My goal is to show the reader that the Soviet political and economic system was unstable by its very nature. It was just a question of when and how it would collapse.... —From the Introduction to Collapse of an Empire The Soviet Union was an empire in many senses of the word—a vast mix of far-flung regions and accidental citizens by way of conquest or annexation. Typical of such empires; it was built on shaky foundations. That instability made its demise inevitable; asserts Yegor Gaidar; former prime minister of Russia and architect of the "shock therapy" economic reforms of the 1990s. Yet a growing desire to return to the glory days of empire is pushing today's Russia backward into many of the same traps that made the Soviet Union untenable. In this important new book; Gaidar clearly illustrates why Russian nostalgia for empire is dangerous and ill-fated: "Dreams of returning to another era are illusory. Attempts to do so will lead to defeat." Gaidar uses world history; the Soviet experience; and economic analysis to demonstrate why swimming against this tide of history would be a huge mistake. The USSR sowed the seeds of its own economic destruction; and Gaidar worries that Russia is repeating some of those mistakes. Once again; for example; the nation is putting too many eggs into one basket; leaving the nation vulnerable to fluctuations in the energy market. The Soviets had used revenues from energy sales to prop up struggling sectors such as agriculture; which was so thoroughly ravaged by hyperindustrialization that the Soviet Union became a net importer of food. When oil prices dropped in the 1980s; that revenue stream diminished; and dependent sectors suffered heavily. Although strategies requiring austerity or sacrifice can be politically difficult; Russia needs to prepare for such downturns and restrain spending during prosperous times. Collapse of an Empire shows why it is imperative to fix the roof before it starts to rain; and why sometimes the past should be left in the past.
#1419747 in Books 2001-03-06Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.02 x 1.25 x 6.16l; 1.80 #File Name: 0815411383512 pages
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. PEARY REACHED THE NORTH POLE. I AM A BELIEVER!By Gordon HastingsHistorians  still ponder the question of whether either explorers Robert E. Peary or Dr. Frederick A. Cook reached the North Pole! It remains a debatable point among scientists and historians  but after reading Peary's unabridged personal account; The NORTH POLE first published in 1910; I am in no mood to quibble. Peary's detailed narrative and the presence of his esteemed scientific team is most convincing. The volume includes his own multiple detailed calculations of April 6; 1909 offering his proof of success.The NORTH POLE is more than a story of the attainment itself but offers insight into the determination of a man who on four previous attempts failed to reach his goal. Then in 1908 at age fifty-two; he again set forth for the Arctic aboard the Roosevelt; a specifically designed ship for approaching the Polar Ice Cap.  The expedition was backed by a group of  wealthy supporters under the banner of the Peary Arctic Club with the full-throated endorsement of President Theodore Roosevelt.Peary's detailed narrative offers the reader great  insight into the Inuit natives of northern Greenland. By befriending the Inuits on his previous four sojourns to the north he  acquired the expertise to survive in the Arctic. Attaining the pole would never have been possible without  the knowledge of the Inuit and their dogs.  Four Inuits were with Peary when the prize was won. Dozens of others made up the advance support parties establishing igloo supply camps across nearly 400 miles of  treacherous ice under the most formidable conditions anywhere on planet earth.The controversy surrounding Peary's conquering the North Pole remains. You may  draw your own conclusions. However; for the reader of this epic story of man against nature;  standing upon actual true north is almost irrelevant to the complexities and heroism of the journey.If Arctic exploration is of interest to you I also highly recommend another book on an earlier North Pole attempt; Hampton Sides Into The Kingdom of Ice.  ( See gordonsgoodreads.com) If you travel to Maine and seek further insight into Peary; a trip to Peary's home on Eagle Island; reached by ferry-boat from Freeport; is a very worthwhile visit. Peary is a Bowdoin College graduate and moved to Maine from Pennsylvania in his youth.  There is also an excellent Peary Museum on the Bowdoin Campus.Note: While reading The NORTH POLE I found it most helpful to Google a detailed map of  Ellesmere Island and Northern Greenland. A map; which is not included in the book; adds tremendous perspective to Peary's narrative. For more reviews of great reads go to gordonsgoodreads.com5 of 6 people found the following review helpful. An Exciting Period in HistoryBy SeachranaicheThe late 19th and early 20th centuries were an exiting time of exploration in which indomitable men raced to be the first to set foot upon the farthest reaches of the Earth. In this pursuit; these explorers were forced to overcome unimaginable hardships as well as the unknown; and many were lost or left buried in desolate graves of ice and snow; upon mountain tops; deep within equatorial jungles. Though many explorers took up the quest in order to achieve personal glory or financial gain; others explored for the sake of pure discovery. They learned lessons from their fallen predecessors; building upon the experiences of previous generations in order to earn success. They performed science along the way: taking measurements; classifying animals; recording observations; adding to a body of knowledge that inexorably grew with each new expedition; knowledge building upon knowledge. The public was fascinated and enthralled by these explorers; cheering on the valiant regardless of nationality; excoriating the weak or the timid or the imposters of success.Robert E. Peary's account of his final push for the North Pole contains all of these elements. Though he certainly sought personal glory for himself; it is clear that he also explored for the sake of exploration. He was consumed by the desire to be the first to reach the North Pole; to plant his nation's flag upon that spot where "Only one direction remained and that was south." He made 8 trips into the high arctic before he found success; paying the price with failure after failure and the loss of most of his toes through frostbite. He learned from each trip; compounding his knowledge each time while incorporating the experiences of (and paying homage to) those explorers who had come before him. When he at last found success; he found controversy also: a rival claim had been made; a claim that; though ultimately considered to be fraudulent; forever cast doubt upon Peary's claim as well. Did Robert E. Peary achieve the North Pole on April 6; 1909? Many historians claim otherwise-including Robert M. Bryce; who wrote a new introduction for this edition-but Peary's success or failure hardly seems relevant today: it is the journey that should be important; the desire and the public will to explore for the sake of exploration; a public will that had evaporated before the last Apollo astronauts had returned from the moon; and a public will that has remained flaccid for three decades even though we possess the technology to return to the moon or travel beyond with human explorers who are willing to confront danger for the sake of compounding knowledge and experience."The North Pole" reads like the period that produced it: gruff; patriarchal; politically incorrect; but between the lines of stinging racial judgments that offend our senses today are clear and precise recollections of an era that gave us a sense of wonder. The language of only 100 years ago is salted with phrases; expressions; and idiom that seem utterly foreign yet tantalizingly familiar and refreshing in some strange way: the language of spirit and indomitable will and success.For the thorough story of Peary and Henson; read Kirk Ward Robinson's "Founding Courage"1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Vintage Hardback is a Fine BookBy Dieter SteinThe book was well written; often over-written in the matter of detail; in the exquisite prose of the day. It is not surprising however since that very attention to detail before; during and after every activity conducted by the Peary Arctic Club is the most obvious factor which contributed to the success of the entire mission.The photos of the men; dog teams and sleighs added a clear understanding of the difficulty of the trek to the North Pole.The most obvious omission was the lack of photos of the ship which was to carry them to; through; and home from the arctic experience.The book contained only one photo of the ship Roosevelt -- I would liked to have seen photos of it at different stages throughout the expedition. This would have added more clarity and interest to the story.
