Down with Big Brother: The Fall of the Soviet Empire

For a political history, this has a brisk, fly-on-the-wall vibe like the best of Bob Woodward. It is amazing in our era of bloody democratic uprisings in an Arab Spring to read of such largely effective transitions out of the decrepit Soviet Union. The failed coup that saw Yeltsin replace Gorbachev and the military imposition on Vilnius while the world (and the U.S.) was rapt with Desert Storm were particular close calls all eclipsed by the bloody horror of Serb and Croat race war in the ashes of Yugoslavia where Muslim and Catholic tensions arose in this apotheosis... So tragically like we continue to see...

The most interesting aspect of this book for me was to see the two sides of Gorbachev and Yeltsin. At the time, Gorbachev came across as the wise and caring intellectual, and Boris the corrupt drunk. To see Gorbachev shy away from Democracy himself, debate a return to more authoritarian rule, utterly destroy the economy, and lack of gratitude for the defenders of the White House was an eye opener. Then to see Yeltsin in his prime, brave, determined, the defender of democracy. Humans are complex, and each leader has his 'time'. That time may be a few years or a few minutes in an otherwise unimpressive existence. Many a good leader devolved into a destructive force after a period of time.

The writing is 'light' which makes this an easy read.

Another excellent book by Michael Dobbs. Difficult for me to keep track of all the principle players with their slavic names, although the main people were well known. I felt that each chapter ended with a cliff hanger, which didn't seem necessary. The chapters were very short also, perhaps because it's a complicated topic and this was Dobbs' way of keeping the text moving. Excellent use made of his own interviews at the time, classified Soviet documents not readily available in the West, biographies, and analysis by recognized authorities.

Outstanding! An excellent history of the fall of the Soviet Union by a man who was there to observe it in person. Highly recommend.

Outstanding! An excellent history of the fall of the Soviet Union by a man who was there to observe it in person. Highly recommend.

Outstanding! An excellent history of the fall of the Soviet Union by a man who was there to observe it in person. Highly recommend.

read this in condensed form. i don't have much time for reader's digest but as i get older i have some time, only for non-fiction and mysteries. so far i've read this about glasnost and bogart. i enjoyed both and never would have read them except in shortened versions. dobbs wrote a BBC show i liked and will read something else by him.