The Last Empire: The Final Days of the Soviet Union

This is a very well researched analysis of the events of July to December 1991 related to the collapse of the Soviet Union. At key points in this narrative, the author explains the historical and political events which led to the decisions made in late 1991 by the primary players in Russia, Ukraine and the USA - Yeltsin, Gorbachev, Kruvchuk and George H.W. Bush. This book does much to explain the current state of play between Russia and Ukraine which has evolved from the longer term historical relationship between these two large Slavic states and the events of late 1991 which have created a strategic dilemma for Russia today. In short, the author challenges the premise that the Cold War was won by the West. He distinguishes between the show more end of the Cold War, the collapse of communism and the fall of the Soviet Union as related but different things. His key point is that the electoral democracy introduced by Gorbachev in the early years of his leadership turned out to be incompatible with the continuing existence of the Soviet Union. Once Ukraine declared its independence in 1991, the edifice of the Soviet Union collapsed because such a Union could not continue without a Slavic majority dominated by Russia. It places the current situation in Russia in much clearer perspective - the borders of the old Russian empire shrinking under the encroachment of NATO and the EU in the west and the rise of the independent Muslim states in the south and east. show less

A compelling, detailed and on the whole, well written account of the end of the Cold War and he fall of Communism, as well as a study of the power structures in the old Soviet Union and their relationship to Gorbachev, the Communist party and the centre of the Soviet Empire. On the whole, engaging and interesting, in places, gossipy and discursive, but in general main, a good, systematic and intelligent handling of the course of events.

5280. The Last Empire The Final Days of the Soviet Union, by Serhii Plokhy (read 27 May 2015) This 2014 book by a Ukrainian now a professor at Harvard tells carefully and chronologically of the events from July to December in 1991, covering the Bush-Gorbachev Summit in July, the attempted coup in August, Yeltsin's successful thwarting of said coup, and then the bitter clash between Yeltsin and Gorbachev, and the vote on Dec 1, 1991, by Ukraine for independence, resulting in the collapse of the Soviet Empire and Gorbachev's final fall from power. The book makes clear that the actions of the U.S. were not the chief cause of that collapse--in fact the Bush Administration strove to prevent the collapse--but the energetic effort by Yeltsin show more which caused the coup to fail and then the successful effort of Yeltsin to end Gorbachev's hold on power are what ended the Soviet empire.. The book is not flamboyant but tells the story clearly and step-by-step.. Thus while the events are exciting and world-changing the account is sometimes a bit dry. But there is no doubt that the account is clarifying as to the events of that exciting time. show less