The Last Empire: The Final Days of the Soviet Union
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- Create Date：2022-03-12 17:21:42
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Serhii Plokhy
- ISBN：B09NF4LXMD
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Reviews
Pradeep E
，
In 'The Last Empire'， award winning historian Serhii Plokhy attempts to explain the final events that led to the collapse of the mighty Soviet Union in 1991。 It is a blow-by-blow essential reading of a watershed period in history， very relevant to the current crisis in Ukraine。The collapse of the Soviet Union had very little support of the United States though they were happy to claim credit for it in hindsight and proclaim it as US winning the Cold War。 On the contrary， American leaders were co In 'The Last Empire'， award winning historian Serhii Plokhy attempts to explain the final events that led to the collapse of the mighty Soviet Union in 1991。 It is a blow-by-blow essential reading of a watershed period in history， very relevant to the current crisis in Ukraine。The collapse of the Soviet Union had very little support of the United States though they were happy to claim credit for it in hindsight and proclaim it as US winning the Cold War。 On the contrary， American leaders were concerned that Soviet Union crumbling might throw the entire area into chaos with nuclear weapons falling into the wrong hands。 It was only after the various republics started declaring independence on the eve of Ukraine's vote for independence that Bush finally abandoned support for his friend Gorbachev。Plokhy argues that the key to the Soviet collapse was the inability of the two largest Soviet republics， Russia and Ukraine， to agree on the continuing existence of a unified state。 The American role in the demise of the Soviet Union was merely a myth that was used by the American polity to promote themselves。 。。。more
مي صالح زيتون Mai Saleh Ali Z
，
First let me say that i have learnt a lot from this book。 It explained the dissolution of the soviet union in details。 It explained the situation of most of the republics that gained independence after 1991 and the relationship they had with the center and with Russia。 It is very obvious that the rivalry between Yeltsin and Gorbachev was one of the main causes for this dissolution but there were lots of others reasons looming in from years before。 I have to say i detested how Americans were some First let me say that i have learnt a lot from this book。 It explained the dissolution of the soviet union in details。 It explained the situation of most of the republics that gained independence after 1991 and the relationship they had with the center and with Russia。 It is very obvious that the rivalry between Yeltsin and Gorbachev was one of the main causes for this dissolution but there were lots of others reasons looming in from years before。 I have to say i detested how Americans were sometimes portrayed as the defenders of rights and values wishing the best for everyone （ when we all know they are not ） but i forgave the author when i read the epilogue where he explains that USA wanted to appear as the saviour of the world and the winner of the Cold war and the only superpower ruling all countries indirectly， when it was just a facade and an image it was trying to portray to justify the many wars they were involved with since 1991。 I recommend it as one of the books to read to understand the Soviet Union and the russian ukranian and slavic countries situation however other books are needed to explain the beginning， the middle and the post soviet times。 。。。more
Adriana
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Recomiendo mucho este libro que me ayudó a entender mucho mejor el ataque actual de Putin a Ucrania。 Las razones son históricas y Plokhy hace un trabajo maravilloso de crónica histórica para explicar el papel que jugó Ucrania en la disolución del imperio soviético。
Ralph Quirequire
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I was around two-thirds into this book when Russia invaded Ukraine last February。 It's clear that the seeds of the current conflict between these two countries were planted during the final days of the Soviet Union。 This book does a very good job providing a complete （almost day-by-day） account of those world-changing weeks and months of 1991， with an in-depth， objective look at the characters involved alongside their thinking， motivations， decisions， and actions。 I came away with a better under I was around two-thirds into this book when Russia invaded Ukraine last February。 It's clear that the seeds of the current conflict between these two countries were planted during the final days of the Soviet Union。 This book does a very good job providing a complete （almost day-by-day） account of those world-changing weeks and months of 1991， with an in-depth， objective look at the characters involved alongside their thinking， motivations， decisions， and actions。 I came away with a better understanding of the demise of the former USSR。 This book tells the story of how and why the Cold War ended not with a bang but with apparently only a whimper。 Sadly， as current events seem to show， it's almost like the Cold War didn't actually end but only took a 30-year pause。 。。。more
Dominic Büschi
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I started reading when Russia was amassing troops at Ukraine’s borders。 I didn't think that Putin would actually attempt to invade the entire country （as opposed to the two oblasts of Donbas and Luhansk， where an intervention of some sort was kind of expected） and deny its existence as a sovereign state。The Last Empire is not primarily about Ukraine but about the demise of the Soviet Union。 The title alludes to the fact that the Soviet Union was not a monolithic bloc but a grouping of distinct r I started reading when Russia was amassing troops at Ukraine’s borders。 I didn't think that Putin would actually attempt to invade the entire country （as opposed to the two oblasts of Donbas and Luhansk， where an intervention of some sort was kind of expected） and deny its existence as a sovereign state。The Last Empire is not primarily about Ukraine but about the demise of the Soviet Union。 The title alludes to the fact that the Soviet Union was not a monolithic bloc but a grouping of distinct republics bound together by a central structure （i。e。 an empire）。 Plokhy’s thesis is that the age of nationalism has overtaken the age of empires， and that the Soviet Union was doomed to fail like the Habsburg or British empires before。 I grew up believing that the Soviet Union simply went bankrupt because of disastrous central planning and the superiority of the US， who outspent the USSR in the arms and technology race。 The book describes how Ukraine played a crucial role in this downfall。 The last President of the Soviet Union and General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union， Michael Gorbachev， initiated Perestroika （Reconstruction） and Glasnost （Openness） and ended the Cold War。 This led to the independence of the Baltic states， which in turn prompted other Soviet republics to also seek emancipation。 Although Gorbachev wanted to modernize the Soviet Union， he absolutely did not want to abolish it （and with it his own position at the top）。 Gorbachev did everything he could to keep the Soviet Union together and， ironically， the Bush administration （featuring Secretary of State James Baker who’s excellent biography The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A。 Baker III I just read and highly recommend） had the same goal， in the interest of stability and because of concerns about nuclear weapons stationed in multiple republics。 But the Soviet Union， or a similar， maybe less restrictive， union could only survive if the Slavic republics， Russia， Ukraine and Belarus， agreed to it （otherwise， the Muslim population of the other republics would outnumber them and Yeltsin couldn’t have that）。 In 1991， Ukraine held a referendum where about 90% of the population voted for independence。 Even in the areas mainly populated by native Russians， more than 50% voted for independence。In the end the republics agreed to a loose commonwealth of independent states。 By that time Yeltsin was the strong man in the top position in Russia。 Yeltsin and Gorbachev couldn’t stand each other and Yeltsin made sure that Gorbachev was unceremoniously booted into retirement。 As a final insult， Bush claimed the demise of the Soviet Union as his achievement in his unsuccessful attempt at re-election， even though he had fought hard for the Soviet Union to remain in place。The Last Empire is an interesting and eye-opening book， but sometimes an exhausting read。 The cast of actors is huge， the Russian names complicated， and I often got them mixed up。 For me， a tad less detail would have been even better。As I'm writing this， it's day 5 of Putin's war in Ukraine。 I'm shocked and sad and I still can't believe that someone can be so evil and demented as to bomb a sovereign country in Europe without cause in the 21st century。 。。。more
Suzanne Rossel
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This was an awesome read， wanted to give 4。5。 I learned so much rich new and more nuanced discussions about this time in history。 I would highly recommend， this book to people interested in Russia， recent history， political， and leaders。
Daniel Gonçalves
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The Soviet Union was a dream unfulfilled， a broken utopia condemned to inevitable collapse。 Its dissolution revealed the will of their people， yet concealed the reason behind its failure。 Through a consistent journalistic narrative， the author provides a detailed account of the pivotal events leading to those hard days in December 1991。 At times cold and uninventive， the book isn’t the most enthralling of reads。 As an historical document， it is not an ideal starting point。If the main purpose is The Soviet Union was a dream unfulfilled， a broken utopia condemned to inevitable collapse。 Its dissolution revealed the will of their people， yet concealed the reason behind its failure。 Through a consistent journalistic narrative， the author provides a detailed account of the pivotal events leading to those hard days in December 1991。 At times cold and uninventive， the book isn’t the most enthralling of reads。 As an historical document， it is not an ideal starting point。If the main purpose is to learn about late-era Soviet political intrigue， there might be better options。 Still， it provides enough excitement to kindle the learning process of the topic。 。。。more
Mike
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Εξαιρετικό
Jillian Frost
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A great deep dive into the political climate of Russia in the early 1990s。 Highly recomend this if you are interested in the subject。
KT Bob
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A thorough account of the Soviet's last days。 If only all the dictatorships could dissolve in such a peaceful and graceful manner。 A thorough account of the Soviet's last days。 If only all the dictatorships could dissolve in such a peaceful and graceful manner。 。。。more
Yakym Yermak
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Шедевр。
Wesley Giesbrecht
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Once again， Serhii Plokhy does not disappoint。While taking an in-depth analysis of the final months of 1991 which saw the ultimate collapse of the Soviet Union， Plokhy portrays a far more complicated and dynamic portrait of the USSR's ultimate demise than is typically given。 Plokhy definitively shows that despite American claims to have won the Cold War， their initial policy was to keep the Union alive for as long as possible in order to extract the maximum amount of concessions from the Gorbach Once again， Serhii Plokhy does not disappoint。While taking an in-depth analysis of the final months of 1991 which saw the ultimate collapse of the Soviet Union， Plokhy portrays a far more complicated and dynamic portrait of the USSR's ultimate demise than is typically given。 Plokhy definitively shows that despite American claims to have won the Cold War， their initial policy was to keep the Union alive for as long as possible in order to extract the maximum amount of concessions from the Gorbachev regime。 While they fully endorsed the Baltic exit from the Union， they were less supportive of the other republics leaving due to the concern of the Soviet Union turning into Yugoslavia with nukes。Another highlight is Plokhy's portrayal of the Gorbachev-Yeltsin relationship。 While some credit the collapse of the Soviet Union to the personal rivalry between Gorbachev and Yeltsin， Plokhy manages to show that the relationship and power dynamics between the two men was far more complicated。 From Yeltsin supporting Gorbachev during the August coup to Yeltsin presenting Leonid Kravchuk of Ukraine with Gorbachev's reformed Union Treaty， the book convincingly demonstrates that Yeltsin wasn't originally aiming to destroy the Union nor that the driving factor was his rivalry with Gorbachev。One of the most fascinating elements of the book is Plokhy's analysis of the role of Ukraine in the collapse of the Soviet Union。 One could make a strong argument that Ukraine played the most definitive role in the collapse of the Union。 Due to the policies of Gorbachev that changed the relationship between the Ukrainian leadership with Moscow and disrupted the unspoken agreements and freedoms enjoyed by the Ukrainian elites during the Khrushchev and Brezhnev eras， the Ukrainian leadership began to turn away from Moscow and needed to find new ways to stay in power。 Due to the rising calls for Ukrainian independence， with the leadership in Ukraine now having to face popular elections， they had no choice but to turn to the voice of their own people to determine the future of Ukraine rather than the dictates of Moscow。 With the historic Ukrainian referendum for independence， Kravchuk had the power on his side when dealing with Moscow。 Neither Gorbachev nor Yeltsin could imagine a future union without Ukraine， so when Kravchuk refused to sign the new union treaty in a hunting lodge in Belarus， the table turned irrevocably that lead to the establishment of the new Commonwealth and liquidation of the Soviet Union。My only lament about the book is that the focus is primarily on Russia， America， and Ukraine。 While the important roles played by the Baltic republics is noted as well as the highly influence position of the leader of Kazakhstan， Nursultan Nazarbayev， is recognized， very little attention is given to the role of the other Soviet republics。 Overall though， this is an excellent book and a must read for anyone interested in the Soviet Union， Eastern Europe， and politics in general。 。。。more
Jules
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Way too detailed。 I wanted the outline of the history of the collapse of the Soviet Union， but not who walked into a state dinner with whom。 Did not finish。
Saúl Suárez
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Muy interesante ensayo sobre los últimos meses de vida de la Unión Soviética。 Plokhy se sirve de entrevistas personales， fuentes muy fidedignas y acceso a archivos históricos de USA y la URSS para hacer una crónica increíblemente detallada de lo que pasó en los meses finales de un año， 1991， que cambió el mundo tal y como lo conocíamos。 Con la tesis fundamental que Bush padre nunca quiso dejar caer a la URSS por amistad con Gorbachov y por miedo a que se convirtiera en una fuente interminable de Muy interesante ensayo sobre los últimos meses de vida de la Unión Soviética。 Plokhy se sirve de entrevistas personales， fuentes muy fidedignas y acceso a archivos históricos de USA y la URSS para hacer una crónica increíblemente detallada de lo que pasó en los meses finales de un año， 1991， que cambió el mundo tal y como lo conocíamos。 Con la tesis fundamental que Bush padre nunca quiso dejar caer a la URSS por amistad con Gorbachov y por miedo a que se convirtiera en una fuente interminable de problemas étnicos con la amenaza nuclear por bandera， el libro desmitifica a personajes históricos， a momentos de los que teníamos en occidente una visión diferente， y nos acaba dando contexto para intentar entender ese país - mundo que es Rusia y lo que realmente sucedió para que se acabara disolviendo el último Imperio del siglo XX。En fin， más que recomendable si eres apasionado de la historia moderna y de la época de la guerra fría。 。。。more
James McCann
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An insightful look into the events leading up to the collapse of the Soviet Union in the latter half of 1991， taking you inside all the phone calls and the meetings between world leaders。 Very well researched （there’s like 100 pages of reference！！） as is shown by fresh reasoning behind the Soviet collapse; I found the role of George Bush particularly interesting。 The book has the potential to be too wordy at times， giving what I found to be unnecessary detail， but apart from that I would definit An insightful look into the events leading up to the collapse of the Soviet Union in the latter half of 1991， taking you inside all the phone calls and the meetings between world leaders。 Very well researched （there’s like 100 pages of reference！！） as is shown by fresh reasoning behind the Soviet collapse; I found the role of George Bush particularly interesting。 The book has the potential to be too wordy at times， giving what I found to be unnecessary detail， but apart from that I would definitely recommend。 。。。more
Viktoria "Vik" Vynoski [CSTO-RF]
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Hey。 Most of you know me already， but， as these circumstances must be quite formal。 My name is Viktoria Vynoski， but most people call me Vik， and I am the （shadowed） General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union。 I have some interesting news。 As of recent events， I am going to release this information despite comrade Henri's protests。 The Soviet Union was infiltrated。 Specifically， one of our Factions， the KSSR （our security committee） was infiltrated。 We Hey。 Most of you know me already， but， as these circumstances must be quite formal。 My name is Viktoria Vynoski， but most people call me Vik， and I am the （shadowed） General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union。 I have some interesting news。 As of recent events， I am going to release this information despite comrade Henri's protests。 The Soviet Union was infiltrated。 Specifically， one of our Factions， the KSSR （our security committee） was infiltrated。 We noticed that one of the agents， （named Flanker） was acting a bit odd， then he sabotaged an operation。 Then， RedStar， the Director of the KSSR interrogated him shortly after his capture。 He revealed， with disgusting pride that he was trying to "get back" at us for "throwing away" Natasha。 Some of you might remember her。 She used to be the Director of KSSR， until she tried to abuse her power to requisition a Sanction Five against the user Sakura Girl。 I later regretted the decision of having her get fired， due to how much of a fucking cunt Sakura turned out to be。 I hope she gets hit by a train。 Anyway。 Natasha was fired， because， like， half of goodreads was trying to save Sakura。 Sakura got away， and Natasha left。 Or so I thought。 Flanker claims to have been helping Natasha mass some people who agreed with their Neo-Nazi ideologies。 Flanker was banned afterwords for domestic terrorism and spying against the Union。 We are still looking for Natasha， as she could be catfishing。 Or she might not even have an account， and could be making people do her dirty work。 But， due to severe security concerns surrounding the risk of a second infiltration， the Central Committee has agreed to dissolve the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics。 And let the Collective Security Treaty Organization form from it's ashes。 Հավաքական անվտանգության պայմանագրի կազմակերպություն （Armenian）Арганізацыя Дамовы аб калектыўнай бяспецы （Belarusian）Ұжымдық қауіпсіздік туралы шарт ұйымы – Ūjymdyq qauıpsızdık turaly şart ūiymy （Kazakh）Жамааттык коопсуздук жөнүндө келишим уюму （Kyrgyz）Организация Договора о коллективной безопасности （Russian）Созмони Аҳдномаи амнияти дастаҷамъӣ （Tajik）The CSTO is a real life Security Coalition， consisting of all of the former Soviet countries。 Here is a brief summary that I stole from wikipedia:The Collective Security Treaty Organization （CSTO; Russian: Организация Договора о коллективной безопасности， romanized: Organizatsiya Dogovora o kollektivnoy bezopasnosti） is an intergovernmental military alliance in Eurasia that consists of selected post-Soviet states。 The treaty had its origins to the Soviet Armed Forces， which was gradually replaced by the United Armed Forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States。 However， on 15 May 1992， six post-Soviet states belonging to the Commonwealth of Independent States—Russia， Armenia， Kazakhstan， Kyrgyzstan， Tajikistan， and Uzbekistan—signed the Collective Security Treaty （also referred to as the Tashkent Pact or Tashkent Treaty）。 Three other post-Soviet states—Azerbaijan， Belarus， and Georgia—signed the next year and the treaty took effect in 1994。 Five years later， six of the nine—all but Azerbaijan， Georgia， and Uzbekistan—agreed to renew the treaty for five more years， and in 2002 those six agreed to create the Collective Security Treaty Organization as a military alliance。The CSTO charter reaffirmed the desire of all participating states to abstain from the use or threat of force。 Signatories would not be able to join other military alliances or other groups of states， while aggression against one signatory would be perceived as an aggression against all。 To this end， the CSTO holds yearly military command exercises for the CSTO nations to have an opportunity to improve inter-organization cooperation。 A CSTO military exercise called "Rubezh 2008" was hosted in Armenia， where a combined total of 4，000 troops from all seven constituent CSTO member countries conducted operative， strategic and tactical training with an emphasis towards furthering efficiency of the collective security element of the CSTO partnership。 The largest of such exercises was held in Southern Russia and central Asia in 2011， consisting of more than 10，000 troops and 70 combat aircraft。 In order to deploy military bases of a third country in the territory of the CSTO member-states， it is necessary to obtain the official consent of all its members。 It also employs a "rotating presidency" system in which the country leading the CSTO alternates every year。You can visit the full Wikipedia article:English: https://en。wikipedia。org/wiki/Collect。。。Russian: https://ru。wikipedia。org/wiki/%D0%9E%。。。More information:If you were a member of the Former Soviet Union， you will keep your rank， and Faction， you will not have to rejoin CSTO。 Me， Henri and RedStar will post international news in this chat as well。 Thank you for taking your time to read this。-Viktoria 。。。more
B。 Henry
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Many people may wonder the requirement of reading this book。 The answer is simple。 From history we can learn a lot of lessons which we can implemented in our own person life。 That way， the lessons from the disintegration of USSR can be useful in maintaining/running family business and its succession planning。 Positive aspect of the book:- Except epilogue， the author had tried to explain the events （leading to the fall of USSR） impartially and academically。 As such it could be considered as must Many people may wonder the requirement of reading this book。 The answer is simple。 From history we can learn a lot of lessons which we can implemented in our own person life。 That way， the lessons from the disintegration of USSR can be useful in maintaining/running family business and its succession planning。 Positive aspect of the book:- Except epilogue， the author had tried to explain the events （leading to the fall of USSR） impartially and academically。 As such it could be considered as must read for every person who are interested in the history of USSR。Negative aspect of the book:- 1） The author has failed to familiarize the reader （especially Gen Z or people from non-communist countries） regarding the bureaucratic and organizational set up communist party as well as USSR。 Because of that many people couldn't fully grasp the importance of certain incidents described in the book。 2） The author has elongated the description of certain events （reaching to the level of boredom）。 （End） 。。。more
Silvadra Pramanik
，
What was the main reason behind the collapse of largest union of the world。。？？ Why did they decline their glory of being world's first socialist nation？？What was main reason behind it。。。1）Was it their govermental Policy reformation towards *PERESTROIKA* ？2）Was it the economical crisis they were suffering from last two decades ？3）Was it the conflict between two largest participants of the USSR that is Russia and Eastern Ukrain ？4）Or it was just a result of conflict among throne-lover， greedy poli What was the main reason behind the collapse of largest union of the world。。？？ Why did they decline their glory of being world's first socialist nation？？What was main reason behind it。。。1）Was it their govermental Policy reformation towards *PERESTROIKA* ？2）Was it the economical crisis they were suffering from last two decades ？3）Was it the conflict between two largest participants of the USSR that is Russia and Eastern Ukrain ？4）Or it was just a result of conflict among throne-lover， greedy political leaders。For the final answer you have to readThe Last Empire: The Final Days of the Soviet UnionBy- Serhii Plokhy。。。。Here the day by day details have been given by the award winner historian。。。。。 。。。more
Ursula Wong
，
Plokhy offers a thrilling account of the events leading up to the August 1991 coup and then to the breakup of the Soviet Union。 Gorbachev， George Bush （Sr。） and Yeltsen are brought to life。 The level of detail is tremendous。 The motivation driving the leaders involved in the major events make sense。 I particularly found the insights about Central Asia to be useful as it's an area I write about in Gypsy Amber。 Plokhy offers a thrilling account of the events leading up to the August 1991 coup and then to the breakup of the Soviet Union。 Gorbachev， George Bush （Sr。） and Yeltsen are brought to life。 The level of detail is tremendous。 The motivation driving the leaders involved in the major events make sense。 I particularly found the insights about Central Asia to be useful as it's an area I write about in Gypsy Amber。 。。。more
Russell Posegate
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The description of the attempted coup against Gorbachev was amazing and almost edge-of-seat。 Much of the book was less exciting but also well-written and informative。 The main point of the book is as a rejoinder to GHW Bush’s election year sloganeering in 1992 about having “won” the Cold War。 Ukrainian politics and the long-term results of democratic reforms under perestroika are given more credit here while the US is shown as first impeding， then merely standing aside for the dissolution of the The description of the attempted coup against Gorbachev was amazing and almost edge-of-seat。 Much of the book was less exciting but also well-written and informative。 The main point of the book is as a rejoinder to GHW Bush’s election year sloganeering in 1992 about having “won” the Cold War。 Ukrainian politics and the long-term results of democratic reforms under perestroika are given more credit here while the US is shown as first impeding， then merely standing aside for the dissolution of the USSR。 Plokhy also does an able job of drawing a larger context around Russian history。 。。。more
Conrad
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Serhii Plokhy has chosen the title for his book wisely: 'The Last Empire: The Final Days of the Soviet Union' accomplishes in inviting you into all the rooms， phone-calls， meetings and fights that characterize the latter half of 1991。 Impeccably researched and well-written， it sucks you in its larger than life story。 You should， however， know what you are getting in to before picking up the book。 The book is almost a week-to-week retelling of the happenings of four people， （Gorbachev， Bush， Yelt Serhii Plokhy has chosen the title for his book wisely: 'The Last Empire: The Final Days of the Soviet Union' accomplishes in inviting you into all the rooms， phone-calls， meetings and fights that characterize the latter half of 1991。 Impeccably researched and well-written， it sucks you in its larger than life story。 You should， however， know what you are getting in to before picking up the book。 The book is almost a week-to-week retelling of the happenings of four people， （Gorbachev， Bush， Yeltsin and Kravchuck） in the last half year of the Soviet Union。 If you want to know more of the history of the Soviet Unions here， this is not the book （although Plokhy does take his time t0 explain certain backgrounds）。 The book is suited for history buffs， politics-wonks pas and as diplomacy adepts。 。。。more
Alain
，
El libro es perfecto para conocer los movimientos de las élites políticas soviéticas y estadounidenses durante los últimos meses de existencia la URSS， pero nada más。 No es un libro sobre las causas de su disolución más allá del único aspecto que trata sobre el tema， que sí está bastante bien: los intentos de Gorbachov por renovar las élites comunistas de las repúblicas acabaron cabreando lo suficiente a las élites nacionales como para que se plantearan como meta la independencia。 Está bien el l El libro es perfecto para conocer los movimientos de las élites políticas soviéticas y estadounidenses durante los últimos meses de existencia la URSS， pero nada más。 No es un libro sobre las causas de su disolución más allá del único aspecto que trata sobre el tema， que sí está bastante bien: los intentos de Gorbachov por renovar las élites comunistas de las repúblicas acabaron cabreando lo suficiente a las élites nacionales como para que se plantearan como meta la independencia。 Está bien el libro， pero no he logrado mantener el interés porque el relato es demasiado pormenorizado para lo que yo buscaba。 。。。more
Mattia Hughes
，
Nice alternative interpretation。 Provides a different view to a multifaceted argument with extreme focus to the last 4 months of the USSR。
Andrew Trachuk
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Хоча я вже народився， коли відбувались події， описані в книзі， але як виявляється я про цей період мало що знав。 Книга-детальний опис подій середини 1991-початку 1992 року。 Основна теза книги， з якою я погоджуюсь: імперію зла розвалили не так США （особливо коли вже все валилось）， як сама імперія: її національна структура， нежжиттєздатна економіка та людиноненависницький устрій。 Читається майже як пригодницький роман。 Strongly recommended。
sigito
，
Надзвичайно цікавий детальний огляд подій， що відбувалися в другій половині 1991го。 Книга дозволяє зрозуміти роль України та інших країн на стан Радянського Союзу， поєднати пізніші події в пост-радянському просторі із наслідками розпаду， зокрема російського військового вторгнення в Україну。
Oleh Sannikov
，
Найцікавіший період світової історії особисто для мене， в цій книзі。 Власне， акцент знаходиться на процесі руйнації， і в рівній мірі сторонах процесу - США， Україні， Росії， і помираючому СРСР。 Книга не дасть повного уявлення про маштаб подій， але цілком могла би стати сюжетом для напруженого документального трилеру。
Roman Golubovsky
，
Сергій Плохій — неймовірний сторітеллер。 Він подає історичні події настільки цікаво， ніби нетфліксівський серіал дивишся。 Зачитуєшся допізна замість лягти вчасно спати。
Benjamin Gaines
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The collapse of the Soviet Union was the defining geopolitical moment of the last decade of the last millennium and， in many ways， set the stage for the world we live in today。 While I am just barely young enough that I don't remember those fateful months at the end of 1991， once I got a couple of chapters into this book， I was completely hooked on the crafty maneuverings and critical errors that ultimately led to the dissolution of the USSR。 The author， Serhii Plokhy， carefully takes us through The collapse of the Soviet Union was the defining geopolitical moment of the last decade of the last millennium and， in many ways， set the stage for the world we live in today。 While I am just barely young enough that I don't remember those fateful months at the end of 1991， once I got a couple of chapters into this book， I was completely hooked on the crafty maneuverings and critical errors that ultimately led to the dissolution of the USSR。 The author， Serhii Plokhy， carefully takes us through， in minute detail， the moves and countermoves among Mikhael Gorbachev， Boris Yeltsin， George H。 W。 Bush， as well as dozens of advisers， diplomats， military leaders， and others over a fairly short period of time from the ill-fated August Coup， to the subsequent death throes of the USSR over the next four months， to its final whimper and collapse at the end of 1991。 Plokhy's writing is straightforward enough for readers who are interested in history， but who may not a strong political or economic background， to be able to enjoy and learn a lot from his research and explanation of events。 While the narrative was at times hard to follow due to the sheer number of characters and competing objectives and chess moves taking place， re-reading a page or two here and there can keep you moving through the more esoteric parts of the story fairly quickly。 Even having lived in Ukraine for a period of time just 10 years after the events detailed in this book， I was completely unaware of much of this history: Ukraine's leading role in pushing for independence， the dire economic state of the USSR that preceded its political collapse， Yeltsin's masterful manipulation of Gorbachev， and so much more。 The ripples of the events described in the book are still with us today， making this a worthy study for anyone seeking to understand the geopolitical world more than a quarter-century after the last empire fell。 。。。more
Olha
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Совок був дуже складною динамічною системою。Автор зробив дуже цікаву ретроспективу。Ця динамічна система живе й далі， просто в трохи іншій формі。Абхазія， Крим， Донбас， Нагорний Карабах - це точки неминучих конфліктів。Проблема не тільки в тому， що Росія кончена， війна би з великою ймовірністю була навіть якби там була інша сильніша держава。Я зрозуміла основні причин війн:1。 Неспівпадіння етнічних і формальних кордонів， частково викликане "перемішуванням" етнічних меншин у просторі。Перемішування:Як Совок був дуже складною динамічною системою。Автор зробив дуже цікаву ретроспективу。Ця динамічна система живе й далі， просто в трохи іншій формі。Абхазія， Крим， Донбас， Нагорний Карабах - це точки неминучих конфліктів。Проблема не тільки в тому， що Росія кончена， війна би з великою ймовірністю була навіть якби там була інша сильніша держава。Я зрозуміла основні причин війн:1。 Неспівпадіння етнічних і формальних кордонів， частково викликане "перемішуванням" етнічних меншин у просторі。Перемішування:Якось в Києві я допомагала пройти в метро 88-річній жінці з дивним ім'ям。Її тато був з республіки Марій-Ель 🤯。 Його направили працювати в Київ。2。 боротьба за ресурси з позиції сили 。。。more
Artur
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