Description
Book SynopsisExploring Soviet and Russian history, politics, and foreign policy, The Uses of History brings together the classic essays of renowned scholar Alexander Dallin. The author provides insightful analysis and nuanced interpretations of such keyand controversialissues as the domestic sources of Soviet foreign policy, Stalin''s leadership in World War II, Russian-American relations in the Reagan era, the causes of the collapse of the USSR, and the disappointments of Russia''s post-Soviet evolution. With his incisive assessment of the biases and blunders in American interpretations, Dallin rejects single-factor explanations for Soviet and Russian domestic and foreign policies, instead examining the complex interplay of internal and external conditions, institutions, mindsets, and the role of individual leaders. All readers interested in Soviet and post-Soviet history will find this collection a stimulating and deeply knowledgeable resource.
Trade ReviewThrough his brilliant work on the Soviet Union during the Second World War and his penetrating interpretations of the Soviet system and its place in world politics, Alex Dallin exercised a profound influence on generations of scholars. His research remains important not only for the substance of his analyses but also for the thoughtful and probing intelligence he brought to the issue of how to study the Soviet Union. It is very good to have these examples of his writing available together in this book. -- David Holloway, Stanford University
These ten essays reflect the remarkable breadth and analytic depth that marked Alex Dallin's preeminence as a teacher and scholar. Their insights continue to inform our understanding of Soviet and post-Soviet history and politics by critiquing, retrospectively, many common and distorting assumptions. As they are brought together in this new volume, Dallin's writings again constitute a refreshing and most welcome contribution to the historical and contemporary literature. -- William G. Rosenberg, University of Michigan
Table of ContentsChapter 1: Alexander Dallin: A Singular Voice Part I: Studying the Soviet System Chapter 2: Bias and Blunders in American Studies on the USSR Chapter 3: The Uses and Abuses of Russian History Part II: The Soviet Union in World War II Chapter 4: Stalin and the German Invasion Chapter 5: The Soviet Reaction to Vlasov Chapter 6: The Baltic States between Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia Part III: The Linkage of Domestic and Foreign Policy Chapter 7: The Domestic Sources of Soviet Foreign Policy Chapter 8: Reagan and the Russians: American Policy Toward the Soviet Union Chapter 9: New Thinking in Soviet Foreign Policy Part IV: Soviet Politics and the End of the USSR Chapter 10: Causes of the Collapse of the USSR Chapter 11: Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
