Moscow, December 25,1991: The Last Day of the Soviet Union

by Conor O'Clery

The implosion of the Soviet Union was the culmination of a gripping game played out between two men who intensely disliked each other and had different concepts for the future. Mikhail Gorbachev, a sophisticated and urbane reformer, sought to modernize and preserve the USSR; Boris Yeltsin, a coarse and a hard drinking “bulldozer,” wished to destroy the union and create a capitalist Russia. The defeat of the August 1991 coup attempt, carried out by hardline communists, shook Gorbachev’s authority and was a triumph for Yeltsin. But it took four months of intrigue and double-dealing before the Soviet Union collapsed and the day arrived when Yeltsin could hustle Gorbachev out of the Kremlin, and move in as ruler of Russia.

Conor O’Clery has written a unique and truly suspenseful thriller of the day the Soviet Union died. The internal power plays, the shifting alliances, the betrayals, the mysterious three colonels carrying the briefcase with the nuclear codes, and the jockeying to exploit the future are worthy of John Le Carré or Alan Furst. The Cold War’s last act was a magnificent dark drama played out in the shadows of the Kremlin.

Genres: History, Russia, Nonfiction, Politics, Russian History, Soviet Union, Audiobook

1 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I lived through these events and still had no idea of the scope of the problems and infighting that occurred. Having young children at the time will be my excuse, but to my shame I have no recollection of the events of Dec. 25, 1991, the day the Soviet Union dissolved. The material was very well presented in a way that carried you along in real time while fitting in the background facts without being a distraction.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Conor O’Clery’s Moscow 25 Decem­ber 1991 fol­lows a not­ably grow­ing trend for pick­ing a pivot point in his­tory and revolving round it to find a pop­u­lar audi­ence (wit­ness 1066, 1421, 1434, 1491, 1492 etc. All good books by and large but adopt­ing a very sim­ilar tact). The date provides a recog­niz­able focus and then the space is open for provide the back­ground and the after­math in a pop­u­lar fash­ion. O’Clery breaks the mold though in a most enga­ging fash­ion with the book. I am always in praise of those who can man­age to effect­ively uses flash­backs within chronologically-driven nar­rat­ives and the still hold the thread. In Moscow 25 Decem­ber O’Clery very effect­ively picks the day that Mikhail Gorbachev signed the legal doc­u­ment dis­solv­ing the USSR as his pivot. The day is divided into a series of peri­ods and as time cov­er­less on the act of sign­ing the paper, the author steps back to the gen­esis of the two prot­ag­on­ists careers. The careers of Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin lead up to the day and as time slows as they con­verge on the act, the inter­ming­ling of the story lines con­verges. The struc­ture and exe­cu­tion of the writ­ing is superb.

This is not to down­play the actual events tak­ing place. The cyc­lical nature of revolu­tion in Rus­sia (both polit­ical and eco­nomic) is thought­fully doc­u­mented and exposed and the author takes advant­age of a priv­ileged pos­i­tion on the side­lines to high­light much inform­a­tion that simply didn’t make it above the fold in the West. In my opin­ion Gorbachev comes of far worse than Yeltsin in the author’s hand­ling. I am grate­ful for this as I feel that west­ern media treat­ment of him may well have been lately shaped by cul­tural bias and the polit­ics of the time. Neither of which should sur­prise. How­ever, it is very good to have some cor­rect­ive applied. Non­ethe­less, one is struck by how much the pet­ti­ness and per­sonal anim­os­it­ies can play a huge role in the des­tiny of a nation (or in this case of nations).

I hung on to the few events that I felt I had a degree of famili­ar­ity with such as the failed 1991 coup and the rise of Vladi­mir Putin, and O’Clery thank­fully fills in some gap­ing holes. The char­ac­ter treat­ment of Yeltsin gave much to con­sider and appre­ci­ate how his por­trayal by west­ern media as merely and oppor­tun­istic drinker misses a huge swath of his char­ac­ter and denies a truer appre­ci­ation of his motiv­a­tions and accom­plish­ments. The con­trast­ing (less than com­pli­ment­ary) por­trait of MIkhail Gorbachev sur­prises me, yet provides me with a cor­rect­ive that illus­trates how much a care­fully man­aged pub­lic per­sona might hide simple human frailties. Both warn the reader that we much be more crit­ical con­sumers of the media — for­give my rather naive moment here.

This is a grip­ping read. The pace of the nar­rat­ive holds you in thrall and the rich­ness of the story envel­ops. A true pleas­ure. I was fas­cin­ated by much of the detail that I simply would not have come to appre­ci­ate at the time of the events tak­ing place and dis­mayed that I feel that I was starkly out of touch with the moment­ous things going on. I am grate­ful for O’Clery’s work in craft­ing such a fine account and shar­ing his exper­i­ences. Highly recom­men­ded!

[John Carter McKnight · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent journalistic account of the end of the USSR, using the day of Gorbachev's resignation as a frame for examining the last few years of his rule. Fast-paced but never shallow, O'Clery gives a first-hand account of the final day's events, contextualizing them well.

The end of the USSR is one of history's more extraordinary stories, and O'Clery spins it out as a tale of unintended consequences, personality conflicts, and habits of public obeisance and private back-stabbing developed over the course of Soviet history.

The main lesson for the contemporary reader is in how little things ever change: the absurd propaganda lies acted on by people who should have known better, the constant turning on enemies and then on friends, the textbook tactics of attempting to overthrow neighboring countries, the lack of any conception of subjugation of power to law.

Nothing ever changes.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Fall of the Soviet Union is a convoluted, rapid, and even mysterious event worth exploring from many different angles. The country ceases to exist during the last week of December in 1991; some would argue that it had ceased to exist before this. However its the day to day ceremonial aspect that's the most fascinating to explore and its what this book tries to focus on. The Soviet flag is lowered from the Senate building from the last time, people wake up in a different country, a Soviet cruise ship has to change its national emblem mid voyage, Gorbachev resigns. It's the latter event that’s the center piece here, taking place on the eponymous date. The book also however covers the well tread ground of the historical forces leading up to the fall of the Soviet Union. It is fine to go over Perestroika, the Yeltsin Gorbachev rivalry, and the August Coup, but they take up about half of the book, as the narrative alternates between the fateful day of Gorbachev's resignation and summaries of the historical background. I would have preferred more focus on the daily aspect, more curious personal details about one of the most momentous events of the 20th century, which at the ground level was just another day in the life of millions of individuals.

[Karl Hafer, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Documenting the end of the Cold War has become a kind of cottage industry. Most accounts have focused on how it was "won" by the west but few look behind the iron curtain and into the political morass within the USSR in it's dying months. It is still difficult to believe that a conflict posing the distinct possibility of global extinction hanging over the heads of an entire generation ended with the stroke of a pen. There is much more to it than that and O'Cleary documents the dynamic personalities surrounding Gorbachev and Yeltsin and the conflict which played out.

[Nathanial]

O'Clery was an American journalist stationed in Moscow for years; as such, he's adept at identifying popular trends and themes current at the moment of historical change. He reports on the jokes as well has headlines. I wasn't sure about the structure of the book, with chapters alternating: between present tense reportage of day-by-day events leading up to the dissolution of the USSR; and between past tense summaries of the years leading up to 1991. Awkward, but thorough.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-constructed account of the rivalry between Gorbatchov and Jeltsin and the concurrent demise of the USSR.

[Jurij Fedorov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chapters in the book:

CHAPTER 1 - DECEMBER 25: BEFORE THE DAWN

CHAPTER 2 - DECEMBER 25: SUNRISE

CHAPTER 3 - HIRING THE BULLDOZER

CHAPTER 4 - DECEMBER 25: MORNING

CHAPTER 5 - THE STORMING OF MOSCOW

CHAPTER 6 - DECEMBER 25: MIDMORNING

CHAPTER 7 - A BUCKETFUL OF FILTH

CHAPTER 8 - DECEMBER 25: LATE MORNING

CHAPTER 9 - BACK FROM THE DEAD

CHAPTER 10 - DECEMBER 25: MIDDAY

CHAPTER 11 - KNEE DEEP IN KEROSENE

CHAPTER 12 - DECEMBER 25: EARLY AFTERNOON

CHAPTER 13 - DICTATORSHIP ON THE OFFENSIVE

CHAPTER 14 - DECEMBER 25: MIDAFTERNOON

CHAPTER 15 - HIJACKING BARBARA BUSH

CHAPTER 16 - DECEMBER 25: LATE AFTERNOON

CHAPTER 17 - PERFIDIOUSNESS, LAWLESSNESS, INFAMY

CHAPTER 18 - DECEMBER 25: DUSK

CHAPTER 19 - THINGS FALL APART

CHAPTER 20 - DECEMBER 25: EARLY EVENING

CHAPTER 21 - THE CENTER CANNOT HOLD

CHAPTER 22 - DECEMBER 25: EVENING

CHAPTER 23 - THE DEAL IN THE WALNUT ROOM

CHAPTER 24 - DECEMBER 25: LATE EVENING

CHAPTER 25 - DECEMBER 25: NIGHT

CHAPTER 26 - DECEMBER 25: LATE NIGHT

CHAPTER 27 - DECEMBER 26: THE DAY AFTER

CHAPTER 28 - DECEMBER 27: TRIUMPH OF THE PLUNDERERS

CHAPTER 29 - THE INTEGRITY OF THE QUARREL

Review of the book:

I usually review books chapter by chapter. But I've noticed that in books with over 15 chapters this is a terrible idea. They are so short that I need to review them right away as otherwise I forget what chapter said what. It's also such a mess that no one would read it. Of course I can't know what works or doesn't for sure.

The book is pretty much what it promises to be. It's about Yeltsin and Gorbachev. It starts with Gorbachev as the leader of USSR. Yeltsin is a Soviet leader sent out to wipe out corruption and kickstart building processes that are largely corrupt in USSR. Gorbachev has democratized USSR. So there is now some semi-free media and info on USSR history is released. but Yeltsin and other newcomers want even more democracy. So he attacks Gorbachev and even tries to quit several times. Gorbachev uses media against Yeltsin and starts to hate him. Then the main story element takes place. Because of glasnost and perestroika the old communists feel that maybe the regime is in danger. So they stage a coup. Yeltsin shows up on a tank in Moscow telling people to rebel. As Western media is now in USSR the coup military cannot control the information flow and the coup falls apart. If they had controlled information maybe the outcome would be different. Gorbachev is held campured in his datcha in Crimea initially, but later doesn't much care to show up in Moscow as he has personal matters to attend to. His wife loves living a lavish lifestyle and demands all his attention. He also bring her along on political visits making him disliked among many voters.

Yeltsin is seen as a strong leader now. He becomes the president of Russia. Not sure what it implies during USSR. Yeltsin then goes to Kazakhstan and dissolves USSR with other nations. He is president of Russia and wants full control. Gorbachev can declare it illegal, but USSR cannot afford a civil war being this poor and having atom bombs everywhere. So he agrees on great retirement terms. Since Yeltsin hates him he doesn't keep many promises. Gorbachev is kicked out from his offices and house. Media, now controlled by Yeltsin, are not allowed to write good things about Gorbachev. Meanwhile USA wanted USSR to remain intact to protect the nuclear weapons. The West loves Gorbachev and sees Yeltsin as some weird alcoholic. The book ends with Medvedev as president the author mentions how Russia is fairly free. Of course this is not the case anymore. Since Putin took power again he became a full-blown dictator.

With Western media in Russia the leaders were extremely eager to please the West. So they allowed a lot of democratic events they usually wouldn't allow as it gained them status. But as Gorbachev lost power he pretty much lost all his prestige. Yeltsin hated him. So anyone meeting with Gorbachev would get a cold shoulder in Russia from the state, police, and media. Yeltsin meanwhile became sick and picked Putin as his replacement. Putin then started to claim that the dissolution of USSR was a giant disaster.

I think it's a great intro to the dissolution of USSR viewed from the point of view of 2 leaders. Initially we jump from time to time and it confused me. Later the book becomes more structured. Of course I still don't get all the events. What happened when? I don't understand when the small and large votes took place and what the ideas were behind them. I don't fully understand what the smaller countries did. But with various docs online I think I can get a better overview. This is just 40% of my overview.

[Tim Usmanoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fall of the Soviet Union marked a special day in history. One of the world’s biggest superpowers suddenly falling. This book describes the events that occurred before, during, and after December 25th in great detail. If you are Russian, definitely recommend reading this book.

[Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book with a very skillful way the author splits time between the date mentioned in the title and the contextual buildup leading to this specific date.

This book gives a great overview to two very complicated men who both were in part responsible for the sunset of the Soviet Union and whose tumultuous relationship bought about the rise of Vladimir Putin.

Already knowing present day events, this book does little to console the reader of a promising future between Russia and the world theater.

[Zahir · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read that flashes back and forth between December 25, 1991, the last official day that the Soviet Union existed as an entity, and the events leading up to the historic moment when the cold war came to an end. A very well researched and well written account, O'Clery writes this book more like a political thriller than a historical account.

The strongest element of the writing is that O'Clery does not engage in hero worship or elevates anyone to larger than life status. Instead, he writes about all of these major players, including Boris Yeltsin, Mikhail Gorbachev, and their supporting cast of characters as very real people. He goes into their petty obsessions, their weaknesses, but also the courage shown by them at times when it mattered.

O'Clery does a particularly good job explaining the politics of what was going on at the time, and how Gorbachev's policies of perestroika and glastnost opened the Pandora's box of change that eventually led to the fall of the center. However, he also goes into why the internal politics of what was going on at the time equally led to the downfall of the Soviet Union, and especially how petty personal gripes and slights led to the events unfolding the way they did.

O'Clery's biggest weakness is that he crams an enormous amount of information into 400 pages. Considering the number of people involved in the chain of events, it was extremely difficult to keep track of who is who and where people's allegiances lay, which was inevitable in a book of this sort. Luckily the author helps us out by providing a list of key characters and their allegiance before the index, which definitely helped. Another major weakness is that he does sometimes get a little repetitive about the way Gorbachev and Yeltsin hated one another, and spent too much time describing the minutiae of the exchange, to the point where it's a little tiring for the reader.

Overall, an excellent book for anyone interested in politics of the Soviet era.

[Ray · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Moscow, December 25, 1991 is probably great for historians and students of the former Soviet Union, but being neither, it was a little dry for me. This is most likely a matter of my initial expectations rather than an actual critique of the writing. When someone in the publishing industry reviews a book, they can discuss the quality of the material and the writing style. But when I pick up a book, such as this one, it's with a preconceived expectation. And if the book doesn't meet that expectation, I typically end up slightly disappointed.

Given the title, I was hoping for more descriptive material leading up to the last days of the Soviet Union. What were the failed policies, how were they manifested, what corrective measures, if any, were implemented. What internal or external forces played a part? Did the Afghanistan war, the arms race, crop failures, general unrest of the citizens play a role, and to what extent, etc.? Those are the factors I was most interested in, and was hoping would be explained in more detail. Instead, I found the focus of the book to be much more focused on the personalities and differences between Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin. With that said, O'Clery certainly does provide detailed descriptions of these two key leaders of the era, along with their rivalries and petty differences.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book in which I didn't think I'd be interested. I guess I was wrong. Talk about gripping and eye-opening. While the book is technically about the events of one day, it takes us through the background and events leading up to December 25, 1991, including the failed August coup.

This is a book about a rivalry between Gorbachev and Yeltsin, in which Yeltsin definitely comes off the worst. O'Clery lists numerous incidents where Yeltsin broke agreements between him and Gorbachev in the last days of the Soviet Union. He is portrayed as chauvenistic, egotistical and back-stabbing. That's not to say Gorbachev comes off as a saint. Former advisors are quoted as saying that he was cold and non-appreciative. But you come away at the end of the book feeling sorry for him.

O'Clery has lived and worked in Russia/the former Soviet Union and is married to an Armenian. He uses his own experiences, his in-laws' experiences, plenty of interviews, and a lot of resources which are listed at the back.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The entire history of Russia and the Soviet Union is best viewed through the petty personal squabbles of Mikhail Gorgachev and Boris Yeltsin. Or at least according to [Author:Conor O'Clery], in [Book: Moscow, December 25th, 1991]. The book is a minute-by-minute account of the day Gorbachev turned over the country and the nuclear suitcase to Yeltsin, which a few years of background interspersed. About halfway through, it got a little tiring hearing quotes from the various assistants complaining that Yeltsin took away the official sooner than promised or that Gorgachev cursed Yeltsin out at a committee meeting. Both the leaders come off as almost comically self-absorbed. In the final chapters, Yeltsin seems to be channeling Snowball from [Author: George Orwell]'s [Book:Animal Farm] as he enjoys all the excesses that he had accused Gorbachev of reveling in. One side note: what in the world does this sentence mean? "The Americans were cock-a-poop."

[Michael Flanagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read and behind the scene look at the end the Soviet Union and the people involved in it. Even though this book claims to be about the last day of the Soviet Union it also delivers the events leading up to it. It does this by cutting the last day into sections and introducing and expanding the events surrounding to this momentous day, it takes us from 1985 through to 1991.

All in all this book is a great read that I recommend to one and all it is a highly engaging and entertaining book that delivers political intrigue at its best. It changed my opinion on many of the movers and shakers and left me with a fresh and enlightened view of the end of the 75 year experiment that was the USSR.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This should really be called "Gorbachev v. Yeltsin." As with most history written by journalists, this focuses on the personalities rather than the larger picture of what was happening in the country and the causes of events. Still a decent read if you're interested in the interactions of the major players in the last days of the Soviet Union. But if you want to know the "WHY" you'll need to find another book.

[Dan Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good account of the final days of the Soviet Union told through the power struggle between Boris Yeltsin and Mikhail Gorbachev. Focused on the personal and political differences of each leader and their clashing of egos. This book does "jump into" the last days of the Soviet Union, so it would not hurt to have a fairly decent understanding of the years leading up to this period.

[Brad Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A informative, authoritative study of the last years of the Soviet Union, mostly told in "flashbacks" as they relate to events of the last day. Definitely makes the case for both Yeltsin and Gorbachev's pettiness without obviously sympathizing with either. Good use of sources, a strong narrative feel, and good narration clinched this one for me.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book that gives a detailed account of the end of the Soviet Union. A fairly easy read, but the time switches between chapters can get confusing at times.

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm just going to say that I don't think anyone came off well in this. Both Gorbachev and Yeltsin seem petty and short-sighted in a lot of ways. The minutiae in this book is fascinating, though.

[Patrick Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, despite having only a passing knowledge of this period of Russian history prior to reading it. The book is a lot easier a read than I thought when buying it.

[Reza Amiri Praramadhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Moscow, 25th December 1991, Soviet Union drew its final breath and cease to exist, all in one clean swoop, without any bloodshed or further conflicts, and for this event to happen we looked at the clashing visions of two people, Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Secretary General of Soviet Union, and Boris Yeltsin, the first President of Russian Federation. This book, quite interestingly mixes the events leading up to the 25th December 1991 with the rises of both Gorbachev and Yeltsin to power, and to contrast both of them. Gorbachev, urbane, suave, more comfortable mingling with fellow world leaders, while Yeltsin was coarse, rough but down to earth and more in tune with the reality of inability to salvage the Soviet Union from its terminal decline and its eventual demise.

In the final days of Soviet Union, Gorbachev was put between rock and a hard place for his pace of reform was deemed not fast enough by the radical refomers (Yeltsin was one of them and got the wrong end of Gorbachev's stick), while the the more orthodox hard-liners yearned for the old day. Gorbachev then made the mistake of keeping the hard-liners close to him, while entering a feud with Yeltsin. In August the Hardliners launched a failed coup, and Gorbachev's failure to condemn them played into Yeltsin's hand. Then the drama of Soviet Union's last days unfolded with personal hatred between Yeltsin and Gorbachev played along down to who's getting the office and state house, and how Yeltsin was denying access to Gorbachev office right after he resigned as President of Soviet Union and dissolved the Union

After Gorbachev was out, the trouble does not end there for the Russians, for the economic shock therapy as prescribed by Yeltsin and his men caused inflation and unemployment, while state assets were privatized and plundered and organized crime proliferated. Yeltsin turned increasingly alcoholic and unable to control events, and people amazingly yearned for the old days of communist empire. This, was capitalized by Yeltsin's successor, Vladimir Putin, who fused Russian Nationalism with symbolism of old Soviet Union, making it a powerful brand for Russia, which enabled him to continue ruling until today. Over all, I deem this book very enjoyable. I cannot help but feeling sorry for Gorbachev and his entourages, for some of them genuinely believe in Soviet Union's capacity to reform and resurrect itself after the long era of stagnation. However, time was against them, making them tragic actors in the stage of world history.

[Steven Voorhees · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating behind-the-scenes (and behind-the-backs) chronicle of the Soviet Union's last day -- December 25, 1991. O'Clery girds his figuratively hour-by-hour account of this very fateful day with the backstory of how Soviet leader Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev's policies of Glasnost and Perestroika led to the country's implosion. O'Clery's narrative toggles back and forth between this fateful Christmas; March 1985 (when Gorbachev became the CPSU General Secretary); the six years that followed and the events and figures that took Russia to a precipice once thought improbable. Central to the historical and human drama that unfolds in MOSCOW's pages is Boris Nikolayeich Yeltsin. He's Gorbachev's counterpart, bitter rival for power and opponent in a very toxic ideological chess match. The two men are polar opposites: One's an earthy man of the people; the other, an erudite true believer of communism. Likewise their purposes: Gorbachev tried to reform the communist system and dredge its rot. Yeltsin wanted to eliminate the communist state altogether and give Russia a new birth of freedom. Ironically, both men were the midwife in this birth. Both leaders, however, are more-or-less unflatteringly portrayed by O'Clery. I previously knew of Yeltsin's clownish, good-time-charley persona (O'Clery amply illustrates this and contrasts it with Yeltsin's drive and courage). Gorbachev is shown to be surprisingly out-of-touch, vain and even a little deluded (on the latter, he believed the Soviet Union could survive even after it was clear it would and could not). O'Clery confirms Gorbachev's iconic status in the West and the blame his fellow countrymen and women laid on him for their very difficult lives. To his credit, O'Clery hasn't written a hagiography of either Gorbachev or Yeltsin. Instead, O'Clery's crafted a balanced and very engaging book about the end of one era and the start of another.

[Ralphz · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book, better than I was expecting, and well worth a read.

The Soviet Union went down by decree, with the stroke of a pen, and nobody would have seen that coming, even earlier in 1991, much less any year during the Cold War.

This book is structured from morning to mid-morning to noon to afternoon to evening of Dec. 25, 1991, with an epilogue the next day.

Woven into the book is an account of the rivalry between Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin, the first (and last) president of the USSR and the minor party figure from Siberia who became president of independent Russia.

It’s really enlightening, revealing some flaws in the armor of Gorbachev, who had become admired in the West, and some good sides to Yeltsin, who was reviled.

Along the way, jealousies, pettiness, revenge and more fueled the interaction between the two and drove the political fortune of the Soviet Union – and the United States, to some extent.

The politics are hard to dig out, and the names, for a non-Russian-speaking American – forget it. But it’s worth hanging in there for a good hard look at the last day of the Cold War.

If we only knew then what we’d be up against next …

Highly recommended.

For more of my book reviews, go to Ralphsbooks.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moscow December 25th 1991 follow Gorbachev and Yeltsin on the day the Soviet Union Collapsed. It provides an almost hour by hour account giving in back story as to why each acted the way that they did on that historic day and showing the remarkable story of how one of the most powerful countries collapsed peacefully and quickly (in comparison to what might have been). The transfer of nuclear power and the pettiness of the two men involved was the most remarkable part of the story. This book does an excellent job of making this momentous event seem personal showing the clashes at play. Overall a quick and easy read but one packed with information.

[ParisianIrish · Rating 5 out of 5]

In terms of a historical account of the breakup of the Soviet Union, this is an incredible almost hour by hour account of one of the most important events of the 20th century. The author, does a fantastic job of going into the backgrounds of both Yeltsin and Gorbachev, two giant political men both adept at underhand tactics in the dirty game of governance and politics. These two goliaths come to a head and Yeltsin is very devious at how he manages to isolate the Soviet General committee and render them powerless. It's important to remember that back in 1991, the Soviet Union was still quite closed to foreign media making the detail contained in this book all the more valuable.

[Dmitry · Rating 5 out of 5]

What makes this book unique and fascinating is the detailed human depiction of Gorbachev and Yeltsin. While most historical works concentrate on facts, dates, and lists of players, this volume speaks of the hidden thoughts, ambitions, desires, fears, and insecurities of the first Soviet and Russian presidents, portraying them as mere people as much as powerful politicians and leaders. An easy and captivating read, Moscow, December 25th, 1991, brings human touch and background to one of the most important events of the XX century, the fall of the Soviet Union.

[Tamara · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book was interesting, I had a hard time with it because of the obvious bias. I don't know enough about the two Soviet leaders to speak authoritatively about what the author said about them. This author though speaks of one with a very obvious bias for and another with a very obvious bias against. That makes it hard for me to believe, or take as intended, anything that he writes about the two of them. Since this is a non-fiction book and he devotes a lot of time to these two people that means that a lot of the authority of the book was gone for me.

[Philip Kuhn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book on the fall of the Soviet Empire.

It focuses on the bitter rivalry between Gorbachev and Yeltsin, which continued until Yeltsin's last days. The book starts out in the present--Dec 25, 1991--and then back to the old days when Gorbachev brought Yeltsin to Moscow with him. The narrative goes back and forth between the two.

If you're looking for a grand sweeping history of the fall of the USSR, this book is not it. But it does tell the story of the two main characters and their associates who shaped the face of history.

[多余人-Lishnye Lyudi · Rating 5 out of 5]

戈尔巴乔夫离开的时候，打包进纸板箱里的几百倍书籍有：索洛夫耶夫、克鲁切夫斯基和卡拉姆津撰写的俄罗斯历史；一套十卷版的普希金诗选；高加索的浪漫主义诗人莱蒙托夫河布尔什维克革命抒情诗人马雅可夫斯基的诗集；几排弗拉基米尔·伊里奇·列宁的裹皮边儿的著作；此外是个人的最爱，有陀思妥耶夫斯基的《群魔》复印本，被翻过很多遍，戈尔巴乔夫坚持认为这本书让他转变成极权体系的反对者；一本萨克雷的《名利场》善本，是玛格丽特·撒切尔送给赖莎的；以及一本装订精美的乌克兰诗人塔拉斯·舍甫琴科的诗集《科布扎演奏者》，赖莎喜欢引用他的诗句：“我的思想啊，我的思想，你带来了怎样的痛苦啊！为什么你要在如此阴郁的字里行间与我对抗？”
(所以，要读书……）
在戈尔巴乔夫和叶利钦的互动中，打破了一党专政，提供了自由，结束了冷战，这是馈赠。俄罗斯人即使不能在电视上也能在平面媒体上批评政治体制。但同时，向西方民主的转变因为共产主义的颠覆而搁置，电媒反映的是克里姆林宫的观点，法庭屈从于权力，抗议集会被解散，政治驱动力是个人致富而不是理念，选民无力产生领导人不喜欢的结果，克格勃又以联邦安全部门的形式回到俄罗斯生活的中心……
今天的俄罗斯，还要强活在强权的梦里，民主和自由的路并不通畅，甚至是重重阻碍……哎，谁家又不是呢？