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Book Cover for: Khrushchev: The Man and His Era, William Taubman

Khrushchev: The Man and His Era

William Taubman

Reader Score

81%

81% of readers

recommend this book

Critic Reviews

Good

Based on 9 reviews on

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Winner:Independent Publisher Book Awards -Biography (2004)
The definitive biography of the mercurial Soviet leader who succeeded and denounced Stalin. Nikita Khrushchev was one of the most complex and important political figures of the twentieth century. Ruler of the Soviet Union during the first decade after Stalin's death, Khrushchev left a contradictory stamp on his country and on the world. His life and career mirror the Soviet experience: revolution, civil war, famine, collectivization, industrialization, terror, world war, cold war, Stalinism, post-Stalinism. Complicit in terrible Stalinist crimes, Khrushchev nevertheless retained his humanity: his daring attempt to reform communism prepared the ground for its eventual collapse; and his awkward efforts to ease the cold war triggered its most dangerous crises.

This is the first comprehensive biography of Khrushchev and the first of any Soviet leader to reflect the full range of sources that have become available since the USSR collapsed. Combining a page-turning historical narrative with penetrating political and psychological analysis, this book brims with the life and excitement of a man whose story personified his era.

Book Details

  • Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
  • Publish Date: Apr 17th, 2004
  • Pages: 871
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 9.36in - 6.16in - 1.55in - 2.52lb
  • EAN: 9780393324846
  • Categories: Presidents & Heads of StateRussia - GeneralHistorical

About the Author

Taubman, William: - William Taubman is the Bertrand Snell Professor of Political Science Emeritus at Amherst College. His book, Khrushchev: The Man and His Era, won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. He is also the author of McNamara at War: A New History and Gorbachev: His Life and Times. He lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Critics’ reviews

Praise for this book

Thanks to Taubman, one of the most important figures of the 20th century finally has the biography he deserves.--Strobe Talbott "Los Angeles Times Book Review"
Masterful and monumental...one should salute its author for a wonderful achievement.--Robert G. Kaiser "Washington Post"
A portrait unlikely to be surpassed any time soon in either richness or complexity....shines with mastery and authority.--Leon Aron "New York Times Book Review"
The book is a gift, as fascinating as it is important.--Robert Legvold "Foreign Affairs"