Reviews for Russia's Stillborn Democracy?: From Gorbachev to Yeltsin

The average rating for Russia's Stillborn Democracy?: From Gorbachev to Yeltsin based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-11-08 00:00:00 J Alan Risk I won't lie, getting through 'Road To Berlin' was nothing less than a chore. The book is first and foremost a cold, chronological overview of military operations on Eastern Front, starting with the reduction of Stalingrad kessel at the end of 1942 and ending with final Soviet offensive aimed at remains of Army Group Center in western Czechoslovakia at the beginning of May 1945, thus ending the World War II in Europe. Seemingly endless litany of Fronts, Army Groups, Armies, divisions, names of towns, rivers and marshals and generals made for a reading dry as bone, hard to absorb and quite frankly, at times, simply mind-numbingly boring. Why did I persist and am exceptionally happy that I did? First and foremost, this book along with its companion, "Road To Stalingrad", is the first publication in English that I've encountered, that clearly shows the enormity of the scale of the conflict on Eastern Front. The other reason that somewhere between the lines of that endless list of pierced defensive lines, rivers crossed, towns taken and German divisions and armies encircled and annihilated hides a simple but irrefutable fact - by middle of 1943, Soviet officer corps at army and front staff level mastered operational art of war to a degree that is probably unprecedented in history of modern warfare. Forget German fairytales about countless hordes of Mongols swamping German defenders by numbers alone. Professor Erickson shows in this book that from 1943 and onward, Zhukow, Koniev, Rokkosovskij and a bunch of other Soviet marshals and generals regularly outthought, outmaneuvered and outfought their German counterparts on pretty much regular basis, simultaneously and on several fronts, all the way from Stalingrad to Berlin. There is third reason why I find this book invaluable source in my never-ending study of World War 2. Hidden in the middle of seemingly endless, dry as bone, list of Soviet offensives is a number of 'discourses' dedicated to political interactions between the 'Big Three' as well as several events that took place during the war which are almost uncovered in the Western literature dedicated to this conflict. In those parts of the book, the author's writing style transforms and becomes engaging, informative, witty and actually quite a pleasurable reading experience! As for material covered by author in those parts of the book... Personally I can only describe it as fascinating; after all, where else in English litterature can you find detailed narrative of Slovak uprising of 1944 or details about short-lived Prague uprising that took place in absolutely last days of war (actually after capitulation of Berlin!) and what role Vlasov and his 1st ROA Division played in it? I've already said this in my review of 'Road To Stalingrad'; 'Road to Berlin' isn't the most exciting book about World War 2 that you will ever pick up. Frankly, those two books are more reference works than anything else. But… if you have genuine interest in operational art of war during World War II - logistics, planning, execution of operations at army/army group level - this book along with its companion is nothing short of an eye-opener in regard of Eastern Front and an absolute must-read.

Review # 2 was written on 2009-09-24 00:00:00 Graham Hoffner Colossal conflict... Road to Stalingrad The last 2 chapters of this book are by far the best (they constitute over 120 pages). Prior, I feel, the author has a hard time distinguishing the trees from the forest and the forest from the trees. These chapters are filled with endless sentences like "...the 4th Airborne corps to use his 7th and 8th Brigades..", "...the escape eastwards for 3rd, 10th and now 13th Army was.." and on and on. This approach makes for a very dry dissertation of the largest military conflict in recent history. Nevertheless Erickson does not glorify nor glamourize the Red Army. Stalin's Russia was not only unprepared for this colossal conflict with the German armies, it was incompetently led. Stalin had killed off his officer corps by the end of the 1930's and was self-quarantined in the Kremlin listening only to advisors who told him what he wanted to hear. Erickson is correct when he describes Stalin as the 'top' leader in the Soviet Union. Erickson's description of Stalin and the decision-making process is interesting if concise. It is only in the last 2 chapters that the battle scenarios are well painted by Erickson, and one feels the horror of Dante's inferno that existed in Stalingrad. Why the German armies became entrapped in this cauldron of total destructiveness is unknowable, but it lead to their first major defeat in the Second World War (aside from their aborted invasion of Britain). Do not read this book for a glimpse of civilian life in either the German or Soviet zone. There is no mention of the Einsazt-gruppen killing squads who butchered entire villages, or of Jewish life throughout German-occupied Soviet territory. This is "military history," but when it does step out of that zone, it is interesting; and Erickson offers insights into both protagonists. Some maps would have been helpful (there were none in my edition). This book does not have the 'Soviet patriotism' of Alexander Werth's Russia at War: 1941-1945 and is better for it. The Road to Berlin: The Road to Berlin is much like the first volume (The Road to Stalingrad), but the events, if possible, even over-shadow those of the first book; such as the battle of Kursk, the annexation of Eastern Europe under the Soviet yoke, and the fall of Berlin. Orchestrating all of this is the figure of Stalin. But much like the first volume there is a blur of details, i.e. military groupings and geographical minutiae. Is it necessary to list all the Guard units, divisions, battalions, etc. that took forth on the assault on the Baltic States? Words like "hammer," "break through," etc. abound. Yet there are many rewards. Erickson writes entirely from the Soviet perspective with no glorification of their overall role in the defeat of Nazi Germany. There are gems of dialogue between Stalin and his generals vividly illustrating the brutality of the regime. Once it became apparent that the Nazis were to be expunged from the Soviet Union the next step was to occupy as much land as possible in Eastern Europe. With production in full swing by 1944 and an army numbering some 5 million entering Eastern Europe (never mind the agreements at Yalta promising free elections in Poland or democratic self-determination for the countries liberated from Nazi domination); Erickson discusses this country-by-country. He also brings up the notorious Soviet stand-still in front Warsaw while the Nazis methodically routed and slaughtered Polish partisans. The Soviet army may have had to re-group, but they never told this to the Polish partisans. Do not read this book for details of the liberation of the concentration and death camps - it merits only a few sentences and there is even less on the treatment of Soviet citizens in areas occupied by Germany. Also very little is said on the barbaric treatment meted out by Soviet troops once they entered "liberated zones."