Alexander Yakovlev: The Man Whose Ideas Delivered Russia from Communism

by Richard Pipes

A significant political figure in twentieth-century Russia, Alexander Yakovlev was the intellectual force behind the processes of perestroika (reconstruction) and glasnost (openness) that liberated the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe from Communist rule between 1989 and 1991. Yet, until now, not a single full-scale biography has been devoted to him. In his study of the unsung hero, Richard Pipes seeks to rectify this lacuna and give Yakovlev his historical due. Yakovlev's life provides a unique instance of a leading figure in the Soviet government who evolved from a dedicated Communist and Stalinist into an equally ardent foe of everything the Leninist-Stalinist regime stood for. He quit government service in 1991 and lived until 2005, becoming toward the end of his life a classical western liberal who shared none of the traditional Russian values. Pipes's illuminating study consists of two a biography of Yakovlev and Pipes's translation of two important articles by Yakovlev. It will appeal to specialists and students of Soviet and post-Soviet studies, government officials involved with foreign policy, and general readers interested in the history of Russia and the Soviet Union.

Genres: Biography, Politics, History

168 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2015

About the author

Born in Poland, Richard Pipes fled the country with his family when Germany invaded it in 1939. After reaching the United States a year later, Pipes began his education at Muskingum College, which was interrupted in 1943 when he was drafted into the Army Air Corps and sent to Cornell to study Russian. He completed his bachelor's degree at Cornell in 1946 and earned his doctorate at Harvard University four years later.

Pipes taught at Harvard from 1950 until his retirement in 1996, and was director of Harvard's Russian Research Center from 1968-1973. A campaigner for a tougher foreign policy towards the Soviet Union during the Cold War, in 1976, he led a group of analysts in a reassessment of Soviet foreign policy and military power. He served as director of Eastern European and Soviet affairs at the National Security Council from 1981 until 1983, after which he returned to Harvard, where he finished his career as Baird Professor Emeritus of History.

Reviews

[Scott Rauland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although this book is not particularly well written, it is worthwhile for the background it provides on Yakovlev, one of the key figures behind the evolution of the policies of perestroika and glasnost that shook the USSR to its core.

Since the author was one of the preeminent Russia scholars of his time, I was surprised by the writing style - more of an extended Wikipedia biography than a serious academic treatise. The biographical portion of the book is a mere 75 pages, broken into 22 short chapters.

Two additional documents written by Yakovlev totaling 47 pages are included. If you are interested in seeing how the turgid prose of a Communist functionary of the early 70s evolved into the only slightly less turgid prose of a Communist reformer of the late 80s, you may find them worthwhile, but I think most readers could find better ways to spend their time.