Ebook: The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Politburo

The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Politburo is the definitive history and political analysis of this remarkable institution. Extensive use of new Soviet sources has permitted the authors to provide a comprehensive analysis of the way in which the Politburo operated and a sociological analysis of its membership. The history of the Politburo is presented in a lucid and rigorous account that charts its development from creation by Lenin in 1919 to sidetracking by Gorbachev in 1990: an organization that, as the authors state, "subjected the whole of the USSR to its ruthless dictatorship, but itself bowed time and again to the leader of its own making." For a note on the authors, please see the back flap John Lowenhardt is Senior Lecturer at the Documentation Office for East European Law, Leiden University. James R. Ozinga is Professor of Political Science at Oakland University, Michigan. Erik van Ree is a Lecturer at the Institute for Soviet and East European Studies, University of Amsterdam. Jacket photo shows Mikoian, Khrushchev, Stalin and Malenkov strolling in the Kremlin (Ogonek, 1989, Nr. 36)