Graeme J. Gill Bücher

The book examines the decline of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, focusing on the pivotal years from 1985 to December 1991. It analyzes the political, social, and economic factors that contributed to the party's disintegration, highlighting key events and figures that shaped this transformative period in Soviet history. Through detailed research, the author provides insights into the complexities of the party's collapse and its implications for the future of Russia.

The book explores the evolution of political symbolism in the Soviet Union, highlighting how shifts in imagery and representation contributed to the system's eventual downfall. It delves into the relationship between symbolism and political power, offering insights into the ideological transformations that occurred over time. By examining these changes, the author presents a compelling argument about their impact on the stability and legitimacy of the Soviet regime, ultimately linking them to the broader narrative of its collapse.

The book explores the varied political developments in post-communist states, challenging the notion that the fall of communism uniformly led to democracy. It examines how these nations have transitioned into a spectrum of political systems, ranging from democratic governance to authoritarian regimes, highlighting the complexities and divergent paths taken in the aftermath of communism's collapse.

Despite the increasing globalization of many aspects of social, economic and political life, the state remains the fundamental element of contemporary governance.

This book studies the way in which the top leadership in the Soviet Union changed over time from 1917 until the collapse of the country in 1991. Its principal focus is the tension between individual leadership and collective rule, and it charts how this played out over the life of the regime. The strategies used by the most prominent leader in each period – Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev and Gorbachev – to acquire and retain power are counterposed to the strategies used by the other oligarchs to protect themselves and sustain their positions. This is analyzed against the backdrop of the emergence of norms designed to structure oligarch politics. The book will appeal to students and scholars interested in the fields of political leadership, Soviet politics and Soviet history. 

Drawing on research based on access to recently-opened Soviet archives, this revised edition provides a thematic account of the nature of Stalinism. The book surveys the arguments about the origins of the Stalinist phenomenon and discusses the way in which the different faces of Stalinism (economic, social, cultural and political) changed over time. It concludes that the fall of the USSR was connected to the nature of Stalinism.