TY - BOOK AU - Brown,Archie TI - Seven years that changed the world: Perestroika in perspective SN - 9780199282159 (alk. paper) AV - 338 DK 288 B877s 2007 U1 - 947.085/4 PY - 2007/// CY - Oxford, New York PB - Oxford University Press KW - Gorbachev, Mikhail Sergeevich, KW - Perestroika. KW - Soviet Union KW - Politics and government KW - 1985-1991 KW - Unión Soviética KW - Política y gobierno N1 - Includes bibliographical references and index; PART 1 ; 1. Introduction ; PART 2 ; 2. Gorbachev: New Man in the Kremlin ; 3. The First Phase of Soviet Reform, 1985-86 ; 4. Fundamental Political Change, 1987-89 ; 5. Reconstructing the Soviet Political System ; PART 3 ; 6. Institutional Amphibiousness or Civil Society? The Origins and Development of Perestroika ; 7. The Dismantling of the System and the Disintegration of the State ; 8. Transnational Influences in the Transition from Communism ; 9. Ending the Cold War ; 10. Gorbachev and His Era in Perspective ; Index N2 - This book is a rigorously argued and lively interpretation of the transformation of the Soviet system, the disintegration of the Soviet state, the end of the Cold War, and the role of Mikhail Gorbachev. Written by a leading authority on Soviet politics, this thoroughly researched book draws on new archival sources and puts perestroika in fresh perspective. Perestroika began as an attempt by a minority within the leadership of the Communist Party to reform the Soviet system. The decisive role was played by the new General Secretary, Mikhail Gorbachev. Perestroika (reconstruction) developed into an attempt to move from Communism to competitive elections and a market economy of a social democratic type. This 'revolution from above' had profound consequences, both intended and unintended. The latter included the dissolution of the Soviet state. Four of the ten chapters were written in 'real time'--in the second half of the 1980s while perestroika was still underway. The other six chapters provide an up-to-date discussion of such important issues as the stimuli to perestroika, its intellectual origins and development, its influence on other countries and their influence on developments in the Soviet Union, and the ending of the Cold War"--Publisher description UR - http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip077/2006102397.html UR - http://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0723/2006102397-b.html UR - http://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0723/2006102397-d.html UR - http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=29671 ER -