Books on the death of the USSR?

[Matty_UK]

Are there any good books from a vaguely leftist perspective on the fall of the USSR? I feel like I should know way more about this than I do...

[Charles Xavier]

Yes Michael Parenti wrote a pretty good book on it

Blackshirts and Reds (http://www.michaelparenti.org/BlackShirts.html), Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism (http://www.michaelparenti.org/BlackShirts.html)

http://www.amazon.com/Blackshirts-Reds-Rational-Overthrow-Communism/dp/0872863298

Or read a preview of the book online:

http://books.google.ca/books?id=xsp4fPfv2gsC&dq=Blackshirts+and+reds&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=1hx08VGYTw&sig=jAiR53jo8TvDJmU_ZLVO5Hf1_iU&hl=en&ei=yYalSY6wGIyVngfK4oSWBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result#PPA67,M1

[Matty_UK]

Ah I've already read that, it's a good book but not really enough about the actual process leading to perestroika and so on. And it's quite short, I want something that goes in more detail.

And also, I'd like to find some information about public opinion in former soviet bloc countries, including the USSR. I know that most Russians (and Yugoslavs) think that life was better in the socialist days, and that a large minority in eastern bloc countries, and a small majority in some like Hungary, say they preferred socialism, but what about Kazakhs, Tajiks, Uzbeks, Krygystanis, for whom independance was a complete disaster? Is there any comprehensive book that discusses in detail why the USSR abandoned socialism and broke itself up, the effects it had on Russia, eastern Europe and the ex-soviet states, especially the rise of the oligarchs and the current political structure? (and if not, 'why not?' is a good question to ask-a book like this is sorely needed!)

[Matty_UK]

I can find lots of books about the oligarchs by browsing on amazon, and a few liberal books on the prospects for democratic reform in Russia today, but the fact few academics have bothered to construct a coherent narrative of soviet collapse -> rise of oligarchs and reconstitution of a bourgeoisie speaks volumes about how conformist academia is. Relating the 2 processes too closely might shatter their "communist=bad, liberal capitalist democracy=good!" paradigm.

[Charles Xavier]

Well... Fidel Castro had an interview concerning this subject
http://lanic.utexas.edu/cgi-bin/search/lanic?language=English&verbose=1&listenv=PRE&application=&convert=&converthl=&refinequery=&formintern=&formextern=&multiple=0&descriptor=local%2fcuba%2fcastro-1990s|146|10222|1992%20%20%20Castro%20Interviewed% 20on%20Soviet%20Collapse%2c%20Stalin|TEXT|localhos t:0|%2fexport%2fshare%2fwais%2fdata%2fcuba%2fcastr o-1990s|0%2010222%20%2fexport%2fshare%2fgopher%2fdat a%2fla%2fCuba%2fCastro%2f1992%2f19920603 (http://lanic.utexas.edu/cgi-bin/search/lanic?language=English&verbose=1&listenv=PRE&application=&convert=&converthl=&refinequery=&formintern=&formextern=&multiple=0&descriptor=local%2fcuba%2fcastro-1990s%7C146%7C10222%7C1992%20%20%20Castro%20Interv iewed%20on%20Soviet%20Collapse%2c%20Stalin%7CTEXT% 7Clocalhost:0%7C%2fexport%2fshare%2fwais%2fdata%2f cuba%2fcastro-1990s%7C0%2010222%20%2fexport%2fshare%2fgopher%2fd ata%2fla%2fCuba%2fCastro%2f1992%2f19920603)

[ComradeOm]

I can find lots of books about the oligarchs by browsing on amazon, and a few liberal books on the prospects for democratic reform in Russia today, but the fact few academics have bothered to construct a coherent narrative of soviet collapse -> rise of oligarchs and reconstitution of a bourgeoisie speaks volumes about how conformist academia is. Relating the 2 processes too closely might shatter their "communist=bad, liberal capitalist democracy=good!" paradigm.Actually its more a commentary on the pace of academia. I'm sure that most historians wouldn't even rate the collapse of the USSR as history. It might barely qualify as 'contemporary history'

So if you want a serious academic study then wait a few years. Or a decade or two for such a recent point. AFAIK the current vogue amongst PhD students is for the post-war period so it will be some time before people start venturing into the 1980s. Which is as it should be - it will probably take generations before the political emotions/assumptions surrounding the USSR are removed enough to allow for dispassionate study

One area where you might have more success is in a specific field such as economics. I think Ellman has written about the collapse of the Soviet study (he's a good, if often difficult, read) and I'm sure there are other contemporary commentaries or journalistic works out there. But if you want a serious work of comprehensive history then I'm afraid you'll have to wait

[Lamanov]

Well, I think this one might be interesting, but I'm not guaranteeing anything.

- Daniels, The End of the Communist Revolution, Routledge 1993.

http://ifile.it/q7heawd/0415061504.zip

Daniels wrote The Conscience of the Revolution, which is a very good book. I'm not sure about this one, though. I have yet to read it.