The Soviet Colossus: History and Aftermath

by Michael Kort

The twentieth century was not kind to Russia. Despite its great potential and remarkable achievements, the country also bore the weight of two world wars, a revolution and civil war, totalitarian tyranny, famine and ecological destruction, economic ruin, and imperial decline. Will Russia ever be prosperous, peaceful, and free? Seeking clues in the past, Michael Kort revisits earlier turning points in Russia's history--from the fall of the old regime to the establishment of the Bolshevik dictatorship and Stalinist totalitarianism; from the reforms and counter-reforms of Khrushchev and Brezhnev to the tumultuous years of change under Gorbachev and Yeltsin. Which strands of Russia's past is their successor, Vladimir Putin, weaving into the fabric of the present, and which are being allowed to fade, for better or worse? This new edition of The Soviet Colossus brings the story up through the first decade of the twenty-first century. Distinctively readable, judicious, and focused on critical events and questions, it integrates new revelations about the Soviet past and ongoing debates about the Soviet regime as well as its successor. It is the ideal text for as one semester history course or background for a political science course.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Russia

544 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 1996

Reviews

[Jael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Soviet Colossus was just that: colossal. Since it dealt with a subject I don't really care for, it's hard for me to evaluate it fairly. I will say that I thought it dealt with communism and socialism very honestly. It bluntly portrayed the failings of each. It didn't sing the praises of any particular philosophy. It let you make up your own mind. It didn't sing the praises of any particular leader, either. It just presented the facts. So, while slightly dry and boring (make sure you have a slushy to slurp on while you're trying to read this), it gives a very good overview of the Soviet Union.

[Cat Kearbey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is informational and contains a wealth of data and research on its topic, but Kort's writing style can be dry at times. The book also sometimes leans into narrativization and broad generalization, such as geographic determinism, broad statements about the nature of Russia and Russians, and attempting to pull out historical patterns where none exist. At one point, he draws analogy between Eastern Slavs fighting the Mongols and Scythians fighting the Persians to imply a historical pattern of Russia defending "the West" from "Asiatic hordes." (Not his words, I should clarify, just the narrative he seems to perpetuate.) While Kort's research is extremely strong, I'm not sure the same can be said for the broad conclusions he comes to from that research.

[Hd · Rating 3 out of 5]

hahaha. shit. have to read this for school.

[Cory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some parts of this book were interesting but it left me in the neutral zone on wheather it was good or not since 50% of the time, you were asking yoursef "Why did I pick this thing up?"