The Last Empire A Short History of Twentieth Century Russia

You know about the Soviet Union. You know about your world of yesterday and today, regardless of which nation you belong to.This book offers a bird's eye view of the history of the Soviet Union. Sure to be a racy read.This book is a short history of the USSR for beginners and lovers of history.An excerpt."Socialism did kill millions of human lives in the USSR mercilessly. During Stalin's regime, the government was one huge irrepressible killing machine. But once you are done shrinking at the horror of what happened out there, open your closed eyes. Enlighten yourself to the fact that Socialism also saved millions and millions of lives across the globe at the same time from the ravages of imperialist capitalism. It gave hopes to multitudes of toiling masses and helped them fight their righteous fight against predatory capitalism. Even today, things we take for granted such as legally guaranteed working hours, pensions, provident fund, maternity leave, voting rights, the right to organize, the right to education, food and a decent living owe their origins to the idea of Socialism. The USSR regardless of how close it came to achieving Socialism internally, was viewed all over the world by the ruling classes as nothing less than a living embodiment of Socialism, an idea that simply horrified them. It was that fear, that terrible fear to protect themselves from the hegemony of the working classes that Socialism stood for, that forced them to grant all the rights and freedoms that you enjoy today. Let that sink in."