Subjects:  1. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    2. Government - Comparative    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. International Relations - General    7. Political History    8. Political Science    9. Politics - Current Events    10. Russia (Federation)    11. Russia - History    12. European studies    13. Political Science / International Relations    14. Russia   

Subjects:  1. Attitudes    2. Foreign Relations    3. Foreign public opinion, Soviet    4. History    5. History - General History    6. International Relations - General    7. Latin America    8. Latin America - South America    9. Latin Americanists    10. Political Science    11. Politics/International Relations    12. Public opinion    13. Scholars    14. Soviet Union    15. International relations    16. Latin America--Foreign public opinion, Soviet--History    17. Political Science / International Relations   

Subjects:  1. 1890-1941    2. Art    3. Artists, Architects, Photographers    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Exhibition Catalogs    6. Exhibitions    7. General    8. Lissitzky, El,    9. Photography, Artistic    10. 20th century    11. Biography & Autobiography / Artists, Architects, Photographers    12. History of art & design styles: from c 1900 -    13. Individual artists    14. Individual photographers    15. Lissitzky, El    16. Russia   

Subjects:  1. 1928-1937    2. China    3. China - History - 20th Century    4. Communism    5. History    6. History: World    7. Jiangxi Sheng (China)    8. Political History    9. Politics and government    10. Asian / Middle Eastern history: from c 1900 -    11. Inter-war period, 1918-1939    12. Nationalism    13. Second World War, 1939-1945    14. Social Science / Ethnic Studies   

Reviews (1)

The best
Roy is without a doubt the best on the subject.The in depth explanation of how Afghan society integrates and conflicts with Islam is infinitly helpful in understanding everything else you will ever read on Afghanistan ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Afghanistan    2. Government - International    3. History    4. History: World    5. Islam    6. Islam and politics    7. Middle East - General    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Soviet occupation, 1979-1989    10. 20th century    11. Asian / Middle Eastern history: from c 1900 -    12. History / Middle East    13. Islam and politics--Afghanistan   

Reviews (6)

What do you do when your employers are homicidal maniacs?
Vasili Mitrokhin was exempted from military service during the Second World War so that he could become an archivist for the KGB.With time he became more and more disenchanted with Communism, by the time of the brutal suppression of the Prague Spring, he came to believe that Communism was irredeemably flawed.Overt resistance was futile, so he set about copying and taking home documents describing the mischief the KGB in its various incarnations was wreaking around the world.
Time to Re Write the History Books
With a paltry budget of $3bil a year, the CIA's counter intelligence operation had to fight a KGB/GRU monstrosity 20 times its size, one wonders how the West won the Cold war. For far to long, any time the KGB was implicated in a situation it was dismissed by the press as some kind of "right wing hyperventilation". Many of the cold war martyrs canonized by the left, i.e. Allende, turned out to be on the KGB's payroll. Simply put, this book has the potential to change the history of the Cold War as we know it.

Perkele
A good account of facts which were relatively unknown to common people. Corruption and exploitation are two main problems encountered by the Third World, perhaps initiated by different superpowers during those days. Superpowers do not exist any more but unfortunately those countries of the Third World are still struggling both politically and economically. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Espionage    2. Espionage, Soviet    3. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    4. General    5. History    6. History - Military / War    7. History: World    8. Intelligence Agencies    9. Intelligence service    10. Military - Intelligence/Espionage    11. Political Philosophy    12. Soviet Union    13. Espionage & secret services    14. Former Soviet Union, USSR (Europe)   

Reviews (4)

An island of intellectual autonomy in a totalitarian state
D. Holloway tells us outstandingly and very detailed the gripping story of the development of nuclear weapons in the Soviet Union. He shows us that the SU success was the result of the effort of Russian scientists with I.V. Kurchatov in a crucial role, although some data were obtained via spying (Klaus Fuchs).
An Excellent Overview of the Entire Period
Stalin and the Bomb is an excellent overview not only of the Soviet atomic project but of the entire Stalin period.Holloway discusses some of the disastorous policies Stalin pursued in the scientific arena (for example, when it came to biology) and shows how Stalin was able to control his ideological impulses when it came to a project that would net him real power. Plenty of characters, with just a few plots.
I was most interested in who had the first hydrogen bomb (the first real plan, the ideal materials, a way to make it, and a test device) and I didn't mind reading about "some radioactive indicator which is formed with the participation of fast deuterons" (p. 304) to find out.Sorting out the physics, which can be revealed to those who care to know, with a comparison of alternate paths to the same result, reveals something far more substantial than the usual plot, based on the politics of world domination, the main concern of Stalin and the author of this book.Stalin gets some sympathy for facing a stark post-war reality, based on his comparison of what World War II did to Russia and Germany, compared to the damage which the few atomic bombs which existed in his lifetime could produce, and it might be said that he acted accordingly in attempting to maintain countervailing threats whenever he was pressured.Any notion of absolute justice, or even feasible military advantage, seems to be as elusive for the superpowers (and one still exists today) as for the petty despots and warlords that often become characters in this book about how such weapons came to be.I didn't mind the revelations about certain events:a war in Korea at a critical point in this book even makes the question of when Mao ordered the Chinese divisions into Korea an interesting question to be considered.In most of these books, I like the events which influenced Sakharov most, the best.The description of the shock wave from the November 1955 test on pages 316-7 includes, "All of this triggers an irrational yet very strong emotional impact." ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    2. History - General History    3. History: World    4. Military Science    5. European history: Second World War    6. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    7. Former Soviet Union, USSR (Europe)    8. Nuclear weapons    9. Postwar period, 1945 to c 2000    10. Second World War, 1939-1945    11. Technology / Military Science   

Editorial Review

In early 1992, a Russian man walked into the British embassy in a newly independent Baltic republic and asked to "speak to someone in authority." As he sipped his first cup of proper English tea, he handed over a small file of notes. Eight months later, the man, his family, and his enormous archive had been safely exfiltrated to Britain. When news that a KGB officer had defected with the names of hundreds of undercover agents leaked out in 1996, a spokesperson for the SVR (Russia's foreign intelligence service, heir of the KGB) said, "Hundreds of people! That just doesn't happen! Any defector could get the name of one, two, perhaps three agents--but not hundreds!"Read more

Reviews (57)

Longwinded but interesting
Quite recently a colleague told me that he resented a newspaper columnist who had referred to a relative of his as a communist spy.My colleague believed his relative had been an innocent victim of McCarthyist red baiting.I knew that his relative was no innocent but a high-level KGB operative.It said so in the Mitrokhin Archive vol. I, "The Sword and the Shield".
Amazing, dense and packed with info
I have not finished the book yet (in the interest of being honest)...but so far its got some really interesting unheard facts.I heard the author on the NPR and what he said (about the sequel) was some really interesting, amazing facts about the KGB....unfortunately the book is more dense and layered down with codename after codename and I think a lot gets lost as a result.However, the intent was to release EVERYTHING that Mitrokhin smuggled out so thats what they did....if you can sit threw a lot of stuff, there are real nuggets of gold here.

Interesting, if slightly overwhelming, look at the KGB
Andrew and Mitrokhin team up to write a pretty interesting history of the KGB, from the Stalin era on.However, it tends to get bogged down in details that were a bit overwhelming.Overall though, a good book and recommended for all those interested in Soviet/Russian history or in Tom Clancy-esque spy novels. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Military - Intelligence/Espionage   

Features

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Reviews (12)

Good book to inform but stumbles from an intricate balancing act
Thomas De Waal's book "Black Garden" is one of the first publications that has been a written by an unbiased source on the Armenian-Azeri, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that began in the latter of half of the 20th century, just as the Soviet Union gave way to form 15 independent republics. In the ensuing introduction of perestroika and glasnost by Mikhail Gorbachev from 1985 onwards, Armenians decided to take advantage and push and take back Karabakh, peacefully at first and violently when war crept forward from the horizon. De Waal does an interesting job in interviewing both Armenian and Azeri officials and those who (mis)lead their respective countries. The Azerbaijani government's numerous coups severly hindered their efforts to focus on the region, rather than the country as a whole. De Waal also dwells into the beginnings and history of the region and consequently debunks myths that were propagated by both sides.
Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan through Peace and War
Black Garden is an unbiased look at the conflict between the two Cacusus nations, which chronicles the conflict from the first shot to the the current uneasy truce. It is a great read for anyone interested in the region it's peoples culture and recent history.

Recommended
I defitely recommend buyig this book: it offers tons of information on the Caucasus region and is easy to read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Eastern Europe - General    2. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    3. General    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. ARMENIA (REPUBLIC)_FOREIGN RELATIONS    8. AZERBAIJAN_FOREIGN RELATIONS    9. Armenia    10. Azerbaijan    11. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    12. Political Science / International Relations    13. c 1990 to c 2000   

Reviews (3)

Amazing
I have just finished reading The Oligarchs - all 496 pages of it, and I just wanted to let anyone know who was thinking of reading it that it is an absolutely, incredible piece of quality work. I enjoyed every page.

Good Job!
Much better than I expected, a serious work with a great deal of research invovled.It avoided the typical lurid embellishments of the genre, and also made the point of the important period of transistion in the Gorbachev period, where nascent Russian capitalism started.It lacks somewhat in that it focuses on only six men, and they are of varying importance in the post-Yeltsin period.As Putin reportedly said when asked about Berezovsky--"Who?"Nevertheless, a good job, an interesting read and thankfully avoids falling into the tabloid style of so much of the literature on the topic.

The Power of Six
David Hoffman's "The Oligarchs" documents in great detail the rise of 6 businessmen--Aleksandr Smolensky, Yuri Luzhkov, anatoly Chubais, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Boris Berezovsky and Vladimir Gusinsky--who became the "oligarchs" who shaped the political and economic landscape of the New Russia. They were merely ordinary Russians until the Soviet Union collapsed. So how did a mere handful Russians end up controlling such an epic proportion of Russia's economy and have such great influence in its politics? And how did they manage to rise at Russia's decline? Hoffman's book will answer these questions by piecing together extensive research and interview to create a well-balanced, serious but at the same time, a downright fun and readable book. "The Oligarchs" is a landmark. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1985-1991    2. 1991-    3. Business & Economics    4. Business / Economics / Finance    5. Business people    6. Business/Economics    7. Businesspeople    8. Contemporary Economic Situations And Conditions    9. Economic Conditions    10. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    11. Government & Business    12. Other Miscellaneous Crimes    13. Russia (Federation)    14. Soviet Union    15. Business & Management    16. Current Events   

Reviews (18)

An important view into the composer's musical life
I bought this used from an Amazon vendor for the Shostakovich year about the same time I bought the new set of symphonies by Kitaenko and the Cologne Gurzenich Orchestra. I didn't expect I would listen to all the symphonies before finishing the book, which I expected -- from everything I'd read about it for 20 years -- to be a riveting engagement. Conversations With Shostakovich
Testimony: The Memories of Dmitri Shostakovich has undergone a lot of scrutiny since it was published in 1979.It was accepted as authentic by many at the time, was treated as a fraud and by others and with skepticism by people like Maxim Shostakovich.Seventeen years later, I think that we can accept this book as memories related to Solomon Volkov by the composer; this year a new edition of the book will appear in Russia with a foreword by Shostakovich's daughter Galya and Maxim.Their acceptance of the book has helped to convince me that it is authentic.
Be Careful
How can one really rate this book?It has obviously created a camp of "scholars" (known as the "revisionists") who would like to change the biography of Shostakovich, and provide concrete meaning for his music.Of course, Shostakovich is one of the most profound composers in the history of music, and we should interpret his works.But to ascribe a certain meaning to his music based on words that cannot be authenticated would only impoverish his music.Great art is meant to be contemplated for a lifetime, not easily understood.If you are reading this book for academic purposes, be careful.Ensure you explore all the debate over "Testimony."I suggest reading "A Shostakovich Casebook" edited by Malcolm Hamrick Brown immediately after reading "Testimony."Good luck. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1906-1975    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Composers    5. Composers & Musicians - Classical Composers    6. General    7. History & Criticism - General    8. Music    9. Shostakovich, Dmitrii Dmitrie    10. Shostakovich, Dmitriæi Dmitrievich,    11. Soviet Union    12. 20th century music    13. Biography & Autobiography / Composers & Musicians    14. Composers & musicians   

Reviews (17)

A fascinating perspective
The authors have tapped into a vastly unknown arena, by seeking out survivors of the century's first genocide.It is a riveting read of testimonies, interwoven with sociological and psychological theory, to explain how the survivors have made it through and coped with the memories, losses and experiences.It is probably the largest collection of testimonies in one publication, and for students of psychology or sociology, it is a must-read.
"Adam" cut-n-pastes his review again..check it out!!!
...so he has posted the same review 7+ times on ANY book about the Armenian Genocide and the Turkish attrocities between 1890 and 1922.He HAS NOT READ any of these books so his reviews are as good as dirt.Please disregard his bogus immature approach.Check out the "All my Reviews" tab and you will see that "Adam" and many others were just sent here to Amazon to flood the gates with bogus reviews of perfectly good works of art.They are pushing Turkish propaganda on a site where literary ctitiscism is needed, not pushing agendas...

Keeps up the memory of the armenian genocide
Personal reports are the best way to silence those who are not ashamed to deny a genocide, even though it is a proven fact.
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Subjects:  1. Europe - Former Soviet Republics    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Middle East - General    6. ASIA    7. Asian / Middle Eastern history    8. European history: from c 1900 -    9. First World War, 1914-1918    10. History / General    11. Inter-war period, 1918-1939    12. Oral history    13. The Holocaust    14. Turkey   

Reviews (21)

"We Win - They Lose!"
This book is one of the best ever written on public policy.It gives concrete examples of how to wage a resource-based campaign against an opponent.While the context is the U.S. - Soviet campaign of the 1980's, the same principles could be used in political campaigns, cities versus surburbs situations, state versus state economic development, legal disputes, etc.
Only in America
This is one of the two best books I've read thus far about the Reagan Administration.The other was "Revolution: The Reagan Legacy" by Martin Anderson.That book took us through the inner workings of the Reagan White House as seen from the perspective of a non-political scholar who just happened to be an insider at the time.This book tells the story of the Reagan Administration's seven year struggle to restore America's military strength while at the same time undermining the Soviet Economy and sapping Soviet strength so as to hasten the demise of the Soviet Union.Boring as all that may seem; this book reads more like a spy thriller than a history book since it primarily focuses on the extraordinary efforts of one man, William Casey, Reagan's Director of Central Intelligence (DCI).
A worthy start...
Peter Schweizer's first contribution to the telling the untold stories of the efforts of the Reagan Administration is quite stunning - offering a uniques inside perspective to the operations and the planning of them that led to the memorable scenes of the Belrin Wall falling.Read more

Subjects:  1. Foreign relations    2. Government - U.S. Government    3. History    4. International Relations - General    5. Political Science    6. Politics / Current Events    7. Politics/International Relations    8. Soviet Union    9. United States    10. United States - 20th Century    11. Central government policies    12. International relations    13. USA   

Editorial Review

Nadezhda means "hope" in Russian. And Nadezhda Mandelstam, wife of Osip Mandelstam, one of the greatest Russian poets of the 20th century, is aptly named, for it is hope alone that seems to have buoyed her strength during very trying times. In this, the first of two volumes of her memoirs, she offers a harrowing account of the last four years she spent with her late husband. She re-creates in terse, stripped-to-the-bone sentences the atmosphere of intense paranoia that enveloped Russia's literary intelligentsia. In 1933, Osip had written a lighthearted satire ridiculing Stalin. It proved to be a 16-line death sentence. Nadezhda recalls the night the secret police came for him: "There was a sharp, unbearably explicit knock on the door. 'They've come for Osip,' I said." He was arrested, interrogated, exiled, and eventually rearrested. Nadezhda chronicles each turn of event, describing her feelings of heartbreak and joy with self-effacing discipline. Not only does Mandelstam write with the vitality and insight of the classic Russian novelists, she is far too selfless to write an account of her own travails. Instead, she acts as witness to a society's. Similarly, although Osip's mind became unbalanced by his ordeal in prison, his spirit remained unbroken; it is this liberating, imaginative force that Nadezhda celebrates in Read more

Reviews (5)

A truly great book
This is a great book. The devotion of Nadezhda Mandelshtam to her husband, to his work is at the center of this work. She writes with poetic intensity and chronicles the story of their life together and their cruel separation . Her devotion her self- sacrifice and her great love for her husband make her story a heroic example. Her perceptiveness and the beauty of her language lift the work into a higher realm. It is intense and it is deep, and at times so painful as to be difficult to read.

What can I say, this book humbles me
I'll start by reiterating George Steiner's quote, "Nothing one can say will either communicate or affect the genius of this book. To pass judgment on it is almost insolence--even judgment that is merely celebration and homage." A wonderful portrait of a genius
This is one of the most wonderful books i have ever read and a sensational portrait of the russian poet Ossip Mandelstam. The book focus on mandelstam's last years when he was under the pressure and prosecution ofStalin. The prose is beautiful, full of musings on the condition of Art.She also draw a very clear portrait of what Stalinism meant for artists andpeople in general in Russia. But for me the most important part of the bookis to see the way Ossip dealt withhorror and Death. For me, this book isone of the best studies about the condition of human beings. A must. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1891-1938    2. 1899-    3. 20th century    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Historical - General    9. Literary    10. Mandelshtam, Nadezdha,    11. Mandelshtam, Osip,    12. Mandel§shtam, Nadezdha,    13. Mandel§shtam, Osip,    14. Poets, Russian    15. Russian Poetry    16. Biography & Autobiography / Historical    17. Biography: general    18. Mandel§shtam, Nadezdha    19. Mandel§shtam, Osip    20. Poetry & poets: 19th century    21. Russian    22. Works by individual poets: 16th to 18th centuries   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (28)

Hauntingly Perfect
Thubron brings Siberia to life, he gives you the chill of the barren landscape while holding in the warmth of the people.He evokes Siberia in an almost Tolkien-like way, the barreness recalls the vast streches of Tolkiens middle earth.If you even have a passing intrest in Russia or Siberia get this book, it is worth every minute you get lost between the pages.If this book has a failing, that is a big if, it is that it is too short, I wanted to be lost in Thubron's Siberia much longer.

Beautiful--every sentence a poetic observation of Russia!
If you love Russia, or anything about Siberia you will love and cherish this book! Thubron writes with a Byronic majesty but in such a down-to-earth fashion. He draws the reader right into his travels and conversations with Siberian natives. A truly awesome book!

A serious book
This is a serious book, not a page turner, perhaps not a book for the young and optimistic who might prefer to look forward and meet hopeful young Siberians than to slowly unfold the memories of some of its older citizens. Nor is it a book for the lexically impoverished. I first encountered it as a full text audio book on about a dozen cassettes. I greatly recommend this slower-paced way of getting to know the book. Later consideration of the written text only confirmed my delight; this is an impressive writer who reconsiders his sentences and uses a wider range of the resources of our English language than many of us may be used to. As a result, he manages to give a precise and individual tone to each description, whether of the land or of its people, despite the similarities that will recur.Don't expect a travel guide or an engaging host: the book gives little or no practical information and reveals little too about the author, except his obvious talent for drawing out personal stories and his pluck in venturing into remote and dangerous contexts. No, this is a serious book and, all in all, a terrific achievement, as its readers will begin to understand a most significant and oversized piece of the jigsaw of human history. Every serious minded person should know about this book and try to find time to read it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1939-    2. Description and travel    3. Europe - Former Soviet Republics    4. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    5. General    6. History    7. History: World    8. Journeys    9. Russia    10. Russia (Federation)    11. Siberia    12. Siberia (Russia)    13. Thubron, Colin,    14. Travel - Foreign    15. Travel / General   

Reviews (4)

good book
this is an excellent book for those interested in tattoo art from other countries.this book has a lot of sketches describing each tattoo and its meaning. it also has actual pictures of russian inmates with their facinating prison tattoos. i would not recomend this book for anyone under 18 since some of the tattoos/sketches of tattoos are extremely violent and pornograhic. But facinating at the same time.

This book is not for the faint of heart
well, first of all, the book is shocking and distrubing. the book is mainly made up of drawings. These drawings are actual tattoos and many of them are accompanied by a brief story about the persons lifestyle or conviction. There are about, lets say 30 photos at the most, there is some nudity in the photos, male and female. Some of tattoo drawings are extremely XXX in context.Yeah its hard to beleive that someone would tattoo a graphic image of some sex acts on their skin. this book does have a lengthly introduction about the meanings of the whole Thieves World tattoos, there are pages also showing the meanings of the Finger ring tattoos which was quite interesting.The book mainly states that behind the meaning of alot of the tattoos its a personal expression against the soviet system, plain and simple.
surreal stuff
I lived in Moscow for five years and had heard about criminal tattoos but had never seen any.This book was a fascinating, but depressing view of a completely different world and world-view from that of the Russians I knew.If you understand Russian and something of Russian culture the book is extremely interesting, but interesting even if you don't.My only complaint is that the tattoos are fascinating but the book is relatively light on text. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Crime And Criminals    4. Graphic Arts - General    5. History - Contemporary (1945- )    6. Manners And Customs    7. Popular Culture - General    8. Reference    9. Russia & Former Soviet Union    10. Tattoos, Mehndi, & Body Painting, Etc.    11. Body art & tattooing    12. Russia    13. True crime   

Reviews (10)

Lenin at his best
This book, along with "The Revolution Betrayed" by Trotsky is the best repudiation yet of the Big Lie of the 20th Century that Stalinism equals Socialism.Stalin was one of socialism's great ENEMIES of the 20th century and proved it time and time again (first with the liquidation of 90% of all the original Bolshevik revolutionaries -- Imagine someone claming to uphold the ideas of the American Revolution and killing off Jefferson, Madison, Washington, Adams, etc.Then with opposing the revolution in country after country, Spain, China, Indonesia, Italy, Greece, etc.Orwell's Homage to Catalonia is another good testament to this)
You can't always get what you want!
And way back in the bad old days before the Bolshevik Revolution, you couldn't even get what you needed. Or more to the point: if you weren't the Czar or Czarina, or any of his or her umpteen-bazillion inbred buck-toothed relatives, and weren't hooked up with royal favorites (did someone say Rasputin?)---well, just put to bed any thoughts of getting shoelaces for your galoshes.
Nice Intro To Lenin
This is a great intro to Lenin, in his own words, so you don't have to care about anyone else's bias and you see for yourself what the man is all about.Further reading that would complement this would be 'Lenin's Struggle For A Revolutionary International'. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. History & Theory - Radical Thought    3. Political Ideologies - Communism & Socialism    4. Politics/International Relations    5. Revolutions    6. Rossiiskaia sotsial-demok    7. Socialism    8. Sociology    9. Soviet Union    10. State, The    11. History / General    12. Marxism & Communism    13. Russia   

Reviews (10)

On point anecdotes add up tellingly
There is no new-history stuff about "the war from the point of view of the front-line soldiers" here, or the sort of analysis of broad econometric trends one might get from Paul Kennedy. No -- there are the two megalomaniacs in his subtitle, each portrayed on the dust jacket staring into the middle distance. One has to accept that focus to benefit from the book.