Good books on the state of Russia post Soviet collapse

HIST: Discussions about the last 4000 years of history, give or take a few days.

Moderator: K. A. Pital

Post Reply
User avatar
mr friendly guy
The Doctor
Posts: 11235
Joined: 2004-12-12 10:55pm
Location: In a 1960s police telephone box somewhere in Australia

Good books on the state of Russia post Soviet collapse

Post by mr friendly guy »

Currently reading The Last Empire: The Final Days of the Soviet Union Paperback – by Serhii Plokhy.

This talks about the months prior to the breakup of the USSR. I was wondering if anyone knows of good books to read up after the collapse, during the Yeltsin years prior to the rise of Putin. If it also goes into details on other ex Soviet states besides Russia, that would be a bonus.
Never apologise for being a geek, because they won't apologise to you for being an arsehole. John Barrowman - 22 June 2014 Perth Supernova.

Countries I have been to - 14.
Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, Germany, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, USA.
Always on the lookout for more nice places to visit.
Pelranius
Sith Marauder
Posts: 3539
Joined: 2006-10-24 11:35am
Location: Around and about the Beltway

Re: Good books on the state of Russia post Soviet collapse

Post by Pelranius »

Ben Judah's Fragile Empire is a pretty good read, though it was written just before the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution, so the subtitle (How Russia Fell in and Out of Love with Vladimir Putin) isn't all that accurate for now.
Turns out that a five way cross over between It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the Ali G Show, Fargo, Idiocracy and Veep is a lot less funny when you're actually living in it.
Adam Reynolds
Jedi Council Member
Posts: 2354
Joined: 2004-03-27 04:51am

Re: Good books on the state of Russia post Soviet collapse

Post by Adam Reynolds »

The Oligarchs: Wealth and Power in the New Russia is a pretty good read for the 1990s era, though it is a bit outdated as to the present state of affairs, as the tale more or less ends with the rise of Putin. It details the rise and in most cases fall of six of the men who largely ran the country and developed a ruthless breed of capitalism amidst the fall of communism.
User avatar
K. A. Pital
Glamorous Commie
Posts: 20813
Joined: 2003-02-26 11:39am
Location: Elysium

Re: Good books on the state of Russia post Soviet collapse

Post by K. A. Pital »

Lì ci sono chiese, macerie, moschee e questure, lì frontiere, prezzi inaccessibile e freddure
Lì paludi, minacce, cecchini coi fucili, documenti, file notturne e clandestini
Qui incontri, lotte, passi sincronizzati, colori, capannelli non autorizzati,
Uccelli migratori, reti, informazioni, piazze di Tutti i like pazze di passioni...

...La tranquillità è importante ma la libertà è tutto!
Assalti Frontali
Post Reply