The Soviet era

The Soviet Era gives a succinct, refreshing overview of the Soviet Union from the Bolshevik revolution in 1917 to its disintegration in 1991. After a prologue recounting the attempted coup d'etat of August 1991 and the events which followed, it looks at the development and decline of the Soviet Union, with the perspective of hindsight provided by the opening up of public analysis and discussion during Gorbachev's period of glasnost and perestroika. Thus the years from 1917 to 1985 are discussed primarily in the light of their significance for glasnost, perestroika and the collapse of the…