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The second Russian Revolution: The struggle for power in the Kremlin
Written to accompany a BBC television series of the same name, this book offers a political history of perestroika. The author uses interviews with senior Soviet politicians to outline how Mikhail Gorbachev and his allies are attempting to transform the USSR from totalitarianism to democracy.
- GenresHistory
218 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1991
29 people want to read
About the author
Angus Roxburgh
7 books9 followersAngus Roxburgh (born 1954) is a British journalist, broadcaster, former PR adviser to the Russian government, and singer-songwriter.
Born in 1954 in Scarborough, England, and raised in Scotland, Roxburgh studied Russian and German at the universities of Aberdeen and Zurich. After graduation he taught Russian at Aberdeen University and then worked as a translator for Progress Publishers in Moscow. He wrote a book about the Soviet media, titled Pravda: Inside the Soviet News Machine.
Born in 1954 in Scarborough, England, and raised in Scotland, Roxburgh studied Russian and German at the universities of Aberdeen and Zurich. After graduation he taught Russian at Aberdeen University and then worked as a translator for Progress Publishers in Moscow. He wrote a book about the Soviet media, titled Pravda: Inside the Soviet News Machine.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 2, 2014
I enjoyed reading this book as the author is a virtuoso at illuminating copious amounts of information that could all too easily be rendered as dry facts.
I feel lucky to have lived during some interesting historical times; during Gorbachev's rule, I was in the later years of highschool and then just starting university so I have a clear memory of Gorbachev's introduction to the West, the excitement over perestroika and glasnost, the break up of the Soviet Union, the Berlin Wall coming down and Chernobyl, which means reading about all these historical events within the greater context of Gorbachev's inner circles was profoundly interesting. I had no idea how truly talented Gorbachev was in selling his ideas to a skeptical audience entrenched in decades of stifled thinking - what he accomplished was phenomenal.
I highly recommend this book if you would like intimate details of how things went down in the politburo and Russia during these transitional times as Roxburgh is a fabulous writer with a journalist's ability to present facts through careful interviews with witnesses to the history.
The only thing I would like is some sort of visual aid to keep track of all the people that feature throughout the book and the various stages of government Gorbachev set up -- there are a couple of helpful illustrations of the soviet system vs Gorbachev's but there were a lot of tweaks along the way and a lot of strange voting rules that seemed to be birthed almost organically that are hard to keep track of. Illustrations would have made grasping what was going on much easier.
I feel lucky to have lived during some interesting historical times; during Gorbachev's rule, I was in the later years of highschool and then just starting university so I have a clear memory of Gorbachev's introduction to the West, the excitement over perestroika and glasnost, the break up of the Soviet Union, the Berlin Wall coming down and Chernobyl, which means reading about all these historical events within the greater context of Gorbachev's inner circles was profoundly interesting. I had no idea how truly talented Gorbachev was in selling his ideas to a skeptical audience entrenched in decades of stifled thinking - what he accomplished was phenomenal.
I highly recommend this book if you would like intimate details of how things went down in the politburo and Russia during these transitional times as Roxburgh is a fabulous writer with a journalist's ability to present facts through careful interviews with witnesses to the history.
The only thing I would like is some sort of visual aid to keep track of all the people that feature throughout the book and the various stages of government Gorbachev set up -- there are a couple of helpful illustrations of the soviet system vs Gorbachev's but there were a lot of tweaks along the way and a lot of strange voting rules that seemed to be birthed almost organically that are hard to keep track of. Illustrations would have made grasping what was going on much easier.
April 26, 2022
Oppressed as serfs. Oppressed as peasants. Oppressed as "supermen" of bolshevism. I feel sorry for the common Russian, but they f*cking elected Putin after Yeltsin. I knew in 2000 he'd be bad for them, but I never thought more imperial expansion and war.
It's finally clear to me: Ultra-orthodox "Marxists" are the same as Ultra-orthodox "Christians": unity, discipline; order. I read Marx's manifesto, and I do not recall gulags and KGB. No wonder Stalin studied to be a damn priest at first.
Clearly written. Unambiguous. Intellectually digestible. Excellent book. I gotta find out now if Roxburgh has NEW material after this 30 year old book.
It's finally clear to me: Ultra-orthodox "Marxists" are the same as Ultra-orthodox "Christians": unity, discipline; order. I read Marx's manifesto, and I do not recall gulags and KGB. No wonder Stalin studied to be a damn priest at first.
Clearly written. Unambiguous. Intellectually digestible. Excellent book. I gotta find out now if Roxburgh has NEW material after this 30 year old book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews