Can Gorbachev Change The Soviet Union?: The International Dimensions Of Political Reform
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Very good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
At the crossroads of Cold War politics and the twilight of Soviet power, Can Gorbachev Change the Soviet Union?: The International Dimensions of Political Reform presents a penetrating and urgent analysis of one of the 20th century's most consequential political experiments. Written by Zdenek Mlynar — a former Czechoslovak Communist Party official and close university friend of Mikhail Gorbachev himself — this work argues that the reforms collectively known as *perestroika* and *glasnost* are inseparable from their international context, examining how internal Soviet political restructuring reverberates across Eastern Europe and the broader global order. Mlynar draws on rare insider knowledge to assess whether a single leader, however determined, can truly dismantle the entrenched structures of a superstate from within. Mlynar's analytical voice is both scholarly and deeply personal, informed by his own experience of the 1968 Prague Spring and its brutal suppression — a shadow that looms large over every chapter. The work sits at a compelling intersection of political science, contemporary history, and memoir-tinged reflection, making it an indispensable document for anyone seeking to understand the mechanics and limits of reform in authoritarian systems. Translated with precision by Marian Sling and Ruth Tosek, the text retains the urgency of its original argument — leaving the reader to wonder whether the forces Gorbachev unleashed were ever truly his to control.
Author: Zdenek Mlynar
Format: Hardback
Published: 1990, Westview Press
Genre: Politics & law
Condition remarks:
Book: Very good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
At the crossroads of Cold War politics and the twilight of Soviet power, Can Gorbachev Change the Soviet Union?: The International Dimensions of Political Reform presents a penetrating and urgent analysis of one of the 20th century's most consequential political experiments. Written by Zdenek Mlynar — a former Czechoslovak Communist Party official and close university friend of Mikhail Gorbachev himself — this work argues that the reforms collectively known as *perestroika* and *glasnost* are inseparable from their international context, examining how internal Soviet political restructuring reverberates across Eastern Europe and the broader global order. Mlynar draws on rare insider knowledge to assess whether a single leader, however determined, can truly dismantle the entrenched structures of a superstate from within. Mlynar's analytical voice is both scholarly and deeply personal, informed by his own experience of the 1968 Prague Spring and its brutal suppression — a shadow that looms large over every chapter. The work sits at a compelling intersection of political science, contemporary history, and memoir-tinged reflection, making it an indispensable document for anyone seeking to understand the mechanics and limits of reform in authoritarian systems. Translated with precision by Marian Sling and Ruth Tosek, the text retains the urgency of its original argument — leaving the reader to wonder whether the forces Gorbachev unleashed were ever truly his to control.