Collapse

Vladislav Zubok offers a major reinterpretation of the Soviet Union’s final years and rejects the idea that its breakup was inevitable. The account traces how Gorbachev’s reforms drained government resources, encouraged separatism, and helped push the USSR into crisis.

Readers interested in modern Russian history, Soviet politics, and the end of the Cold War will find a clear account of a turning point in the twentieth century. The book connects the collapse to democratic populism, Baltic independence, Soviet finances, and the limits of authoritarian power.