1917-1991, soviet union

Provides a detailed portrait of the former head of the Soviet Union focussing on his rise to power and use of terror to maintain his position.

Examines issues spanning 150 years in Russian and Soviet history, analyzing questions and presenting excerpts from sources on ideologies and regimes, political parties, repression and terror, agriculture and industry, the social classes, war, and other topics.

Contains thirty-four groups of essays, each of which includes an overview of an issue related to Russia in the revolutionary era, from 1890 to 1930, followed by two or more opposing opinions, arranged alphabetically by topic.

Presents thirteen essays by historians and sociologists on the leadership cults, war machines, and successor societies of Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Russia.

Analyzes the meaning and impact of the "Great Terror" that took place in the Soviet Union in the late 1930s, a period presided over by Stalin and characterized by the arrests and executions of people ranging from high Communist Party officials to ordinary citizens.

Chronicles the events surrounding the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 and examines both Kennedy and Khrushchev as they attempted to jockey for power over nuclear armament in Cuba, how the Kennedy administration reacted, and the public response to the situation.

Offers a comparative history of Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia, describing the private and public lives of Hitler and Stalin, their ascents to power, the ways they dominated politics, culture, and economy, and each regime's lasting, violent legacy.

Examines political, economic, and social changes in the Soviet Union brought about by Gorbachev's policies of glasnost and perestroika.

Introduces the history, geography, people, culture, government, and economy of the Soviet Union.

Their lives in a small Ukrainian town dramatically changed by the 1917 Revolution, the six Koshansky children and their mother struggle to survive in an increasingly hostile environment; after the mother's death, the children escape to America.