The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union

Drawing on a wide range of sources, including eye-witness accounts, official documents, and materials that have only recently come to light,The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Unionplaces the Soviet experience in historical and comparative context. It provides a comprehensive overview of the Soviet Union from early comments by Marx on the possibility of Russia avoiding capitalism to the disintegration of the USSR in 1991. This source-book features several important documents published in full for the first time, including Lenin's letter of 1922 concerning the church and materials on the Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939. Gorbachev's attempts to revive the system is reflected in a number of documents, while materials relating to the coup of 1991 and the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States are reproduced almost in their entirety. From a survey of the emergence of Marxism-Leninism to an analysis of the tumultuous events of the last decade, this book is an invaluable reference to anyoneinterested in Soviet history and politics.