mattd97's review against another edition
5.0
The Last Empire, by Serhii Plokhy, is a comprehensive and detailed account of the last few months of the Soviet Union. It starts with the August Coup and ends with Gorbachev's resignation in December. The book focuses on the Bush, Kravchuk, Gorbachev, and Yeltsin perspectives.
This is a must read for those studying Soviet/Russian history and is an excellent start to studying both the fall of the USSR and Gorbachev's reign.
This is a must read for those studying Soviet/Russian history and is an excellent start to studying both the fall of the USSR and Gorbachev's reign.
bub_9's review against another edition
3.0
More Plokhy, same virtues/weaknesses.
The narrative is told in riveting detail, with an energetic and incisive counterpoint to the dominant narrative that America won the Cold War and basked in the unipolar moment after the USSR's collapse. Also interesting in examining the differing motivations of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus in agreeing to break up the Union. I wouldn't have minded more talk of Crimea, though, especially in light of the present day.
Also ... it really is mainly narrative.
The narrative is told in riveting detail, with an energetic and incisive counterpoint to the dominant narrative that America won the Cold War and basked in the unipolar moment after the USSR's collapse. Also interesting in examining the differing motivations of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus in agreeing to break up the Union. I wouldn't have minded more talk of Crimea, though, especially in light of the present day.
Also ... it really is mainly narrative.
nathanschumer's review against another edition
medium-paced
4.0
I really like this book--it's a close history of august-december 1991 and the final collapse of the soviet union. I didnt realize the impact of the hardliner coup on Gorbachev or how Yeltsin used the coup and its response to push the Soviet Union's collapse along or how the different ssrs conspired for independence and the sort of general failures of central government over time. It's fascinating to track how the USSR went from inevitability to collapsing over 3 months, and to get these in depth looks at the players, and how the Bush administration ultimately just cut Gorbachev off.
tarmstrong112's review against another edition
3.0
Fairly interesting, if a bit dry. Basically the political situation in the former Soviet Union during it's last six months in existence with a lot of attention given to the final week. I found the first half of the book more interesting than the second half, but altogether it was an interesting view on the fall of the country. The author clearly did his research and it shows. The book is also well written and really clipped along.
samanthawade92's review
informative
slow-paced
3.25
Very well written and informative but very dense. Definitely a slow read but I walked away feeling like I’d gained a lot of insider knowledge.
socraticgadfly's review
5.0
Plokhy writes a very worth successor to his Yalta book, which I've also read.
With a bit more time separation, unlike Gorbachev and other "principals" who have already written away, and academic detachment, but with the connection of Ukranian heritage and being born in the USSR, Plokhy is well-positioned for a book like this.
And he doesn't disappoint.
Much of his focus is on neither Gorbachev but Boris Yeltsin, but on Ukraine's Leonid Kravchuk, as he pivots from being a Ukrainian Communist apparatchik to its leading politician, and pushing for the full break-up of the USSR.
Plokhy also explains the nearly 40 years of Russian-Ukrainian dynamics within higher Soviet ranks, from the start of Khrushchev on. He then ties in Kazakhstan's Nursultan Nazarbayev as the other key player, after the failure of the August 1991 coup, in the drama.
Without this being an actual biography, one gets good snapshots of Yeltsin, Gorbachev and Kravchuk. My only regret is that there's not a bit more about the Central Asian dynamics, or maybe the Caucasian ones.
On the American side, Plokhy spends somewhat less time. He could have gone another 40-50 pages with some dynamics, but he does note that US attitudes toward keeping the USSR alive were divided within the Bush administration, with Defense Secretary Dick Cheney being most hawkish about a breakup.
With the recent Russian-Ukranian tensions, Plokhy also has ironically good timing, per what I have noted above. For more on Soviet ethnic dynamics, especially in western Ukraine, his Yalta book may be of some additional help.
With a bit more time separation, unlike Gorbachev and other "principals" who have already written away, and academic detachment, but with the connection of Ukranian heritage and being born in the USSR, Plokhy is well-positioned for a book like this.
And he doesn't disappoint.
Much of his focus is on neither Gorbachev but Boris Yeltsin, but on Ukraine's Leonid Kravchuk, as he pivots from being a Ukrainian Communist apparatchik to its leading politician, and pushing for the full break-up of the USSR.
Plokhy also explains the nearly 40 years of Russian-Ukrainian dynamics within higher Soviet ranks, from the start of Khrushchev on. He then ties in Kazakhstan's Nursultan Nazarbayev as the other key player, after the failure of the August 1991 coup, in the drama.
Without this being an actual biography, one gets good snapshots of Yeltsin, Gorbachev and Kravchuk. My only regret is that there's not a bit more about the Central Asian dynamics, or maybe the Caucasian ones.
On the American side, Plokhy spends somewhat less time. He could have gone another 40-50 pages with some dynamics, but he does note that US attitudes toward keeping the USSR alive were divided within the Bush administration, with Defense Secretary Dick Cheney being most hawkish about a breakup.
With the recent Russian-Ukranian tensions, Plokhy also has ironically good timing, per what I have noted above. For more on Soviet ethnic dynamics, especially in western Ukraine, his Yalta book may be of some additional help.
ramn's review against another edition
5.0
The Last Empire is an enthralling look back at the time of the Soviet Union in the final days before the collapse. It is definitely not a light read and can at times go into very minute details regarding different items. This however is always done to ensure the reader is able to understand the situation. Overall if history is something that you enjoy I would highly recommend this book if you are looking for history around the time of the collapse.
bluehairedlesbian's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Plokhy takes you back to 1991. You are taken into these rooms of these key decisions and how these characters thought using memoirs and interviews. The book focuses on the actual factors that to the collaboration of the Union mentioning key factors that led to the independence vote of in Ukraine. This book scraps the American view of winning the cold war due to the collapse of the USSR and focuses on how Ukraine, Gorbachev and Yeltsin were key actors in the Eastern political field throughout the decline of the union.
Plokhy is an incredible author who tells the story by gripping you into every page. This book was an incredible read! I recommend it to anyone
Plokhy is an incredible author who tells the story by gripping you into every page. This book was an incredible read! I recommend it to anyone