History of Modern Russia: From Tsarism to the Twenty-First Century, Third Edition Book

A splendid book on a remarkable country. What a history that country had in the twentieth century and what repercussions it had on the entire world! It is hard to think of another country - including the United States - that had more of an impact on world politics.

Robert Service covers it all superbly. He points out that Lenin was no moralist or humanitarian. It was Lenin who coined the term "dictatorship of the proletariat" which meant NO to democracy, NO to elections; and as the term implies a dictatorship by an authoritarian state. The secret police was integral in Lenin's agenda.

Mr. Service also points out that Russia (Soviet Union) was always a dual society. The top levels had only limited knowledge of what occurred away from the centre. At the bottom, reports and statistics were embellished to accord with the desires of the upper ruling stratas. This made corruption endemic at all layers of society - for the lower classes it would be the only way to survive.

Khrushchev is portrayed as a partial reformer. It must be remembered that both Khrushchev and Brezhnev continued the repression in Eastern Europe. Gorbachev had the moral courage to stop this.

The only drawback is that little is mentioned on the invasion of Afghanistan and the role it played in the demise and fracturing of the Soviet Union.