A Failed Empire

by Zubok, Vladislav M.

• ISBN13: 9780807859582
• ISBN10: 0807859583
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-02-01
• Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Pr

Summary

Western interpretations of the Cold War—both realist and neoconservative—have erred by exaggerating either the Kremlin's pragmatism or its aggressiveness, argues Vladislav Zubok. Explaining the interests, aspirations, illusions, fears, and misperceptions of the Kremlin leaders and Soviet elites, Zubok offers a Soviet perspective on the greatest standoff of the twentieth century.Using recently declassified Politburo records, ciphered telegrams, diaries, and taped conversations, among other sources, Zubok explores the origins of the superpowers' confrontation under Stalin, Khrushchev's contradictory and counterproductive attempts to ease tensions, the surprising story of Brezhnev's passion for detente, and Gorbachev's destruction of the Soviet superpower as the by-product of his hasty steps to end the Cold War and to reform the Soviet Union. The first work in English to cover the entire Cold War from the Soviet side,A Failed Empireprovides a history different from those written by the Western victors.In this widely praised book, Vladislav Zubok argues that Western interpretations of the Cold War have erred by exaggerating either the Kremlin's pragmatism or its aggressiveness. Explaining the interests, aspirations, illusions, fears, and misperceptions of the Kremlin leaders and Soviet elites, Zubok offers a Soviet perspective on the greatest standoff of the twentieth century. Using recently declassified Politburo records, ciphered telegrams, diaries, and taped conversations, among other sources, Zubok offers the first work in English to cover the entire Cold War from the Soviet side.A Failed Empireprovides a history quite different from those written by the Western victors. In a new preface for this edition, the author adds to our understanding of today’s events in Russia, including who the new players are and how their policies will affect the state of the world in the twenty-first century.

Author Biography

Vladislav M. Zubok is associate professor of history at Temple University

Table of Contents

Preface to the Paperback Edition: Russia's Revenge	p. ix
Preface	p. xxiii
Abbreviations	p. xxix
The Soviet People and Stalin between War and Peace, 1945	p. 1
Stalin's Road to the Cold War, 1945-1948	p. 29
Stalemate in Germany, 1945-1953	p. 62
Kremlin Politics and "Peaceful Coexistence," 1953-1957	p. 94
The Nuclear Education of Khrushchev, 1953-1963	p. 123
The Soviet Home Front: First Cracks, 1953-1968	p. 163
Brezhnev and the Road to Detente, 1965-1972	p. 192
Detente's Decline and Soviet Overreach, 1973-1979	p. 227
The Old Guard's Exit, 1980-1987	p. 265
Gorbachev and the End of Soviet Power, 1988-1991	p. 303
Epilogue	p. 336
Notes	p. 345
Bibliography	p. 417
Index	p. 455
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