The Uses of History
Understanding the Soviet Union and Russia
Alexander Dallin author Gail W Lapidus editor
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Rowman & Littlefield
Published:16th Oct '09
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Exploring Soviet and Russian history, politics, and foreign policy, The Uses of History brings together the classic essays of renowned scholar Alexander Dallin. The author provides insightful analysis and nuanced interpretations of such key—and controversial—issues as the domestic sources of Soviet foreign policy, Stalin's leadership in World War II, Russian-American relations in the Reagan era, the causes of the collapse of the USSR, and the disappointments of Russia's post-Soviet evolution. With his incisive assessment of the biases and blunders in American interpretations, Dallin rejects single-factor explanations for Soviet and Russian domestic and foreign policies, instead examining the complex interplay of internal and external conditions, institutions, mindsets, and the role of individual leaders. All readers interested in Soviet and post-Soviet history will find this collection a stimulating and deeply knowledgeable resource.
Through his brilliant work on the Soviet Union during the Second World War and his penetrating interpretations of the Soviet system and its place in world politics, Alex Dallin exercised a profound influence on generations of scholars. His research remains important not only for the substance of his analyses but also for the thoughtful and probing intelligence he brought to the issue of how to study the Soviet Union. It is very good to have these examples of his writing available together in this book. -- David Holloway, Stanford University
These ten essays reflect the remarkable breadth and analytic depth that marked Alex Dallin's preeminence as a teacher and scholar. Their insights continue to inform our understanding of Soviet and post-Soviet history and politics by critiquing, retrospectively, many common and distorting assumptions. As they are brought together in this new volume, Dallin's writings again constitute a refreshing and most welcome contribution to the historical and contemporary literature. -- William G. Rosenberg, University of Michigan
ISBN: 9780742567559
Dimensions: 240mm x 163mm x 24mm
Weight: 542g
282 pages