I have been watching endless amounts of documentaries on the history of the Soviet Union.
However, I wish to find the best book regarding the entire history on the Soviet Union.
I have large interests in the start of the USSR, the functionality from start to the end and most importantly how it ended.
I understand this may be a tough book suggestions but any recommendations are welcome. If it is one book or a series, I would love to know!
Thank you!
A single book often doesn't cover everything in depth, mainly because the Soviet Union changed a lot from the 1920s to the 60s and into the 90s. That being said, these are all EXCELLENT book options.
Lenin's Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire by David Remnick
A History of the Soviet Union from the Beginning to the End by Peter Kenez (This is a great deep dive that looks at the cultural, social, and political elements that are super relevant to understanding Soviet history.)
Revolutionary Russia, 1891-1991: A History by Orlando Figes (He has been accused of altering source materials and academic theft, so keep that in mind. His book Crimea is a good place to start if you are interested in Crimea)
*The Gulag Archipelago: An Experiment in Literary Investigation (*Архипелаг ГУЛАГ) by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (a classic that is commonly assigned in Russian schools as required reading)
The Soviet Experiment by Ron Suny (if you can find any recordings of his lectures, check them out too. He is brilliant and knows the subject incredibly well)
Any of Dmitri Volkogonov books. He was both a Russian and Soviet historian and the head of the psychological warfare department of the Soviet military. He was Yeltsin's advisor after the 1991 failed coup d'etat.