Last of the empires : a history of the Soviet Union 1945-1991

Keep, John L. H.1995

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Summary

In this book, John Keep gives a narrative history of the USSR from the last years of Stalins's despotic rule to the eventual collapse of the empire in 1991. During these years living standards slowly improved as various attempts were made to reform Communist rule. Although material prosperity rose under Kruschev and Brezhnev, however, the Communist system itself began to erode. ... When control passed to pragmatic younger leaders like Gorbachev, their attempts to reinvigorate the economy by appealing to the intelligentsia opened a Pandora's box of conflicting opeinions. The Party surrendered its monopoly of power ... culminating in the empire's downfall. Since 1988 the mantle of Soviet secrecy has slowly been lifted, allowing historians access to some of the country's vast archival resources. 'Last of the Empires' explores the central currents of political, cultural, social and economic development running through forty-six crucial years of Soviet rule . . .