The End of the Cold War and the Causes of Soviet Collapse

by Nick Bisley

Soviet efforts to end the Cold War were intended to help revitalize the USSR. Instead, Nick Bisley argues, they contributed crucially to its collapse. Using historical-sociological theory, The End of the Cold War and the Causes of Soviet Collapse shows that international confrontation had been an important element of Soviet rule and that the retreat from this confrontational posture weakened institutional-functional aspects of the state. This played a vital role in making the USSR vulnerable to the forces of economic crisis, elite fragmentation and nationalism which ultimately caused its collapse.

217 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Andrew Daniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not super readable,
sometimes quite focused, sometimes not so focused
Generally good scholarship, but a few dubious claims

[GreyAtlas · Rating 3 out of 5]

nothing new