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KGB: The Inside Story of its Foreign Operations from Lenin to Gorbachev
by
A history of Soviet intelligence service & the evolution of the KGB.
An international bestseller critically acclaimed as "undoubtedly the most important book ever written on Soviet espionage."--San Francisco Chronicle ...more
An international bestseller critically acclaimed as "undoubtedly the most important book ever written on Soviet espionage."--San Francisco Chronicle ...more
Hardcover, 776 pages
Published
December 31st 1990
by HarperCollins Publishers
(first published 1990)
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Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of KGB: The Inside Story of its Foreign Operations from Lenin to Gorbachev
Jan 20, 2017
Erik Graff
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
espionage/USSR history fans
Recommended to Erik by:
no one
Shelves:
history
Andrew is a clear, well-researched, but rather dry author of books on the history of espionage. Soviet turncoat Gordievsky, listed as his co-author, did not actually write any of this volume, but did serve as a consultant and source of much 'current' (pre-1990) inside dope about the KGB's operations.
As might be expected, the story of the KGB is a depressing one. Like our own CIA, but often on a vaster scale, it has a sordid history, particularly during the Stalin era.
Going as far as 1990, durin ...more
As might be expected, the story of the KGB is a depressing one. Like our own CIA, but often on a vaster scale, it has a sordid history, particularly during the Stalin era.
Going as far as 1990, durin ...more
Encyclopedic in scope and fairly balanced in the retelling, ultimately there were too many names and eras to keep it all straight in my head. I guess the one theme that comes through is the self-destructive paranoia of the Soviet leadership, starting under Stalin, but continuing effective for the entire time period (1917-1990 or so).
A couple other highlights: The perfume in the early 50s, run by Molotov's wife, called "Stalin's Breath". How delicious.
And this highly relevant anecdote (page 463): ...more
A couple other highlights: The perfume in the early 50s, run by Molotov's wife, called "Stalin's Breath". How delicious.
And this highly relevant anecdote (page 463): ...more
Jan 13, 2012
Mary Slowik
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
Students of history, fans of espionage non-fiction
A complete and compelling history of a secret organization, co-written by a defector. This made for a great read, even if its later chapters are conspicuously outdated-- this was published right as the Soviet Union was beginning to disintegrate. The anecdotes and reflections on how the government and intelligence services of Soviet Union actually viewed the West, and the details of their conspiracy-theory mindset, made it extremely interesting. This read like a story lurking behind familiar fact
...more
I was more interested in the early days of the Cheka in the Stalin era as well as the Stalin era and WWII Cambridge Five era and the latter years 1970-to the end of the Soviet Union. In that respect it was a good read. I skimmed a lot of the middle part. Very dense. But cool stuff on the KGB's operations in Europe and Scandinavia in the '70s.
...more
The reason I read this book is because of a remark in another interesting book i read: The House of Trump, the House of Putin from Craig Unger (a NYT bestseller). Unger wrote that Putin is running Russia the same way the KGB is organized. KGB, the inside story is interesting but very descriptive. Is has many interesting details but the authors do not seem to know their limits. They lacked a good and honest editor (like many authors nowadays).
There is little to none analysis.
Having said that, it ...more
There is little to none analysis.
Having said that, it ...more
Based on some of the reviews I read, I was a little afraid that this might turn out to be dry and hard to get through. Happily that was not the case at all. This was what I refer to in my own weird reading world as "easy reading". There was no struggling to get through it, it was interesting. I did not have to make myself keep going, I wanted to. Obviously it's not up to date, but for what it is, it was very fascinating and I would definitely recommend it. Although I think maybe it would help if
...more
Not a quick read, but a must for those interested in this era of history.
If I retain 5% of it, I’ll have impressed myself.
If I retain 5% of it, I’ll have impressed myself.
Excellent. If we only had this information in the early 70's. So much stuff in here. It's truly hard to wrap your head around it all. I cannot wait to find a few more books on the subject.
...more
Pesante.
Il libro tratta la storia del KGB dalla Rivoluzione di Ottobre all'ascesa di Gorbaciov basandosi su una serie di documenti trafugati da un colonnello del KGB che ha defezionato nel 1985
Pesante.
Il tutto è molto dettagliato, anche troppo. E' ottimo per sapere quale spia era controllata da quale agente, magari anche quali erano le sue preferenze sessuali o come è stata reclutata. Interessante anche alcuni dettagli della vita operativa e alcuni episodi curiosi.
Spesso però questi dettagli est ...more
Il libro tratta la storia del KGB dalla Rivoluzione di Ottobre all'ascesa di Gorbaciov basandosi su una serie di documenti trafugati da un colonnello del KGB che ha defezionato nel 1985
Pesante.
Il tutto è molto dettagliato, anche troppo. E' ottimo per sapere quale spia era controllata da quale agente, magari anche quali erano le sue preferenze sessuali o come è stata reclutata. Interessante anche alcuni dettagli della vita operativa e alcuni episodi curiosi.
Spesso però questi dettagli est ...more
Long and ponderous.
I thought this was going to be boring. It wasn't. An inside look at one of the worlds oldest and most brutal spy organizations
...more
A book that tells realisticly the comunist system in all estern Europian countries, especialy in Albania.
Thank you to authors.
Thank you to authors.
Un mattone. Nondimeno, molto interessante, in particolar modo la storia che va dalla WWII alla Perestrojka.
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