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Gorbachev

Man of the Twentieth Century?

Mark Sandle

Paperback
RRP: £16.99
ISBN: 9780340761595
ISBN-10: 0340761598

Published: 29/08/2008
Extent: 344 pages
Illustrations: 0

Series: Reputations

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Summary:
Few people have shaped the contemporary world as Mikhail Gorbachev did between 1985 and 1991. Few people could lay claim to being one of the individuals who defined the twentieth century. Few people are so instantly recognisable, and yet remain so unknown. Few people have been subject to such conflicting judgements. How can we make sense of Mikhail Gorbachev? This new study draws upon a wide variety of sources – East and West, textual and visual, newspaper and memoir, academic and popular – to try and understand the reasons why Gorbachev still appears to be such an enigmatic figure. It assesses his long-term historical significance and evaluates the way in which Gorbachev’s historical reputation has waxed and waned in the years since 1985. By considering his subject from a variety of angles and in a number of contexts, Mark Sandle highlights the difficulties in appraising Gorbachev, difficulties which not only stem from the complex and ambiguous character of the man himself, but also from the conflicting agendas of those who seek to evaluate him. As well as offering a series of challenging and detailed interpretations of Gorbachev in and out of power, Gorbachev: Man of the Twentieth Century? sheds light on the nature of political leadership, the problems of historical reputation, the reliability of sources and the essence and meaning of the twentieth century itself.

  • A fresh interpretation of 'the man who ended the Cold War'
  • Examines how Gorbachev's reputations were created
  • Approaches the question of how far we can hope to know an historical figure

Table of Contents:
Introduction: The 'problem' of Gorbachev
Who was Mikhail Gorbachev and where did he come from?
Gorbachev: The inside story
Gorbachev and the Western media: Love in a cold climate
The Soviet view: The slow death of the choreographed leader
Gorbachev remembered: The personality conundrum
Gorbachev assessed: The sorcerer's apprentice?
Gorbachev remembers: Constructing a reputation: from prominence to significance?
Conclusion: Gorbachev, man of the twentieth century?
Bibliography

About the Author(s):
Mark Sandle is Principal Lecturer in Russian and Soviet History at De Montfort University, UK.

Readership:
Undergrduate students of history and politics, and wider trade readership

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