Gorbachev

Starred review from July 31, 2017
Taubman (Khrushchev), emeritus professor of political science at Amherst College, retraces Mikhail Gorbachev’s strenuous climb up the Communist Party ladder to focus on his turmoil-ridden years as last general secretary from 1985 to 1991. A tragic hero who struggled to reject the “Bolsheviks’ bloody way of doing things” and nonviolently reconstruct his country’s political system and ideology, Gorbachev found himself head of a state over which he had no control. Relying on transcripts of Politburo meetings, Taubman writes energetically of Kremlin hard-liners’ attempts to derail the reformer as he coped with rising regional nationalism, economic collapse, and other disasters. Gorbachev was caught off guard by the fall of the Berlin Wall and bewildered by Boris Yeltsin’s rising popular appeal. Desperate for support he traveled to the West with his stylish and erudite wife, Raisa, whose charm helped take some chill off the Cold War. Meanwhile, political rifts deepened at home. In August 1991, a military junta tried to oust him. Under house arrest and fearing for his life, Gorbachev faced the bitter truth that though the West hailed him as statesman of the century, his own citizens despised him. Taubman suggests that Gorbachev might have Westernized Russia had the West given enough support at critical moments. Such conclusions require scrutiny, but do not detract from this definitive volume.

Starred review from July 1, 2017
Eclipsed for many by the triumphant image of Ronald Reagan, victor of the Cold War, Reagan's chief antagonist, Mikhail Gorbachev, emerges in this revealing biography as a daring leader who risked and finally suffered geopolitical defeat precisely because of what he would not surrender: his own deeply humane hopes for transforming his country into a prosperous, democratic, and free regime enjoying harmonious relationships with the West. After many hours of interviews and years of archival research, Taubman offers hard-won glimpses into the heart of a dreamer sharing a body with the mind of a cagey political operative. With insights comparable to those that won the Pulitzer Prize for his biography of Khrushchev, Taubman here limns the difficulties Gorbachev confronted as he pursued perestroika and glasnost against resistance from hard-liners ready to drive him from office (perhaps into prison), even as liberal activists censured him for stalling. Though Gorbachev reshaped the world, Taubman does not ignore the Soviet leader's ultimate failure as the liberalization process slipped out of his control and finally broke down in ways since exploited by the reactionary Vladimir Putin. Despite Putin's retrenchment, Taubman still recognizes in Gorbachev one of the modern era's greatest benefactors. A masterful portrait, convincing and complete.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

June 15, 2017

The son of peasants, Mikhail Gorbachev (b. 1931), attended university in Moscow during the age of Nikita Khrushchev's "Secret Speech" and rose through the Communist Party ranks to become general secretary. By 1985, he would lead the Soviet Union, transforming the country and the world. Taubman (political science, Amherst Coll., Krushchev: The Man and His Era) examines Gorbachev's life and innovative perspective in this comprehensive biography. Dismal economic and agricultural conditions made it obvious that broad systemic changes were needed in the region. Gorbachev instituted unprecedented openness in governance and economy, trying to strike a balance between those who fought his strategy and others who wanted it to be accelerated. Revered abroad for ending the Cold War and reuniting Europe, Gorbachev was vilified at home as the economy continued to deteriorate. After the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991, many of his reforms were cast aside. This definitive volume illuminates the leader's personal and political sides with insights from family, friends, enemies, aides, politicians, and Gorbachev himself. VERDICT Readers interested in Cold War history, Russian and Soviet history, political biographies, and how the fall of communism led to current world politics will appreciate this book. [See Prepub Alert, 3/13/17.]--Laurie Unger Skinner, Coll. of Lake Cty., Waukegan, IL

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from June 15, 2017

The son of peasants, Mikhail Gorbachev (b. 1931), attended university in Moscow during the age of Nikita Khrushchev's "Secret Speech" and rose through the Communist Party ranks to become general secretary. By 1985, he would lead the Soviet Union, transforming the country and the world. Taubman (political science, Amherst Coll., Krushchev: The Man and His Era) examines Gorbachev's life and innovative perspective in this comprehensive biography. Dismal economic and agricultural conditions made it obvious that broad systemic changes were needed in the region. Gorbachev instituted unprecedented openness in governance and economy, trying to strike a balance between those who fought his strategy and others who wanted it to be accelerated. Revered abroad for ending the Cold War and reuniting Europe, Gorbachev was vilified at home as the economy continued to deteriorate. After the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991, many of his reforms were cast aside. This definitive volume illuminates the leader's personal and political sides with insights from family, friends, enemies, aides, politicians, and Gorbachev himself. VERDICT Readers interested in Cold War history, Russian and Soviet history, political biographies, and how the fall of communism led to current world politics will appreciate this book. [See Prepub Alert, 3/13/17.]--Laurie Unger Skinner, Coll. of Lake Cty., Waukegan, IL

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.