{"product_id":"brezhnev-9781350408630","title":"Brezhnev","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSchattenberg has done a service in rescuing the Brezhnev period from obscurity. \u003ci\u003eThe Morning Star\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e[Offers an] unparalleled examination of the Brezhnev papers. \u003ci\u003eLiterary Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLeonid Brezhnev was leader of the Soviet Union for eighteen years, a term of leadership second only in length to that of Stalin. He presided over the Brezhnev Doctrine, which accelerated the Cold War, and led the Soviet Union through catastrophic foreign policy decisions such as the invasion of Afghanistan. To many in the West, he is responsible for the stagnation (and to some even collapse) of the Soviet Union. But much of this history has been based on the only two English-language biographies (both published before Brezhnev's death and without access to archival sources) and Brezhnev's own astonishingly untrue memoirs  written for propaganda purposes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Newly translated from German, Schattenberg's magisterial book systematically dismantles the stereotypical and\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe admiring biographer of Leonid Brezhnev, the Soviet Union’s most memorably inconspicuous leader, finds him an affable heartthrob who longed for peace “with every fibre of his body.” -- Yuri Slezkine * New York Review of Books *\u003cbr\u003eBrezhnev has become the Soviet Union’s forgotten leader. Lacking the historic stature of Lenin or Stalin, the colourful character of Khrushchev or the tragic qualities of Gorbackev, he has slipped off the historical radar… This well sourced biography by a German academic aims to rectify this omission. It comprehensively follows Brezhnev from his humble beginnings in Ukraine to his end, dying in office dependent on tranquilisers… Schattenberg has done a service in rescuing the Brezhnev period from obscurity. -- Andrew Murray * The Morning Star *\u003cbr\u003eThe strength of Schattenberg’s book lies in her unparalleled examination of the Brezhnev papers in Moscow’s archives… [And] Schattenberg poignantly traces Brezhnev’s drawn-out decline in health. -- Robert Service * Literary Review *\u003cbr\u003eA wonderful account. -- Neal Ascherson * London Review of Books *\u003cbr\u003eThe first proper biography of an enigmatic Soviet mastodon. Long seen as a taxidermied old apparatchik dozing at the wheel of the USSR, and distinguished principally by the luxuriance of his eyebrows, Leonid Brezhnev is something of a void as a historical figure. He used his 18 years as General Secretary (only Stalin lasted longer) to crush the Prague Spring and invade Afghanistan, yet little in depth has emerged about just who the expressionless Ukranian was and how he operated. A huge book for a huge subject. * Strong Words *\u003cbr\u003eFollowing Stalin’s reign of terror and Khrushchev’s erratic reforms, Leonid Brezhnev tried to stabilize the Soviet system. \u003ci\u003eBrezhnev\u003c\/i\u003e, his first full and in-depth portrait, draws on long-secret sources to chronicle his rise, his rule, and his contributions both to the growth of Soviet power and the USSR’s eventual disintegration, along with his own. * William Taubman, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Khrushchev: The Man and His Era (2003), and of Gorbachev: His Life and Times (2017) *\u003cbr\u003eA compelling new view of Brezhnev, demythologizing his early life and career, and using recently-opened archival materials to present his two decades in power as Soviet leader in an unfamiliar light. Schattenberg shows him introducing a new style of ‘caring’ interactions with colleagues as well as consolidating the long-promised Soviet welfare state at home and striving for détente abroad. But his decline in his last years (from addiction to sedatives, it turns out, not just old age) marred his legacy. * Sheila Fitzpatrick, Author of On Stalin’s Team: The Years of Living Dangerously in Soviet Politics (2015) *\u003cbr\u003eThe benchmark against which all future biographies of Leonid Brezhnev will be measured, Susanne Schattenberg’s \u003ci\u003eBrezhnev:  The Making of a Statesman\u003c\/i\u003e, now available in English, is the most informed, detailed, judicious, accessible, and academic account of this pivotal Soviet leader.  Filling a real gap in the literature, the wide-ranging study is a must read for anyone interested in the twilight years of Soviet socialism. * Donald J. Raleigh, author of Soviet Baby Boomers:  An Oral History of Russia’s Cold War Generation (2012) *\u003cbr\u003eSusanne Schattenberg has produced the first serious biography of Brehznev, using newly opened Party archives to give us a vivid portrait of the man and leader. This will be essential reading for historians of the late Soviet Union for many years to come. * Orlando Figes, author of 'The Europeans' (2019) *\u003cbr\u003eUsing abundant archival sources and literature for Brezhnev's political biography, Susanne Schattenberg presents a picture of a rather flexible and politically active leader thus shattering the image of Brezhnev as a symbol of stagnation. * Saulius Grybkauskas Senior Research Fellow Lithuanian Institute of History *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction  1.Career Aspiration: Actor Or: An Ordinary Soviet Man  2.“How the Steel was Tempered” Or: Career in Times of Terror and War  3.In Stalin’s Shadow Or: Years of Apprenticeship of a General Secretary I  4.Under Khrushchev Or: Years of Apprenticeship of a General Secretary II  5.The Caring General Secretary Or: Collective Leadership as Theater  6.Live and Let Live Or: “Everybody Shall Live and Work in Peace”  7.“Developed Socialism” Or: Relaunch of the Soviet Project?  8.Emotions and Pills in the Cold War Or: How to Act as Western Statesman  9.Thirst of Glory and Decay Or: The Loneliness of the General Secretary  Epilogue\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing PLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48866602385751,"sku":"9781350408630","price":28.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781350408630.jpg?v=1722279413","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/brezhnev-9781350408630","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}