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Soviet Communism from Reform to Collapse
This anthology of documents and essays examines the transformation and ultimate demise of communism in the former Soviet Union during the Gorbachev era. The selections address cultural and social ferment, political events, economic and technological change, military, diplomacy, ideology, and resurgence of nationalism and ethnic conflicts.
387 pages, Paperback
First published January 2, 1994
12 people want to read
About the author
Robert V. Daniels
44 books3 followersRobert Vincent Daniels studied at Harvard, received his AB degree in 1945, and PhD. degree in 1951. He has done research at the Russian Research Center at Harvard, taught Russian history at Indiana University, Bennington College, and the University of Vermont, and traveled in Russia.
Daniels published articles in the leading scholarly journals dealing with the history of Russian and communism. He was well known as the author of "The Conscience of the Revolution" and "The Nature of Communism."
Daniels published articles in the leading scholarly journals dealing with the history of Russian and communism. He was well known as the author of "The Conscience of the Revolution" and "The Nature of Communism."
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December 13, 2025
"Soviet Communism: from Reform to Collapse" is a very good compilation of primary and secondary literature discussing the Gorbachev-era attempts at reform and the beliefs held by the spearheads of the movement; and it is an equally good compilation of the failures (or unintended outcomes) of the reforms that contributed to the USSR's eventual downfall.
The literature is broken down into five general sections:
1. Background
2. Perestroika
3. Democratization and Crisis
4. Disintegration
5. Reflections
Although you gain a great deal of insight into the ideas, events, and documents that drove the USSR's collapse, this book isn't so much of a history in retrospect with source notes to applicable literature or archives. Hence, Davies's book better serves as a compendium of articles, CPSU documents, and analyses as events transpired.
The authors involved are vast in terms of occupation, status, location, and ideological affinity. Therefore, part of what I appreciate is the range of opinion and interpretation; so if you are searching for a book that does not contain a specific agenda and has balanced coverage, then this will be a great addition to your library. That being said, I was a bit surprised to not see Aleksandr Yakovlev among the list of authors given the massive role he played in ideological disillusionment, and given his position in the CPSU in general. I could make a case for Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, as well - maybe Davies doesn't like the name Aleksandr lol (although there is one Aleksander in here, to be fair) - but I believe his impact was greatest during the mid-70s when "The Gulag Archipelago" was published.
I was pleased with the range of topics covered, too, as you obtain both context to the reforms, the intentions and nature of the reforms passed, their impacts on Soviet politics, economy, society, etc., and a look into the USSR post-collapse. One of my personal reservations was the lack of coverage on Glasnost, comprised of a single article by Walter Lacquer. It wouldn't have hurt to add one or two more articles to gain a wider range of interpretation, in my opinion.
The couple of limitations aside, this was a fantastic introduction and companion to other books on a massive historical epoch. 5 stars.
The literature is broken down into five general sections:
1. Background
2. Perestroika
3. Democratization and Crisis
4. Disintegration
5. Reflections
Although you gain a great deal of insight into the ideas, events, and documents that drove the USSR's collapse, this book isn't so much of a history in retrospect with source notes to applicable literature or archives. Hence, Davies's book better serves as a compendium of articles, CPSU documents, and analyses as events transpired.
The authors involved are vast in terms of occupation, status, location, and ideological affinity. Therefore, part of what I appreciate is the range of opinion and interpretation; so if you are searching for a book that does not contain a specific agenda and has balanced coverage, then this will be a great addition to your library. That being said, I was a bit surprised to not see Aleksandr Yakovlev among the list of authors given the massive role he played in ideological disillusionment, and given his position in the CPSU in general. I could make a case for Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, as well - maybe Davies doesn't like the name Aleksandr lol (although there is one Aleksander in here, to be fair) - but I believe his impact was greatest during the mid-70s when "The Gulag Archipelago" was published.
I was pleased with the range of topics covered, too, as you obtain both context to the reforms, the intentions and nature of the reforms passed, their impacts on Soviet politics, economy, society, etc., and a look into the USSR post-collapse. One of my personal reservations was the lack of coverage on Glasnost, comprised of a single article by Walter Lacquer. It wouldn't have hurt to add one or two more articles to gain a wider range of interpretation, in my opinion.
The couple of limitations aside, this was a fantastic introduction and companion to other books on a massive historical epoch. 5 stars.
Displaying 1 of 1 review