The Making and Breaking of the Soviet System: An Interpretation

European History in Perspective

by Christopher Read

Drawing on a wide range of post-Soviet materials, Christopher Read examines the reasons for the successes and failures of the Soviet system. He argues that the underlying reasons for the system's collapse can be found in the contradictions of the revolution which gave birth to it. The consequences are traced from Stalin to Gorbachev's doomed attempt to transform the Soviet system. Particular attention is given to the divergence between the aspirations of the leadership and the social evolution of ordinary Russians.

Genres: History

259 pages, Paperback

First published June 18, 2001

Reviews

[Alexandra]

Poorly written and dated even for its time

The classic 'anything good that happened was secretly bad and anything bad that happened was by design and indicative of the politics as a whole'

Do not alight here

[Gus]

Lacked information about the beginning of stalin's involvement u communism, but made for an interesting read.