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Moscow, December 25th, 1991

4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 · rating details · 104 ratings · 20 reviews

The implosion of the Soviet Union was the culmination of a gripping game played out between two men who intensely disliked each other and had different concepts for the future. Mikhail Gorbachev, a sophisticated and urbane reformer, sought to modernize and preserve the USSR; Boris Yeltsin, a coarse and a hard drinking �bulldozer,” wished to destroy the union and create a c

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Hardcover, 352 pages

Published August 23rd 2011 by PublicAffairs,U.S. (first published January 1st 2011)

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Nov 05, 2011 Margaret Sankey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Framed as an exhaustive reconstruction of a single day, this is really a survey of the last three years of the Soviet Union, culminating the rushed signing over of power from Gorbachev to Yeltsin with all the juicy details in between. O'Clery, a longtime journalist in Russia with family and social ties knows all the little things--Putin cutting down flagpoles with a blowtorch, staffers grabbing office supplies, hustling UNESCO jobs for Gorbachev loyalists, Yeltsin's drunken lurch down Pennsylvan...more

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Jan 19, 2012 Shawn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Conor O’Clery’s Moscow 25 December 1991 follows a notably growing trend for picking a pivot point in history and revolving round it to find a popular audience (witness 1066, 1421, 1434, 1491, 1492 etc. All good books by and large but adopting a very similar tact). The date provides a recognizable focus and then the space is open for provide the background and the aftermath in a popular fashion. O’Clery breaks the mold though in a most engaging fashion with the book. I am alw...more Conor O’Clery’s Moscow 25 December 1991 follows a notably growing trend for picking a pivot point in history and revolving round it to find a popular audience (witness 1066, 1421, 1434, 1491, 1492 etc. All good books by and large but adopting a very similar tact). The date provides a recognizable focus and then the space is open for provide the background and the aftermath in a popular fashion. O’Clery breaks the mold though in a most engaging fashion with the book. I am always in praise of those who can manage to effectively uses flashbacks within chronologically-driven narratives and the still hold the thread. In Moscow 25 December O’Clery very effectively picks the day that Mikhail Gorbachev signed the legal document dissolving the USSR as his pivot. The day is divided into a series of periods and as time coverless on the act of signing the paper, the author steps back to the genesis of the two protagonists careers. The careers of Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin lead up to the day and as time slows as they converge on the act, the intermingling of the story lines converges. The structure and execution of the writing is superb.

This is not to downplay the actual events taking place. The cyclical nature of revolution in Russia (both political and economic) is thoughtfully documented and exposed and the author takes advantage of a privileged position on the sidelines to highlight much information that simply didn’t make it above the fold in the West. In my opinion Gorbachev comes of far worse than Yeltsin in the author’s handling. I am grateful for this as I feel that western media treatment of him may well have been lately shaped by cultural bias and the politics of the time. Neither of which should surprise. However, it is very good to have some corrective applied. Nonetheless, one is struck by how much the pettiness and personal animosities can play a huge role in the destiny of a nation (or in this case of nations).

I hung on to the few events that I felt I had a degree of familiarity with such as the failed 1991 coup and the rise of Vladimir Putin, and O’Clery thankfully fills in some gaping holes. The character treatment of Yeltsin gave much to consider and appreciate how his portrayal by western media as merely and opportunistic drinker misses a huge swath of his character and denies a truer appreciation of his motivations and accomplishments. The contrasting (less than complimentary) portrait of MIkhail Gorbachev surprises me, yet provides me with a corrective that illustrates how much a carefully managed public persona might hide simple human frailties. Both warn the reader that we much be more critical consumers of the media — forgive my rather naive moment here.

This is a gripping read. The pace of the narrative holds you in thrall and the richness of the story envelops. A true pleasure. I was fascinated by much of the detail that I simply would not have come to appreciate at the time of the events taking place and dismayed that I feel that I was starkly out of touch with the momentous things going on. I am grateful for O’Clery’s work in crafting such a fine account and sharing his experiences. Highly recommended!(less)

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Oct 02, 2011 Sally rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, politics, borrowed-from-library

This was a book in which I didn't think I'd be interested. I guess I was wrong. Talk about gripping and eye-opening. While the book is technically about the events of one day, it takes us through the background and events leading up to December 25, 1991, including the failed August coup.

This is a book about a rivalry between Gorbachev and Yeltsin, in which Yeltsin definitely comes off the worst. O'Clery lists numerous incidents where Yeltsin broke agreements between him and Gorbachev in the last...more

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May 29, 2012 Steve rated it 5 of 5 stars

Now that the collapse of the USSR can be viewed with at least some detachment from current events, historical reassessment of this monumental event is overdue. O'Clery does a masterful job of stitching together the disparate and contradictory stories of what caused this superpower to self-destruct. The two pivotal characters in the narrative, Gorbachev and Yeltsin, appear here not as caricatures, or as heroes or villains, but as two powerful men with different goals. An American parallel between...more

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Aug 23, 2012 Ray rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Moscow, December 25, 1991 is probably great for historians and students of the former Soviet Union, but being neither, it was a little dry for me. This is most likely a matter of my initial expectations rather than an actual critique of the writing. When someone in the publishing industry reviews a book, they can discuss the quality of the material and the writing style. But when I pick up a book, such as this one, it's with a preconceived expectation. And if the book doesn't meet that expectat...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Ryan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

The entire history of Russia and the Soviet Union is best viewed through the petty personal squabbles of Mikhail Gorgachev and Boris Yeltsin. Or at least according to [Author:Conor O'Clery], in [Book: Moscow, December 25th, 1991]. The book is a minute-by-minute account of the day Gorbachev turned over the country and the nuclear suitcase to Yeltsin, which a few years of background interspersed. About halfway through, it got a little tiring hearing quotes from the various assistants complaining t...more

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Feb 21, 2013 Zahir rated it 3 of 5 stars

An interesting read that flashes back and forth between December 25, 1991, the last official day that the Soviet Union existed as an entity, and the events leading up to the historic moment when the cold war came to an end. A very well researched and well written account, O'Clery writes this book more like a political thriller than a historical account.

The strongest element of the writing is that O'Clery does not engage in hero worship or elevates anyone to larger than life status. Instead, he...more An interesting read that flashes back and forth between December 25, 1991, the last official day that the Soviet Union existed as an entity, and the events leading up to the historic moment when the cold war came to an end. A very well researched and well written account, O'Clery writes this book more like a political thriller than a historical account.

The strongest element of the writing is that O'Clery does not engage in hero worship or elevates anyone to larger than life status. Instead, he writes about all of these major players, including Boris Yeltsin, Mikhail Gorbachev, and their supporting cast of characters as very real people. He goes into their petty obsessions, their weaknesses, but also the courage shown by them at times when it mattered.

O'Clery does a particularly good job explaining the politics of what was going on at the time, and how Gorbachev's policies of perestroika and glastnost opened the Pandora's box of change that eventually led to the fall of the center. However, he also goes into why the internal politics of what was going on at the time equally led to the downfall of the Soviet Union, and especially how petty personal gripes and slights led to the events unfolding the way they did.

O'Clery's biggest weakness is that he crams an enormous amount of information into 400 pages. Considering the number of people involved in the chain of events, it was extremely difficult to keep track of who is who and where people's allegiances lay, which was inevitable in a book of this sort. Luckily the author helps us out by providing a list of key characters and their allegiance before the index, which definitely helped. Another major weakness is that he does sometimes get a little repetitive about the way Gorbachev and Yeltsin hated one another, and spent too much time describing the minutiae of the exchange, to the point where it's a little tiring for the reader.

Overall, an excellent book for anyone interested in politics of the Soviet era.(less)

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Nov 23, 2012 Richard Lim rated it 5 of 5 stars

Moscow, December 25th, 1991 is the riveting account of one of the most important moments in recent history, the fall of the Soviet Union. O'Clery's well-researched book combines a novelist's flair for the dramatic with an awareness of the broader historical significance. O'Clery takes us through that fateful day when Mikhail Gorbachev formally resigned his post, effectively ending the Soviet empire and changing the world's geopolitical balance overnight. Interspersed between the narrative of tha...more

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Dec 23, 2011 Karl Hafer, Jr. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: politics, military

Documenting the end of the Cold War has become a kind of cottage industry. Most accounts have focused on how it was "won" by the west but few look behind the iron curtain and into the political morass within the USSR in it's dying months. It is still difficult to believe that a conflict posing the distinct possibility of global extinction hanging over the heads of an entire generation ended with the stroke of a pen. There is much more to it than that and O'Cleary documents the dynamic personalit...more

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Mar 22, 2012 Jeff Scott rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, russian, communism, history

Most of Conor O’Clery’s book is a sort of denouement of the fall of the Soviet Union. All the action happens before the events of the book. Even the last day itself is filled with formalities with the end already decided. What led to the moment is told in reminiscence, a conversation, an argument, tension, is all explained within this history. The story is well written with a journalist’s eye that can make the smallest detail very compelling. It's much like reading a long New York Times story.

T...more Most of Conor O’Clery’s book is a sort of denouement of the fall of the Soviet Union. All the action happens before the events of the book. Even the last day itself is filled with formalities with the end already decided. What led to the moment is told in reminiscence, a conversation, an argument, tension, is all explained within this history. The story is well written with a journalist’s eye that can make the smallest detail very compelling. It's much like reading a long New York Times story.

The details of Yeltsin and Gorbachev drive the story. Gorbachev is, of course, known from history as freeing the Soviet Union. His Glasnost and Perestroika led to the opening of the Soviet Union, but as the book documents, this led also to his downfall. He revealed the problems in the system and the anger of a people long suppressed is unleashed. The book documents a bit more in this area. Gorbachev wanted to open the country, but he still had Soviet-styled ideas and did commit crack-downs while still promoting Glasnost. There may have still been a reversal without the complete destruction of the Soviet government. That process, Yeltsin help to set in motion.

The story is a back and forth on the contribution from each of these leaders, one ending the Soviet oppression, the other starting a new way of life for Russia. Gorbachev opposed the independence of the individual states, while Yeltsin secretly encouraged that and through a secret agreement helped foster independent states and an independent Russia.

Chapter 17 is one of the better chapters as it explains the attempted August Coup. That alone demonstrated that Gorbachev could not continue as the leader of a new Soviet or independent Russia. He was part of the old world that the Soviet would try to use to retake their power. Yelstin's heroics during that time period solidified his power to become the new Russian president and Gorbachev's final fall from power.

Generally, the story seems to stretch out the last day, December 25, 1991, into a movie like scene. Each action cuts back to where it came from over the years, the Gorbachev-Yelstin rivalry as the main story. It seems to stretch the story too far, particularly near the end of the book. The author tries to fast forward to today to show the impacts of those events. While it does beautifully explain a very confusing time period, he doesn't seem to come to any significant conclusion about it.
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Jan 24, 2012 Esther Bradley-detally rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was in Moscow in 1990 - on my way to Siberia, Ulan Ude and other places -63 days of touring with a young music group; we as the older stable couple - went to Ukraine, came in and out of Moscow; that's when Soviet Union still in place; we were visiting Kiev during the Coup or Putsch, when the beefy 6 or whatever number took over; i wrote about it in my book, Without A Net, a Sojourn in Russia, Esther Bradley-DeTally, and thus i found it fascinating to read this book.

We lived in Dneperpetrovsk (...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Michael Flanagan rated it 4 of 5 stars

An interesting read and behind the scene look at the end the Soviet Union and the people involved in it. Even though this book claims to be about the last day of the Soviet Union it also delivers the events leading up to it. It does this by cutting the last day into sections and introducing and expanding the events surrounding to this momentous day, it takes us from 1985 through to 1991.

All in all this book is a great read that I recommend to one and all it is a highly engaging and entertaining...more

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Dec 14, 2011 Brad Wheeler rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobooks, history

A informative, authoritative study of the last years of the Soviet Union, mostly told in "flashbacks" as they relate to events of the last day. Definitely makes the case for both Yeltsin and Gorbachev's pettiness without obviously sympathizing with either. Good use of sources, a strong narrative feel, and good narration clinched this one for me.

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Sep 29, 2011 Dan Johnson rated it 4 of 5 stars

A very good account of the final days of the Soviet Union told through the power struggle between Boris Yeltsin and Mikhail Gorbachev. Focused on the personal and political differences of each leader and their clashing of egos. This book does "jump into" the last days of the Soviet Union, so it would not hurt to have a fairly decent understanding of the years leading up to this period.

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Feb 14, 2012 Debra rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

I lived through these events and still had no idea of the scope of the problems and infighting that occurred. Having young children at the time will be my excuse, but to my shame I have no recollection of the events of Dec. 25, 1991, the day the Soviet Union dissolved. The material was very well presented in a way that carried you along in real time while fitting in the background facts without being a distraction.

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Aug 10, 2012 Corey rated it 4 of 5 stars

An account of the end of the Soviet Union inside the Kremlin. Focus is on the conflicts between Gorbachev and Yeltsin.

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Feb 25, 2012 Nathanial added it

Shelves: political-science

O'Clery was an American journalist stationed in Moscow for years; as such, he's adept at identifying popular trends and themes current at the moment of historical change. He reports on the jokes as well has headlines. I wasn't sure about the structure of the book, with chapters alternating: between present tense reportage of day-by-day events leading up to the dissolution of the USSR; and between past tense summaries of the years leading up to 1991. Awkward, but thorough.

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Sep 22, 2011 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: slavic, non-fiction

An interesting book that gives a detailed account of the end of the Soviet Union. A fairly easy read, but the time switches between chapters can get confusing at times.

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Feb 06, 2012 Patrick Bates rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fact

I really enjoyed this book, despite having only a passing knowledge of this period of Russian history prior to reading it. The book is a lot easier a read than I thought when buying it.

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Oct 12, 2011 Matthew rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, russia, cold-war

I'm just going to say that I don't think anyone came off well in this. Both Gorbachev and Yeltsin seem petty and short-sighted in a lot of ways. The minutiae in this book is fascinating, though.

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May 18, 2013 Amanda Rose marked it as to-read

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May 13, 2013 Lucas Abromowitz marked it as to-read

May 07, 2013 Josh marked it as archive · review of another edition

May 06, 2013 Andreas Sjöberg marked it as to-read

May 06, 2013 Josh marked it as archive · review of another edition

Apr 25, 2013 Moises rated it 5 of 5 stars

Apr 23, 2013 Maphead is currently reading it

Apr 23, 2013 Bkepub added it

Shelves: non-fiction, history, politics, genre

Apr 21, 2013 Alyssa is currently reading it · review of another edition

Shelves: cold-war, russia

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