His life and times, biographer william taubman makes a. He replaced foreign minister andrei gromyko, who had served in his post for 28 years and was known in the west as mr. The eighth and last leader of the soviet union, he was the general secretary of the communist party of the soviet union from 1985 until 1991. On my country and the world columbia university press. Buy a cheap copy of gorbachev book by mikhail gorbachev. National and transnational perspectives on european communist parties in the era. The latest offering from the first and only president of the soviet union is alone with myself, which he worked on. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. The politburo was dominated by old men, and they were overwhelmingly russian. It provides an objective assessment of what happened and why during the momentous period of soviet reform, failure and collapse. Here is the whole sweep of the soviet experiment and experience as told by its last steward. Its precipitant was gorbachevs replacement of the politbiuro member and longstanding first secretary of the kazakh party, dinmukhamed kunaev, with an ethnic russian, gennadii kolbin.
Books by mikhail gorbachev mikhail gorbachev average rating 3. Gorbachev and perestroika short history department. A group of outstanding sovietologists met at stanford university in 1985 to answer these questions. Reissue of the book who brought gorbachev to power.
The oxford professor of politics provides a wellresearched, largely sympathetic and perceptive account of gorbachev in what was quite obviously a highly dynamic. The first serious nationalbased conflict during the gorbachev era occurred in the kazakh capital of almaata now almaty in december 1986. Drawing on his own experience, rich archival material, and a keen sense. The gorbachev era paperback september 1, 1986 by alexander dallin author, condoleezza rice author 5. With all farms owned by the government, gorbachevs father went to work as a driver of a combineharvester. Gorbachev is a gripping, sympathetic and detailed portrait. The atomic age, also known as the atomic era, is the period of history following the detonation of the first nuclear weapon, the gadget at the trinity test in new mexico, on july 16, 1945, during world war ii. Gorbachev, it was the key to reforming the soviet system and reviving an. In the end, fall of berlin wall was gorbachevs call nov. In his speech before the central committee, gorbachev announced that. The cold war ended definitively in 1989 when the central and eastern european states regained their sovereignty. A national book critics circle award finalist essential reading for the twentyfirst century. The gorbachev factor is one book i am better off for having read.
Gorbachevs legacy examined, 25 years after his rise to power. The gorbachev era of soviet history began in the spring of 1985. Gorbachev the rise and fall of a hero by i d oppenhiem paperback from createspace isbn. The gorbachev era hardcover june 1, 1985 by alexander dallin author, condoleezza rice author 5. However, through the struggle for military power, economic factors, ethnic fragmentation it watched its mighty empire crumble, and many blamed its president, mikhail gorbachev and his incompetent decisions for it. His life and times by william taubman as memories of the cold war fade, and worries about a new era of tense relations. During the initial period 198587 of mikhail gorbachevs time in power, he talked. Gorbachev is a gripping, sympathetic and detailed portrait in gorbachev. Day after day the news from the soviet union has been that what mikhail gorbachev tried to. We personally assess every books quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures.
He was also the countrys head of state from 1988 until 1991, serving as the chairman of the presidium of the supreme soviet from 1988 to 1989, chairman of the. He was the last general secretary of the communist party of the soviet union and the last head of state. Mikhail gorbachev is still churning out books at the ripe old age of 81. And as gorbachev takes to the world stage, the book takes off. Historians have been doing the same, picking over the gorbachev era with a finetooth comb, exhaustively and sometimes gleefully cataloguing the mistakes of the last soviet leader, from his failure to submit to democratic election, to his obstinate refusal to heed repeated warnings of the threat from the hardline communist right. List of books and articles about mikhail gorbachev online. The gorbachev era audio cassette june 23, 1986 by c. Gorbachev and nationalism seventeen moments in soviet. Perestroika in perspective i recommend the gorbachev factor wholeheartedly to anyone looking for a better understanding of the soviet union at the end of the cold war. A first printing of the first edition, light foxing to top of page block, else fine in fine dustjacket, signed by author mikhail gorbachev directly on the title page. Mikhail gorbachev was born in the small village of privolnoye in the stavropol territory to sergei and maria panteleyvna gorbachev. Soviet psychiatric abuse in the gorbachev era robert van voren, sidney bloch international association on the political use of psychiatry, 1989 political prisoners 112 pages. This book is a collection of gorbachevs statements made between march and october 1985, since his election as general secretary of the communist party central committee. But by rescuing his old adversary he was simply returning a favor.
In the final section of the book, gorbachev examines the new thinking in foreign. Mikhail sergeyevich gorbachev is a russian politician. He also heads the international foundation for socioeconomic and political studies, better know as the gorbachev foundation est. Mikhail gorbachev, general secretary of the communist party of the soviet union 198591 and president of the soviet union 199091. His efforts to democratize his countrys political system and decentralize its economy led to the downfall of communism and the breakup of the soviet union in 1991. Mikhail sergeyevich gorbachev born 2 march 1931 is a russian and formerly soviet politician. In contrast to the uncertain handling of leadership vacancies in 1982 and 1984, upon the death of chernenko the politburo acted within hours to choose unanimously the healthy and relatively youthful gorbachev as general secretary. When brezhnev died in 1982, most elite groups understood that the soviet economy was in trouble.
The man and his era 2003, is perfectly qualified to delve into the political psyche of mikhail gorbachev b. No one, not even mikhail gorbachev, anticipated what was in store wh. Rice author see all formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Gorbachev and perestroika the policy struggle in washington further intensified when a new soviet leader, mikhail gorbachev, emerged in march 1985. In order to restructure the soviet economy and reform domestic society, gorbachev needed to reduce military spending at home and political tensions abroad.
One of the most important developments in the soviet union following mikhail gorbachevs selection as general secretary was a change of political language. The gorbachev era presents a sober, balanced realistic picture of the soviet union. The contributors are among the most able and best informed specialists on the ussr. Since 1992, gorbachev has headed international organizations. The gorbachev era dallin, alexander, rice, condoleezza on. Mikhail gorbachev books list of books by author mikhail. Mikhail gorbachev and the soviet union 882 words 4 pages. Boris yeltsin can jab his finger at mikhail gorbachev now. The gorbachev era stanford graduate school of business. Mikhail gorbachev brought democracy to russia and was.
His life and times, biographer william taubman makes a convincing case. Drawing on his own experience, rich archival material, and a keen sense of history and politics, mikhail gorbachev speaks his mind on a range of subjects concerning russias past, present, and future place in the world. Countless studies have assessed the dramatic reforms of mikhail gorbachev, but their analysis of the impact on european. Due to senility, brezhnev had not been in effective control of the country during his last few years, and kosygin had died in 1980. Consider imre nagy, hungarys premier during the 1956 revolution, executed in 1958, and alexander dubcek, the leader of the prague. The gorbachev era chapter 12 the cambridge history of. At the age of 11, the district was occupied by the germans for three years, a tough time for all in the village. Gorbachev is an excellent introduction to mikhail gorbachevs rise and fall from power and is written in light of his own uniquely revealing memoirs. Gorbachev believed, mistakenly, that communism could be reformed.
Day after day the news from the soviet union has been that what mikhail gorbachev tried to do has. Although nuclear chain reactions had been hypothesized in 1933 and the first artificial selfsustaining nuclear chain reaction chicago pile1 had taken place in december 1942, the. List of books and articles about mikhail gorbachev. Mikhail gorbachev was awarded the nobel peace prize in october 1990 gorbachev was born in march 1931 in stavropol, the north caucasus to a poor peasant family. Mikhail gorbachev, the former soviet leader, said he should have left the communist party months before the attempted coup of 1991. His success in getting rid of so many potential political opponents in such a short time surprised western soviet experts, particularly because gorbachev did not have a. June 1988 heated televised discussions at the partys 19th conference. In the end, fall of berlin wall was gorbachevs call. For the general but informed reader, probably archie browns the gorbachev factor. The gorbachev era chapter 12 the cambridge history of russia. Gorbachev his life and times by william taubman illustrated. Perestroika was a political movement for reformation within the communist party of the soviet. After gaining the post of general secretary in march 1985, gorbachev moved with unprecedented speed to implement personnel changes in the party and government.