Soviet Fates and Lost Alternatives

From Stalinism to the New Cold War

By: Stephen F. Cohen

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Hardcover | 23 January 2009 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Hardcover
328 Pages

Age
22+

Dimensions(cm)
23.58 x 16.18 x 2.53

Hardcover

RRP $199.50

$173.90

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With conflicts again dividing Russia and the United States, the need for balanced, accessible scholarship that benefits from new materials and critical perspectives is imperative. In seven lucid, groundbreaking essays, Stephen F. Cohen questions many conventional assumptions about the course of Soviet history, the fall of communism, and the effect of Russia's policies at home and abroad.

Written for specialists and general readers, Cohen's essays are framed by a chronological narrative that focuses on key turning points and lost alternatives. Beginning with Stalin's preeminent challenger and victim, Nikolai Bukharin, and the unexpected return of millions of survivors of Stalin's terror under Nikita Khrushchev, Cohen shows how their tragic fates shaped the latter-day Soviet Union. Turning to more recent events, he examines the political fates of the Soviet system's greatest reformer, Mikhail Gorbachev, and his leading conservative rival, Yegor Ligachev. Through these figures, Cohen raises even more provocative issues, including his argument that the Soviet Union was capable of reform and that its breakup was not inevitable. Most urgently, in two concluding chapters Cohen argues that Washington was the first to squander the opportunity for a fundamentally new U.S.-Russian relationship after the Cold War, and he presents a radically new approach for achieving a necessary partnership with today's Russia.

Industry Reviews

Cohen offers us a lesson, and a solution that is at once simple and of priceless value. -- David A. Andelman World Policy Blog [George] Kennan's understanding of the Russian state... has proved to have enormous currency over time. Cohen's views should be given similar credence. -- William W. Finan Jr. Current History Provocative and insightful. -- Amy Knight New York Review of Books Well written and vigorously argued. -- Archie Brown Russian Review Cohen... brings his study of Soviet and Russian political developments to the doorstep of the White House, to powerful effect. The Nation An extraordinarily rich book... an absolutely vital beginning point for anyone interested in a serious study of political and foreign policy developments involving Russia. Slavic Review Soviet Fates and Lost Alternatives finds its stride in Cohen's ability to challenge conventional wisdom on the causes and consequences of major turning points in Soviet and post-Soviet history. -- Rehanna Jones-Boutaleb Foreign Policy in Focus this is one of the first books I would put into the hands of someone who wanted to get a good sense of what the Soviet Union was all about. -- Lars T. Lih Montreal Review Cohen's book is a superbly informed, astute and thought-provoking analysis of late Soviet politics and history. -- Denis Kozlov Slavonic and East European Review Among the many strengths of Soviet Fates is not just Stephen Cohen's longtimedepth of expertise but his unrivalled storytelling ability and, perhaps above all, hisrazor-sharp insider observations based on personal exchanges, interviews, and experienceswith key actors... -- Nanci Adler Journal of Modern History

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction History Regional & National History European History Politics & Government International Relations Earliest Times to Present Day 20th Century History from 1900 to 2000 Post War 20th Century History after 1945 Comparative Politics Political Structure & Processes Constitution & The Government & The State

Introduction: Alternatives and Fates	p. ix
Bukharin's Fate	p. 1
The Victims Return: Gulag Survivors Since Stalin	p. 29
The Tragedy of Soviet Conservatism	p. 61
Was the Soviet System Reformable?	p. 85
The Fate of the Soviet Union: Why Did It End?	p. 112
Gorbachev's Lost Legacies	p. 141
Who Lost the Post-Soviet Peace?	p. 162
About the Notes	p. 199
Notes	p. 203
Index	p. 297
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Soviet Fates and Lost Alternatives

From Stalinism to the New Cold War

At a Glance

Hardcover

Industry Reviews

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How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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