An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

160. The Fall of the Soviet Union

March 08, 2022

Description

[Episode 2 of 4] This episode of The Rest Is History marks the second instalment in our four part series on the Soviet Union, Russia and the rise of Vladimir Putin. From the 70th anniversary of...
Read more here

Books Referenced

The Gulag Archipelago

Author: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Context:

Mentioned as 'the great dissident work by Solzhenitsyn' that people could finally read under Glasnost, though the hosts note many people didn't actually want to read it given the economic hardships they were facing.

The Brothers Karamazov

Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky

Context:

Referenced as a literary comparison to describe the dramatic psychodrama between Gorbachev and Yeltsin, particularly regarding Yeltsin's humiliation and desire for revenge.

Collapse

Author: Vladislav Zubok

Context:

Dominic mentions 'I was just reading this book today, the Zubat book, Collapse' - referenced as a source containing information about discussions around Yeltsin regarding Crimea and Donbass in December 1991.