Description
Book SynopsisBy the 1980s the Soviet Union had matched the United States in military might and far surpassed it in the production of steel, timber, concrete, and oil. But the electronic whirlwind that was transforming the global economy had been locked out by communist leaders. Heirs to an old Russian tradition of censorship, they had banned photocopiers, prohibited accurate maps, and controlled word-for-word even the scripts of stand-up comedians. In this compellingly readable firsthand account, filled with memorable characters, revealing vignettes, and striking statistics, Scott Shane tells the story of Mikhail Gorbachev's attempt to "renew socialism" by easing information controls. As newspapers, television, books, films, and videotapes flooded the country with information about the Stalinist past, the communist present, and life in the rest of the world, the Soviet system was driven to ruin. Shane's unique perspective also places one of the century's momentous events in larger context: the universal struggle of governments to keep information from the people, and the irresistible power of technology over history.
Trade ReviewAccessible and absorbing. * The Historian *
Well documented...a readable account. * The New York Times *
Convincing and powerful. -- Nicholas Daniloff, former Moscow correspondent for
U.S. News and World Report, now director of the School of Journalism at Northeastern Unive
Shane's book is reportage at its bestóan insightful blend of anecdote, observation, biographical sketch, statistics, and history. This is a vivid, first-class eyewitness description and analysis of the sudden demise of Soviet communism. -- Albert Resis, Emeritus Professor of Russian History, Northern Illinois University; editor, Molotov Remembers
A critical book to understanding the era...Scott Shane tells the story of the way the modern information age helped destroy the last pillars of communism, and he tells it with grace, sympathy, and intelligence. -- David Remnick, author of Lenin's Tomb
Table of Contents
Part 1 Introduction 3 Part 2 Before: Information Criminal 9 Part 3 Information Control and the Soviet Crisis 43 Part 4 What Price Socialism? An Economy Without Information 75 Part 5 The KGB, Father of Perestroika 99 Part 6 The Press and the Restoration of History 121 Part 7 Television and the Revival of Politics Part 8 A Normal Country: The Pop Culture Explosion 182 Part 9 Letting Go of the Leninist Faith 212 Part 10 After: The Coup-Proof Society 245 Part 11 Epilogue 276 Part 12 Acknowledgments 291 Part 13 Notes 293 Part 14 Index 305
