re: Soviet Union History

Great book, written by a Russian scholar. Looks at policy from the perspective of each premier, from Stalin to Gorbachev. Also through a lens of of the ideological contradiction of a government claiming to support "The revolution" while simultaneously enacting extreme authoritarian acts and seeking an imperialist practical foreign policy.
One of the things I found interesting was how erratic Khrushchev was...and apparently usually drunk.
Another was his take on Brezhnev...actually somewhat positive.
One of the more surprising things was the negative view he takes of Gorbachev. Although less surprising when you think of it. Gorbachev oversaw the collapse of Soviet society and the rapid decline of Russia's international status.

Good read. From an interesting perspective.