{"product_id":"2026200014947-secondhand-the-soviet-union-today-a-concise-handbook","title":"The Soviet Union Today: A Concise Handbook","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good\u003cbr\u003eJacket: Chipped and worn with some minor damage\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt the height of the Cold War, few subjects demanded more rigorous and clear-eyed analysis than the vast, enigmatic power of the Soviet Union, and Kenneth R. Whiting's The Soviet Union Today: A Concise Handbook answers that call with authoritative precision. This comprehensive reference work presents a structured and accessible portrait of the USSR, chronicling its political machinery, military apparatus, economic foundations, and social fabric in a single, indispensable volume designed for students, diplomats, and engaged citizens alike.\n\nWhiting, a distinguished scholar of Soviet affairs, argues through meticulous detail rather than ideological polemic, illustrating the inner workings of a superpower that remained deliberately opaque to the Western world. His measured, analytical prose strips away the mythology surrounding the Soviet state, leaving the reader with a clearer — and perhaps more unsettling — understanding of a civilisation operating under entirely different rules. For anyone seeking to grasp the true architecture of Soviet power, this handbook remains a compelling and revealing guide.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49203159531739,"sku":"2026200014947-SECONDHAND","price":40.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/a2b0e694-b8f4-4d73-9964-ddc5dffabb9e.png?v=1788144736","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026200014947-secondhand-the-soviet-union-today-a-concise-handbook","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}