Iron Curtain Nations' while spending 25% or more of the GDP on their military.

When Gorbachav tried to make adjustments to the system, it collapsed like an old car when you fix the oil pump and with the increase in pressure blows out all of the gaskets.

Communism never had a chance because Marxist/Leninism was never given a chance.The fall of Soviet Russia was the ending that all totalitarian regimes have, they implode because they exist under an unrealistic economy that doesn't adhere to the forces of supply and demand.You can't demand that people 'want' whatever you supply.

Cold War Political Pamphlet, not a serious reasearch
This is a very shallow, biased piece of Cold War style journalism disguised as a historical research. The book is full of ungrounded generalizations and direct factual lies (I cannot call them mistakes, since the author must be familiar with archival data that give evidence to the contrary). All this is is tailored with one obvious goal in mind: to present the USSR in the worst possible light, demonise its leaders, slander its people, and discredit the socialist idea as such. You will know and understand less about Soviet Union after you have read this book than you do already. Do not waste your time, read serious, balanced scholarship instead.

An excellent, short history
This compact and well-written book from Soviet historian Peter Kenez is an excellent short history of the Soviet Union.

Perhaps the most welcome aspect of Kenez's book is his willingess to acknowledge the centrality of ideological considerations in shaping both the views and policies of the USSR's Marxist leaders.While this is not surprising given the author's previous interest in the "propaganda state," it is a needed corrective to the excessive emphasis on "social factors" that tend to dominate other histories of the USSR.

Readers would have benefited from a more detailed bibliography or, better, a list of recommended readings from the author. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a definitive new history of Russia from early Rus' to the successor states that emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Volume I encompasses developments before the reign of Peter I; volume II covers the 'imperial era', from Peter's time to the fall of the monarchy in March 1917; and volume III continues the story through to the end of the twentieth century. At the core of all three volumes are the Russians, the lands which they have inhabited and the polities that ruled them while other peoples and territories have also been given generous coverage for the periods when they came under Riurikid, Romanov and Soviet rule. The distinct voices of individual contributors provide a multitude of perspectives on Russia's diverse and controversial millennial history. ... Read more

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Product Description
The most comprehensive and revealing investigation of Stalinism and political developments in the Soviet Union from 1922-1953, this edition is an extensively revised and expanded version of a classic work. Internationally known historian Roy Medvedev has included more than one-hundred new interviews, unpublished memoirs, and archives from survivors of Stalin's death camps. This updated version of a classic work was written during a time of great change in the Soviet Union. With the advent ofandmore progressive leadership has sought to demolish the Stalinist system which had finally crippled the Soviet Union and incited public discontent. contains new material on: purges in 1929-1931 and terror against the peasantry, the Kirov assasination and show trials, the "great terror" from 1936-1938 which caused irreparable damage to the Soviet Union and left it vulnerable for Hilter's attack in 1941, the trial of Bukharin, Trotsky's revolutionary activity and Stalin's involvement with his murder in Mexico, Stalin's miscalculations and errors during the war which cost the Soviet Union nearly 25 million in casualties, new purges from 1946-1953, and the actual vote of the Seventeenth Congress, which decided Stalin's candidacy.Since the first edition was finished by the author in 1969 and published in 1971, dozens of new informants have come forward to give their evidence to Roy Medvedev. Distinguished Soviet literary, cultural, and political figures like the late Alexander Twardovsky, Ilja Ehrenburg, Konstantin Simonov, Yuri Trifono, Mikhail Romm and many others have accumulated documentary records of Stalinism in anticipation of an expanded version.Amazon.com Review
This weighty--physically and emotionally--book speaks volumesabout the play of individual and group memory in a totalitariansociety. It grew from notebooks and files secretly kept by the Russianhistorian Roy Medvedev on the history of his times, from the emergenceof Josef Stalin as a leader in the 1917 Revolution to the dictator'sdeath in 1953. Some of the documents Medvedev gathered, includingmemoranda on secret agreements with Nazi Germany, shocked Russianreaders when these notebooks first began to appear in 1988, and hisbook became one of the primary documents of glasnost. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

an historical gem that passed unnoticed
The original version of this book, published in 1972 by Alfred A Knopf, reflects the thinking of historian Roy A Medvedev in the period of August 1962 to August 1968. The revised and expanded 1989 version must first be examined in light of the original.

The original was translated by Colleen Taylor and edited by David Joravsky of Northwestern University. Medvedev couldn't get published in the USSR, and this work thus first appeared in the West. It was written primarily during the transition from Khrushev's anti-Stalinist reforms to Brezhnev's immanent social-imperialism.

August 1968 is also the month of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslavakia and the defeat of Dubcek's "socialism with a human face." This is also the period of Mao's Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution.

Stalin was as evil as Hitler, yet he rose to power in the first Socialist state. The Second World War played itself out as one totalitarian dictatorship in a death struggle with another, yet Stalin ended up through the course of events as an ally of the democratic and capitalist Anglo-American West in its life-or-death struggle against fascism.

Totalitarianism turns out to have been the big infatuation of the twentieth century intelligentsia. Medvedev represents Russia's awakening from this plague. He is wrong about so much, yet for his age he was so far ahead of his times.

This book is a classic, and I believe the original should be the preferred version. Stalin's terror is nearly beyond belief. It is tragic in a different way than Nazism; perhaps with consequences more evil.

If Leninism ever revives, this will be a classic, just as it is now in the wake of the Cold War defeat of Communism.

As definitive as a person could possibly desire.
The late 1990's saw the publication of numerous scatterbrained, and ill-intentioned, attempts to descredit Vladimir Lenin, Nikolai Bukharin, Leon Trotsky, and Karl Marx, by associating their actions, and ideas, with those of Joseph Stalin. One must ask, "were these attempts in any way successful?" Luckily, the answer is an emphatic, no. The individuals who bought into the "Marx and Lenin created Stalinism" theory, alluded to in works such as 'The Black Book of Communism', by Mister Courtois (or Miss), 'The Passing of an Illusion', by Mister Furet, and 'The Soviet Tragedy', by Mister Malia, already harbored such fantastic illusions. Most of the population has no interest in Sovietology, so attempts at descrediting Lenin, Marx, Bukharin, and Trotsky, were, and are, virtually fruitless (I took a Public Speaking course at a local community college, and most of the students hadn't even heard of Lenin, Marx, or Trotsky!.)

To find true objectivity, on the subject of Sovietology, one must reach back into the distant past, and read Roy Medvedev's incredible, 'Let History Judge'. One could refer to Medvedev's writings, as "Solzhenitsyn, without the racism and bitterness"(a spew of biographies show that Solzhenitsyn is without question anti-semitic; however, this fact doesn't mean he's no longer one of the elite writers of the twentieth century). 'Let History Judge', is not so much a history of Stalin, but a history of Russia from 1917-1953. Described, with minute detail, is Lenin's seizure of power, Lenin's benevolent feelings toward Stalin (which ended effectively after the Eleventh All-Congress of the Bolsheviks), Trotsky's role as leader of the Red Army, Trotsky's complete ineptness in regard to the left-opposition, and Stalin's remarkable, almost super-human, political abilites. In addition, one will never discover a finer description of collectivization anywhere (although I must admit Conquest's 'Harvest of Sorrow', is pretty excellent). Russia's grain production in 1930-1933, were almost certainly below pre-WWI levels, apparently, but Stalin wanted Russia to appear forceful, so he sold grain internationally, as if it were "business as usual", which resulted in the death of millions of non-guilty peasants (however, one can not deny George Carlin's classic quote, "there are no innocent people, once you're born, you're guilty as charged").The description of the horrible Gulag system is not quite as great as Solzhenitsyn's, but it's pretty darn close. Unlike Solzhenitsyn, Medvedev doesn't slander the dead, or embark on anti-semitic diatribes (thankfully, for the population at large, Medvedev critiques much of what Solzhenitsyn wrote in the 'Gulag Archipelago' with absolute clarity).

The price is pretty high, but at 800+ pages, the person isn't really buying just one book, they are buying a multitude of books, which cover a variety of subjects. In addition to, 'Let History Judge', I would also strongly recommend you read Edvard Radzinsky's 'Stalin', Volkogonov's 'Autopsy of an Empire' (being a Yeltsin staffer, Volkogonov is biased, but there is some interesting anecdotes!), and Robert Tucker's magnificent two-volume biograpy of Stalin. Unlike other works on the subject of the Russian Revolution, these works actually take a "scholarly" approach!

Passion overwhelms the writing
This book was the first in the Soviet Union to treat Stalin in an objective way. Prior to its release Stalin had been the great hero of the patriotic war the father of the country and so forth. Whilst the secret speech by Krushevhad distanced the country from his system scholarship had not taken the step of subjecting his rule to objective analysis.

The author was a person who was an opponent of Stalin and prior to the fall of the regime was active in its criticism.The book goes through the issues associated with Stalin such as the decision to collectivize agriculture, theforced industrialization, the terror and the handling of the war. The author forms the view that Stalin was an unmitigated disaster. That is the country would have progressed economically better without him, and his handling of the war was catastrophic.

It is a good book to read with other western accounts such as Bullocks.

Comprehensive and interesting
This book is a very thorough and well-written biography of Josef Stalin. It was one of the few books I read in college that I didn't mind reading. The information on Stalin's political and personal life gives the reader anopportunity to make informed judgements about Stalin's actions. ... Read more

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The Rise of the Soviet Union recounts the major social, economic, and political issues in the tumultuous history of the world's first socialist state, from the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 to the swift disintegration of the Soviet empire of 1991. (20020701) ... Read more

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This book is the first detailed history of the Russian Symbolist movement, which served as the seedbed of Existentialism and Modernism in Russia. It reassesses the symbolists' achievements in the light of modern research, focusing on their literary works. Prose is quoted in English translation and poetry is given in the original Russian with prose translations. There is a valuable bibliography of primary sources and an extensive chronological appendix. This book will fill a long-felt gap for students and teachers of Russian and comparative literature, symbolism, modernism, and pre-revolutionary Russian culture. ... Read more

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War, passion, suffering and love are elements of this book. The author has spoken to Party members, prostitutes, KGB officials and clowns, and has woven their stories into a saga that reads like a novel, revealing Russian history as told by the people who lived through it. ... Read more

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The Balkans: A Post-Communist History is a country-by-country treatment of the contemporary history of each of the Balkan states: Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosova.

This survey focuses on political and economic continuities and changes since the 1980s. It includes brief overviews of the history of each state prior to the 1980s to provide the background to enable readers to make sense of the more recent developments. The book has a distinctive conceptual framework for explaining divergent patterns of historical change. This shifts the emphasis away from traditional cultural explanations, especially cultural and national stereotyping, and instead concentrates on the pervasive influence of strongly entrenched vertical power-structures and power-relations.

The Balkans is an excellent companion volume to the successful A History of Eastern Europe, by the same authors. This is an invaluable book for all students of Eastern European history.

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Customer Reviews (1)

Thirtiesbrainwashing
A fascinating photo study of how two nations used photography to push their own political agenda.Author Bendavid-Val sums it up as...'The moral Russian individual was called upon to yeild unselfishly to his people.Americans on the other hand believed that the individual had a basic right to act aggressively on his own behalf, to make his own future...'.

The book starts with a super twenty-four pages of photos, each spread has a Soviet photo facing an American one, both dealing with the same subject, children, street scenes, farm workers, power stations, in a bar, shop windows etc. They do look very similar, least at first glance!

The essence of the book are two portfolios of black and white photos, first the Soviets with seventy-seven then the Americans with seventy-four, they are mostly one to a page and beautifully printed.

The author explains in an illustrated essay the thinking behind taking pictures for propaganda, this could turn out to be a bit of a hazard in the old Soviet Union where creative folk could become non-people as happened to photo-editor Lazar Mezhericher, declared a saboteur in 1937 and photographer Yakov Khalip who had the misfortune to take portraits of NKVD boss Nikolai Yezhov who vanished one fine day, also in 1937.Khalip's work was suddenly tainted!
Incidentally 'The Commissar Vanishes' by David King is an interesting book about the falsification of photos in Stalin's Russia

What the author does not cover is why the American photos are technically so much better than the Soviet ones.I assume this has to do with Roy Stryker's very tight shooting scripts that he made his photographers follow. Also the output of the FSA had to compete with commercial images from ad agencies and the like.The Soviet photographers would hardly have had to worry about such competition and so their photos were much more subjective and creative. Strangely a lot of the American photos were taken in the early forties, despite the book title refering to photography in the 1930s.

Unfortunately there is no index or bibliography, which I would have expected.

Leah Bendavid-Val is to be congratulated on producing an excellent book about documentary photogrphy during the 1930s.These photographs are some of the greatest ever taken.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover. ... Read more