Inside the Kremlin's Cold War: From Stalin to Krushchev

by Vladislav Zubok (Author),‎ Constantine Pleshakov (Author)

11 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0674455320

ISBN-10: 0674455320

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Covering the volatile period from 1945 to 1962, Zubok and Pleshakov explore the personalities and motivations of the key people who directed Soviet political life and shaped Soviet foreign policy. They begin with the fearsome figure of Joseph Stalin, who was driven by the dual dream of a Communist revolution and a global empire. They reveal the scope and limits of Stalin's ambitions by taking us into the world of his closest subordinates, the ruthless and unimaginative foreign minister Molotov and the Party's chief propagandist, Zhdanov, a man brimming with hubris and missionary zeal. The authors expose the machinations of the much-feared secret police chief Beria and the party cadre manager Malenkov, who tried but failed to set Soviet policies on a different course after Stalin's death. Finally, they document the motives and actions of the self-made and self-confident Nikita Khrushchev, full of Russian pride and party dogma, who overturned many of Stalin's policies with bold strategizing on a global scale. The authors show how, despite such attempts to change Soviet diplomacy, Stalin's legacy continued to divide Germany and Europe, and led the Soviets to the split with Maoist China and to the Cuban missile crisis.

Zubok and Pleshakov's groundbreaking work reveals how Soviet statesmen conceived and conducted their rivalry with the West within the context of their own domestic and global concerns and aspirations. The authors persuasively demonstrate that the Soviet leaders did not seek a conflict with the United States, yet failed to prevent it or bring it to conclusion. They also document why and how Kremlin policy-makers, cautious and scheming as they were, triggered the gravest crises of the Cold War in Korea, Berlin, and Cuba. Taking us into the corridors of the Kremlin and the minds of its leaders, Zubok and Pleshakov present intimate portraits of the men who made the West fear, to reveal why and how they acted as they did.

Inside the Kremlin's Cold War: From Stalin to Krushchev

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Cold War hovered over Americans like a black cloud for more than 40 years. But with the defeat of Communism in 1991, documents have been released indicating that the United States might have avoided it. Vladislav Zubok and Constantine Plashakov reveal that high-level Soviet diplomats advised Stalin to abandon global confrontation for a partnership with the United States and Britain to prevent Germany's resuscitation and to help in the Soviet Union's reconstruction. Though FDR's death and Winston Churchill's electoral defeat complicated the plan, it was the Hiroshima bombing under Truman that severed relations. Though later Soviet attempts to reconcile were thwarted by Khruschev's hope for a Russian revolution, the authors remind us that Russia's course does not depend on Russia alone. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This remarkable book, written by two young Russian historians, will initiate the long process of reexamining the Soviet Union's role in the Cold War. The authors came of age at the height of the Cold War in the 1950s and early 1960s, worked in the Institute of U.S. and Canada Studies, and recently gained access to newly declassified archival material in Moscow. Their research sheds new light upon the motives of Stalin and his heirs, including Molotov, Zhdanov, Beria, Malenkov, and Khrushchev. Indeed, the main focus of this book is on the "human factor"?the background, psychology, and behavior of the Soviet leaders. The archives reveal a series of miscalculations and overreactions under Stalin and lost opportunities for detente with Beria and Malenkov. However, the central conclusion is that Stalin "wanted to avoid confrontation with the West...[and that] the Cold War was not his choice." This is an important study that merits consideration along with the standard histories of the Cold War period, including such new works as Caroline Kennedy-Pipe's Stalin's Cold War: Soviet Strategies in Europe, 1943 to 1956 (Manchester Univ., 1995). Zubok and Pleshakov have contributed a brief version of this study to The Origins of the Cold War in Europe: International Perspectives (Yale Univ., 1994).?Thomas A. Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, Pa.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product details

Paperback: 382 pages
Publisher: Harvard University Press (April 25, 1997)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0674455320
ISBN-13: 978-0674455320
Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 11 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,105,825 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #919 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > International & World Politics > Russian & Former Soviet Union
- #1259 in Books > Textbooks > Social Sciences > Political Science > Political Ideologies
- #1653 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Ideologies & Doctrines > Communism & Socialism

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E. S.

A good baby boomer Father's Day gift

July 21, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

My dad loves this book... he told me that as a child of the '50s and '60s, in all this time it never really occurred to him that there was every anybody actually over there on the other side of the Iron Curtain!

[Patting myself on the back] I think this was a pretty good Father's Day present for a dad who was always interested in "the bigger picture"!

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Francisco Teixeira Carvalho Neto

Great reading. Very clear picture about what was Kremlim ...

September 15, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Great reading. Very clear picture about what was Kremlim under Stalin and others rulling the USSR. Very elucidative about some facts abour Cold War.

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Amazon Customer

Highly recommended.

March 1, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This is a concise, well written work which shows the inner workings of the Kremlin during the Cold War. It gives insight into the Soviets' reasoning, foreign policy, and relations with other Communist nations. Highly recommended.

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Robert Allen

Great read about the Cold War

November 16, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is a great read about the Cold War NOT written by an American sympathizer. I highly recommend this read.

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john a.

Five Stars

August 6, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Product as described and delivery on time.

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Gregory R. Baines

Really worthwhile book on the subject, but...

December 1, 2007

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Its really great to see some Russian points of view on this part of history. It's a complex time, and we need many points of view if we are to draw conclusions.

This book does well in highlighting the link between Stalin and the echos to Russias imperial past in his reign. It also does well in reminding us just how important security was in the minds of the Russians at that time. Often this is neglected by western historians, and indeed American leaders at that time.

I do sadly note though, that the "Stalin as monster" theme permiates the book. Yes, Stalin was brutal and respressive, but constantly reminding as in emotive language does little to further the material. It also ignores the fact that systems produce people, and he was a product of his culture and his time.

This book seems to me to let the US 'off the hook' for their part in the cold war. It seems to insinuate that they were making more rational decisions than the Soviets, when their policy was just as flawed when they got it wrong, and just as insightful when it was done well. Truman was not responsible for millions of deaths in his own country, but his foreign policy was a form of bullying economic imperialism. Had Truman been smart enough to lend money to the Soviets, the world would have been a very different place. This is a crucial part of Cold War history.

Despite some flaws, its a really interesting book, and I hope we get a lot more Russian books on the subject.

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John Desmond

Much-needed New Information

January 5, 2009

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Well, it turns out that Reagan, Truman, and even McCarthy were right all along. The Soviets were evil and laughed themselves sick at the lame efforts by the likes of Averill Harriman, Dean Acheson, and Jimmy Carter to convince them of our good intentions. They had nothing but bad intentions and didn't particularly care what ours were. The Soviets spent 40 years just shaking their heads wondering how we couldn't see that. Zubok brings out tons of information from Soviet archives (which are now probably going to be closed again) that should rewrite the history of the late 20th Century.

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Emanuel Nevarez

A meticulous account of Soviet foreign policy during the Stalin-Krushchev era

May 28, 2013

Format: Paperback

This book turned out to be of greater value than I originally thought. It was one of the most important secondary sources for one of my college essays. It is very well written and researched. It will allow you to gain further understanding on this often confusing period in history. It would be wise to at least have some partial knowledge on the subject to fully appreciate this book. It is well worth the price.

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Most recent customer reviews

Michael Samerdyke

A Look into the Kremlin

I found this book an interesting look at the key men who ran Soviet foreign policy between 1945-1964.Read more

Published on July 15, 2003

Kim Ha Woong

Futile Justification

It is very interesting to learn how Russian historians view Cold War. It is well-written and easy to understand.Read more

Published on January 26, 2002

Murat Yetkin

A useful insight

Inside the Kremlin's Cold War: From Stalin to Kruschev, opens a new dimension to those who are intrested in reading what had really happened during the Cold War.Read more

Published on September 17, 2000

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