Black Earth Red Star A History of Soviet Security Policy 1917-1991

Chronicles the Soviet experience from Lenin s 1917 revolution to the disintegration of the Union in Dec. 1991. Provides a post-Cold War history of the Soviets 74-year struggle to maintain an effective security policy in a hostile world without abandoning the commitment to their original internationalist ideals. Drawing on an unprecedented body of sources, the book presents an overview of Soviet history from the triumph of the Bolshevik revolution to the emergence of Stalin, the shattering victory over Hitler, Khrushchev s frustrated efforts at reform during the Cold War, the degeneration of Soviet power under Brezhnev, & the convulsive changes since 1985.