Inside the Kremlin's Cold War: From Stalin to Khrushchev

by Vladislav Zubok, Constantine Pleshakov

188 Members ½ (3.45) 1 Award

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Covering the volatile period from 1945 to 1962, Zubok and Pleshakov explore the personalities and motivations of the key people who directed Soviet political life and shaped Soviet foreign policy. They begin with the fearsome figure of Joseph Stalin, who was driven by the dual dream of a Communist revolution and a global empire. They reveal the scope and limits of Stalin's ambitions by taking us into the world of his closest subordinates, the ruthless and unimaginative foreign minister show more Molotov and the Party's chief propagandist, Zhdanov, a man brimming with hubris and missionary zeal. The authors expose the machinations of the much-feared secret police chief Beria and the party cadre manager Malenkov, who tried but failed to set Soviet policies on a different course after Stalin's death. Finally, they document the motives and actions of the self-made and self-confident Nikita Khrushchev, full of Russian pride and party dogma, who overturned many of Stalin's policies with bold strategizing on a global scale. The authors show how, despite such attempts to change Soviet diplomacy, Stalin's legacy continued to divide Germany and Europe, and led the Soviets to the split with Maoist China and to the Cuban missile crisis. Zubok and Pleshakov's groundbreaking work reveals how Soviet statesmen conceived and conducted their rivalry with the West within the context of their own domestic and global concerns and aspirations. The authors persuasively demonstrate that the Soviet leaders did not seek a conflict with the United States, yet failed to prevent it or bring it to conclusion. They also document why and how Kremlin policy-makers, cautious and scheming as they were, triggered the gravest crises of the Cold War in Korea, Berlin, and Cuba. Taking us into the corridors of the Kremlin and the minds of its leaders, Zubok and Pleshakov present intimate portraits of the men who made the West fear, to reveal why and how they acted as they did. show less

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@current affairs-foreign affairs-asia-soviet union (1) a man brimming with hubris and missionary zeal. The authors expose the machinations of the much-feared secret police chief Beria and the party cadre manager Malenkov (1) and Cuba. Taking us into the corridors of the Kremlin and the minds of its leaders (1) and led the Soviets to the split with Maoist China and to the Cuban missile crisis. Zubok and Pleshakov's groundbreaking work reveals how Soviet statesmen conceived and conducted their rivalry with the West within the context of their own domestic an (1) cautious and scheming as they were (1) CLDWAR (1) Cold War (30) Covering the volatile period from 1945 to 1962 (1) despite such attempts to change Soviet diplomacy (1) DK267 .Z78 1996 (1) full of Russian pride and party dogma (1) Georgii Malenkov (1) Joseph Stalin (3) Khurshchev (1) Maxim Litvinov (1) Molotov (2) MRB-R3F (1) NWC text (1) recent geschiedenis (1) Stalin's legacy continued to divide Germany and Europe (1) the ruthless and unimaginative foreign minister Molotov and the Party's chief propagandist (1) they document the motives and actions of the self-made and self-confident Nikita Khrushchev (1) to reveal why and how they acted as they did. (1) triggered the gravest crises of the Cold War in Korea (1) who overturned many of Stalin's policies with bold strategizing on a global scale. The authors show how (1) who tried but failed to set Soviet policies on a different course after Stalin's death. Finally (1) who was driven by the dual dream of a Communist revolution and a global empire. They reveal the scope and limits of Stalin's ambitions by taking us into the world of his closest subordinates (1) yet failed to prevent it or bring it to conclusion. They also document why and how Kremlin policy-makers (1) Zubok and Pleshakov explore the personalities and motivations of the key people who directed Soviet political life and shaped Soviet foreign policy. They begin with the fearsome figure of Joseph Stalin (1) Zubok and Pleshakov present intimate portraits of the men who made the West fear (1)
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Author Information

Picture of author.
Vladislav Zubok
10+ Works 794 Members
Vladislav M. Zubok is associate professor of history at Temple University
Picture of author.
Constantine Pleshakov
9+ Works 1,030 Members
Constantine Pleshakov is a visiting professor at Mount Holyoke College

Awards and Honors

Common Knowledge

Canonical title
Inside the Kremlin's Cold War: From Stalin to Khrushchev
Original publication date
1996
People/Characters
Joseph Stalin; Nikita Khrushchev
Important places
USSR
Important events
Cold War; Berlin Crisis of 1961; Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961); Cuban Revolution (1959); Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
Disambiguation notice
Full title (1996): Inside the Kremlin's cold war : from Stalin to Khrushchev / Vladislav Zubok, Constantine Pleshakov

Classifications

Genres
Nonfiction, History, General Nonfiction, Politics and Government
DDC/MDS
327.47 — Society, government, & culture Political science International Relations: Spies Europe Russia and Eastern Europe
LCC
DK267 .Z78 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania Russia. Soviet Union. Former Soviet Republics – Poland History of Russia. Soviet Union. Former Soviet Republics History Soviet regime, 1918-1991
BISAC
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Statistics

Members
188
Popularity
174,056
Rating
½ (3.45)
Languages
English
Media
Paper
ISBNs
3