The Dark Side of the Earth: Russia's Short-lived Victory over Totalitarianism

by Mikhail Zygar

From “one of Russia’s smartest and best-sourced young journalists” (The New York Times) comes a gripping and urgent exploration of why the Soviet Union’s collapse was incomplete and the Cold War was never over—revealing the resurgence of imperialism in Russia and its current implications for the war in Ukraine.

Russian-born journalist Mikhail Zygar was ten years old when the Soviet Union collapsed. Now, after nearly ten years of research, he offers a timely and compelling new approach on Russian history—one that rewrites everything we thought we knew about the fall of the Soviet Union—and argues that its ending is yet to come. Starting with the historic launch of the first human into space in April 1961, Zygar unravels a dramatic story of resistance, resilience, and resurgence that led to the Soviet Union’s dissolution—and the echoes of its legacy today.

Zygar conducted several hundred exclusive interviews with key figures, including Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, first presidents of the independent post-Soviet republics, the last first secretaries of these republics, and leaders of independence movements within them, as well as Western politicians and diplomats who were witnesses to and participants in those events. He dives into the struggles and triumphs of figures like Andrei Sakharov, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, and Vladimir Vysotsky, whose defiance of totalitarianism is both inspiring and deeply relevant. Zygar explains how the “victory” over the Soviet Empire may have been short-lived, as today’s Russian regime maintains its imperial ambitions.

A must-read for anyone looking to understand the origins of modern Russian fascism, The Dark Side of the Earth explores how imperial and nationalist ideas developed during the Soviet era and eventually gave rise to the current Putinist ideology. Zygar’s work is uniquely powerful—fueled by his personal ties to the Soviet era, access to historical archives, and interviews that crack open hidden truths, including several with individuals who had never before spoken on the record.

More than a history lesson, The Dark Side of the Earth is a call to action and a testament to the enduring fight for truth and freedom. Zygar urges us to confront the narratives we’ve accepted and rethink how we face oppression today. Bold, brilliant, and deeply human, this is a story that demands to be heard.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Russia, Politics, European History, Audiobook

560 pages, Paperback

Expected publication December 31, 2045

Reviews

[David Arredondo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. A history of the Soviet Union, focused on the fall of Stalinism. I learned SO much about the nuances and psychology of Soviet politics, and the reemergence of the Russia psyche.

Always startlingly to learn how much of “history” comes down to personalities in a room.

Other things I loved:
- the attention played to the Soviet Union and Soviet people’s conception of themselves, versus the world’s conception of the Soviet Union, both the good and the bad, and the things one considered important, and the other considered frivolous.

- stories about how the “big” events affected common people’s lives, and how those common people’s sometimes had an effect on the course of history.

[Ben Kitchener · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent and captivating chronicle of the collapse of the USSR, expertly woven together by avoiding the common pitfalls of history through the lens of ‘Great Men’, instead drawing on extensive interviews to take the reader on a journey through the personal battles and other events that provide an excellent context to the period being explored.

The pace of the book is superb and there is a refreshing focus on not just events in Moscow, but across the former USSR and worldwide, adding much needed points of comparison, such as the protests on Tiananmen square, cultural milestones in the US, and the events marking the collapse of the USSR in other countries like the Baltic states, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

This book is a masterpiece and a must read for anyone interested in understanding the collapse of the USSR and its effects on Russia and the rest of the world as well.

[Ahmed Abdi · Rating 5 out of 5]

My whole time reading this is that Gorbachev is either naive or an idiot

[Oili Männistö · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olipa mielenkiintoinen. En muistanut kaikkia tapahtumia ja toisaalta osa aukeni ihan eri tavalla kun kuuli ihmisten tarinoita.

[Sergei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Не оторваться, конечно. Много любопытных эпизодов. Хотелось бы еще анализа, интерпретации событий

[Andrew M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably the best book I've ever given just a 3 star rating to. Awesome research and inclusion of quoted material. Why it fell short for me comes down to the slowness of it all because of all the unaligned narratives between the artists, writers, and politicians. Also, it ends at the fall of the Union and then, that's it. No early years of Russia, no rise of Putin, no discussion of the transformation of Russian society at all. I wanted more from this than it delivered.

[Knut EB · Rating 3 out of 5]

A journalistic take on the dissolution of the Soviet union. There is a lot of "how" the union collapsed, and actually very little "why", i.e. there are lots of description and quotes, buy precious little analysis. The author sprinkles some human interest stories inbetween the politics - musicians, entertainers, even cosmonauts- who do not actually add a lot to the story besides flavour. The book could havr been far tightlier edited. Having just read Yurchacks "Everything was forever, until it was no more", the differences are stark, and Zygars take on the Brezhnev era seem far too simple.

My edition had the alternate title "how the Soviet union collapsed but remained", but the book does not address how the union "remained" in any sense, since it mainly focused on those who did not become the eventual rulers of Russia. If you are looking for a book investigating how the Soviet Union and its collapse shaped Russia of today, look elsewhere.

On a personal level, the all-knowing authorial voice with asides like "they do not know this will be the obly time they meet", "XX thinks" and so on was a little grating, but I either got used to it or it improved around midway.

[Jacob Cross Mayhew · Rating 3.25 out of 5]

Good primer on late Soviet history and politics until the official dissolution of the Union in 1991. I want to know more details about the economics of perestroika. Reading this gave the impression that Gorbachev as well as the remaining Communist leadership had basically abandoned all hope by 1988 or 1989. I would also be interested in a more analytical assessment of the transfer of state competencies and borders (both within republics and between them)- Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Donbas, Crimea, Russian Estonians, Russian Kazakhs, Chechnya are all mentioned. I would really like a more in depth understanding of perestroika economics and 1990s Russian politics.

[Farid Hasanov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Советская идеология во многом напоминала религиозный культ: коммунизм был предметом веры, капитализм — абсолютным злом, Ленин — чем-то вроде пророка (со своим мавзолеем!). Поэтому власть держалась не только на репрессиях и контроле, но и на собственной сакральности — на представлении о том, что сама система и лежащие в ее основе идеи не подлежат сомнению. В этом смысле начатая Горбачевым, главным героем этой книги, эпоха гласности стала прежде всего процессом десакрализации: людям постепенно разрешили обсуждать, критиковать и ставить под вопрос то, что еще совсем недавно считалось неоспоримым.

Процесс этот шел очень медленно. На экране начали появляться более смелые новостные программы, люди организовывали рок-клубы — сначала подпольно, а потом вполне открыто, — освобождали диссидентов, разрешали конкурентные выборы и так далее. Все эти постепенные перемены подробно описаны в книге, которая заканчивается на высокой ноте - попыткой заговора против либеральных преобразований, вошедшей в историю как ГКЧП, или августовский путч.

У заговорщиков в итоге ничего не вышло, а спустя несколько месяцев СССР прекратил свое существование. Мир вступил в эпоху так называемых «дивидендов мира»: военные расходы сокращались, а колоссальные ресурсы высвобождались для развития науки, медицины, образования и экономики.

Интересная, очень длинная и чрезвычайно подробная книга о том, как система, десятилетиями казавшаяся незыблемой, сначала утратила свою сакральность, а затем, почти внезапно, перестала существовать. Особенно интересно читать ее сегодня, когда многие вещи, казавшиеся тогда окончательно ушедшими в прошлое, снова выглядят пугающе актуальными.

[Philip Kuhn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good book on the fall of communism in the USSR as told in the stories of the brave people who kept trying and believing. Excellent job writing and researching the book by Zygar. I gave it four stars instead of five, because it starts out slowly and I wandered where the whole thing was going. I actually put the book down for a few months and came back to it and this time I finished it.

Zygar has some good insights into the story that has been written several times before. He focuses on the youth who believed in freedom and democracy and got to taste some for awhile. Before Putin came along. Many texts won't tell you what a drunk Yeltsin was, and no democrat either.

Interesting factoid: Gorbachev's speeches at home were not well received. He mis-pronounced some words and spoke with a bit of a rural accent. When you hear a translator speaking, it's totally different than in Russian.

I have always wondered what was Gorbachev's big plan for the USSR'S future. How he wanted it to turn out? I don't think he had one. He was just making it up and assumed everything would work out better. Zygar made a key point when he wrote that Gorbachev never planned for or anticipated opposition groups. The Communist Party would continue to be in charge of everything and that would be all. How incredibly naive of him. And Zygar points out Gorbachev's incredibly selective reading of Lenin. He seemed to forget about the murder of the royal family and the founding of the Cheka.

Good book overall.

Philip Kuhn

[Barksdale Penick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reads something like a long magazine article in that it recounts events without much analysis--that might sound like criticism, but it is a very readable book that I found fascinating because I was always a political junkie and closely followed the events that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. But there was so much that I couldn't have known and much that I forgot. Here are people and the events as they unfolded, in chronological order. It also seems less like a tome than a long article because the author throws in lots of little details that really aren't part of the main narrative but interest the author, such as where the 21 year old future Meliana Trump was when the Balkan wars of the 1990's broke out. There are quite a few details like that.

I also found some of the discussion of Ukraine fascinating, such as that President George H. W. Bush gave a speech arguing that Ukraine should not try to leave the Soviet Union. It appears that Bush was trying to prop up Gorbachev, who was on weak footing at home. And the Soviet Union unraveled, Yeltsin and Gorbachev and everyone in or near power was aghast at the idea that Ukraine could sever its ties to Russia, specifically stating that Crimea was only part of Ukraine because the Soviets so declared in 1954.

[Hadi Ariyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterful, definitive documentation of Russia's transition from the collapse of the Soviet Union to the rise of modern totalitarianism. It’s a long journey, but every page is essential for understanding the world today.

● What Worked:
Incredible Research: Zygar’s use of hundreds of interviews with key players (from Gorbachev to local activists) makes the history feel alive and personal rather than just academic.

● The Human Element: I loved how the book focuses on "people over politics"—showing how individual choices, heroes, and villains shaped the fate of a nation.
The "Countdown" Narrative: Starting with Yuri Gagarin in 1961 and tracing the slow decay of Soviet belief was a brilliant way to frame the story.

● What Didn't Work:
The Depiction of the Soviet Era: While the history is vital, the bleakness and the way the Soviet Union was portrayed throughout the book was a difficult, sometimes frustrating part of the read, even if historically accurate.

● Final Thoughts:
This is easily one of the best books of 2025. If you want to understand how a short-lived victory over totalitarianism turned into the Russia we see today, this is a must-read. It’s a long book, but worth every second.

[Chris Jaffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating (yet easy to read) of Russia's shift away from Stalinism. The heavy focus is (by far) the Gorbachev years, but it goes back to the early 1960s with Yuri Gagarin's space flight. and the emergence of leading critics Sakharov and Solzhenitsyn. That said, two-thirds of the book's nearly 500 pages focus on the Gorbachev era.

You get politics, sure, but you also get early Russian rock'n'roll. You learn about the Soviet James Dean. There's even bits and pieces of the Soviet mafia. And even politics isn't just what the Kremlin is doing. There is the rise of separatist movements in the Baltic and in the Caucus regions. There's the rise of a new Soviet media that doesn't play by older methods. And oh yeah - there are the early embers of a revanchist Russian nationalist movement. Zygar is from Russia and spent most of his life there (currently a guest lecturer at Columbia) so you get a feel that this guy knows his stuff.

Any criticism? The pacing is a bit weird. It gets more into the weeds of politics later on. You spent so much time on the last six years that the first 20-ish years feel a bit hazy by the time you're done. But I don't want to overdo this criticism. I'm still giving it five stars, after all.

[Randall Russell · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't at all what I expected. In its cover blurb, it claims to "explore how imperial and nationalist ideas developed during the Soviet era and eventually gave rise to the current Putinist ideology." In my opinion, it misses that goal by about a mile. It starts a slow and meandering path in 1961 and ends in 1991 with the rise of Yeltsin and the fall of Gorbachev. Putin is only one of hundreds of characters that appear in the book, and he only appears very occasionally. Also, the book is written in hundreds of 1 to 2-page snippets that don't flow or connect together very well, which makes for a very choppy and hard to follow reading experience. Maybe as a journalist the author thinks this is an effective way to write, but for a history book of this length, it definitely doesn't work. To me, this author takes what should have been a fascinating story, and squeezes all of the life out of it, until it's absolutely as dry as dust. I honestly could not wait to finish reading this book. I would not recommend this book to anyone, as I don't think it delivers on what it promises in its title. There is absolutely a great story waiting here for a much better writer to tackle it.

[Roland Glotzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This brilliant book was an eye opener explaining clearly how the Soviet Union slowly eroded and collapsed as seen by the main protagonists as well as everyday life. It gives an insight on how the events impacted people and explains why Putin viewed the collapse of the USSR as the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the twentieth century. It also helps understand why taking over Crimea and fighting Ukraine to control the Donbas region is an important objective in Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. This long book (492 pages) is like an excellent history textbook, yet it reads like a novel with all events coming to life.

[AnuP · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hyvä historiikki. Itsehän olen ollut teini ja nuori, kun monet näistä asioista ovat tapahtuneet. En todellakaan muista näitä tapahtumia tällä tavalla. Ehkä kaikkia yksityiskohtia ei suomalaisissa lehdissä edes kerrottu 90-luvulla saati, että niistä olisi ollut niin kiinnostunutkaan. Tämmöiset kirjat voivat olla tylsiä, täynnä nimiä ja vuosilukuja, mutta kirjoittaja on onnistunut tässä hyvin - kirja on miellyttävä lukea, kertomus etenee.

[Volodya Chuvichkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book overall, and it’s quite engaging thanks to the short, journalistic style.

Still, across the full length it’s hard to track a clear central idea because the narrative feels fragmented. The choice of protagonists also comes across as one-sided; if it’s presented as an investigation, it should make a stronger effort to represent all perspectives.

[Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Автор очень любезно дал почитать перед публикацией и я ответил ему восторженным отзывом; а меня сложно привести в восторг. Мощный сторителлинг, увлекательные истории, многого не знал, что знал — классно рассказано и связано вместе. Лайк.

(Читал на русском).

[Kathy McMullan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating read to understand the time period of 1961-1991 in USSR

I hate how many characters there are in any piece about the USSR

[Andrew Pratley · Rating 5 out of 5]

How the aspiration of Socialism with a human face morphed into capitalism without a human face.

[Juissi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ryssät on ryssiä.

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Подробный расклад исторических событий с интересными подробностями. Ко многим персонажам изменила отношение. Безмерно жаль Горбачёва.

[Callum McWhinnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read on late soviet history covered from so many viewpoints

[Sandro Sharashenidze · Rating 4 out of 5]

a lot of fluff, but i thought the explanation of the ultimate collapse was pretty decent

[Heather Perkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful look at the decline of the Soviet Union through the years through interviews with people who experienced it in all of it's nuance. Not just the politicians, but the ones living it daily and seeing there it cracked. From musicians to actors, and even the names you expect like Putin. You see how the break up of the Soviet Union, and exactly how it did, is why how we got to where we are now. Not just the countries on the map, but the men in power and the corruption that reigns. There are many books that look into the fall of the Soviet Union, but none of them really give you a look into the lives of those who lived it quite like this so I would recommend it along side a purely political reading as well.

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for this free advanced copy for my review.