The Soviet Colossus revisits the turning points in Russiaâs modern history from the fall of the tsarist regime to the establishment of the Bolshevik dictatorship and Stalinist totalitarianism; the reforms and counter-reforms of Khrushchev and Brezhnev to the reform program of Mikhail Gorbachev and the resultant collapse of the Soviet Union; and from the effort to build a democratic and free-market Russia under Boris Yeltsin to the political authoritarianism and the establishment of a state capitalist economy under Vladimir Putin. This eighth edition has been revised and updated to cover the latest developments from the Putin administration. These revisions include added emphasis on the increasing authoritarian nature of Russiaâs political system the serious challenges posed by the countryâs unsolved economic and social problems and the growing tensions between Russia on the one hand and the United States and the European Union on the other as a result of Moscowâs aggression against Ukraine. Kort combines this updated account with a broad exploration of Russiaâs political history examining how the Soviet past has been woven into the fabric of the modern Russian state a state which plays such a major assertive role in global affairs but which simultaneously remains an allusive secretive entity. With Russiaâs increasing influence on the global stage and the controversies that often accompany this The Soviet Colossus is an invaluable resource for students of history politics and international relations. . Language: English