Muppets In Moscow

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Muppets in Moscow

Author : Natasha Lance Rogoff
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 153816129X
Total Pages : 303 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (381 download)

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Book Synopsis Muppets in Moscow by : Natasha Lance Rogoff

Download or read book Muppets in Moscow written by Natasha Lance Rogoff and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2022-10-17 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: FINALIST - 2023 PUSHKIN HOUSE BOOK PRIZE “A gem of a book! A must read for anyone looking to understand Russia better!” — Clarissa Ward, CNN chief international correspondent and author of On All Fronts After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the timing appeared perfect to bring Sesame Street to millions of children living in the former Soviet Union. With the Muppets envisioned as ideal ambassadors of Western values, no one anticipated just how challenging and dangerous this would prove to be. In Muppets in Moscow: The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia, Natasha Lance Rogoff brings this gripping tale to life. Amidst bombings, assassinations, and a military takeover of the production office, Lance Rogoff and the talented Moscow team of artists, writers, musicians, filmmakers, and puppeteers remained determined to bring laughter, learning, and a new way of seeing the world to children in Russia, Ukraine and across the former Soviet empire. With a sharp wit and compassion for her colleagues, Lance Rogoff observes how cultural clashes colored nearly every aspect of the production—from the show’s educational framework to writing comedy to the new Russian Muppets themselves—despite the team’s common goal. Brimming with insight and nuance, Muppets in Moscow skillfully explores the post-Soviet societal tensions that continue to thwart the Russian people’s efforts to create a better future for their country. More than just a story of a children’s show, this book provides a valuable perspective of Russia’s people, their culture, and their complicated relationship with the West that remains relevant even today.

Memoirs of a Muppets Writer

Author : Joseph A. Bailey
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780615495583
Total Pages : 284 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (955 download)

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Book Synopsis Memoirs of a Muppets Writer by : Joseph A. Bailey

Download or read book Memoirs of a Muppets Writer written by Joseph A. Bailey and published by . This book was released on 2011-12-05 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In his 20 year affiliation with Jim Henson's Muppets Joseph A. Bailey was a staff writer on both Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. He also co-wrote the television specials Big Bird in China, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street and Rocky Mountain Holiday, starring John Denver and the Muppets on location in Aspen, Colorado. Additionally, Mr. Bailey wrote Sesame Street song lyrics, albums, five 90-minute Sesame Street Live! musicals, Muppet Business Meeting Films and special material for Big Bird's appearances in the White House and Carnegie Hall. The Muppet Show guest stars he wrote for include George Burns, Bob Hope, Steve Martin, Rudolf Nureyev, John Cleese, Milton Berle and Peter Sellers. For his writing, Mr. Bailey has garnered 5 Emmys, 3 Emmy nominations, a Writers Guild of America Award and a George Foster Peabody Award. Mr. Bailey lives in Manhattan with his wife, Gail. He indulges in occasional long-distance motorcycle trips and claims to speak French and play piano to the equal amusement of others.

"Sesame Street" and the Reform of Children's Television

Author : Robert W. Morrow
Publisher : JHU Press
ISBN 13 : 1421407108
Total Pages : 366 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (214 download)

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Book Synopsis "Sesame Street" and the Reform of Children's Television by : Robert W. Morrow

Download or read book "Sesame Street" and the Reform of Children's Television written by Robert W. Morrow and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2008-12-08 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “[An] accessible, well-researched introduction to the people and principles behind the show’s creation . . . Essential.” —Choice (An Outstanding Academic Title of the Year) By the late 1960s more than a few critics of American culture groused about the condition of television programming and, in particular, the quality and content of television shows for children. In the eyes of the reform-minded, commercial television crassly exploited young viewers; its violence and tastelessness served no higher purpose than the bottom line. The Children’s Television Workshop (CTW)—and its fresh approach to writing and producing programs for kids—emerged from this growing concern. Sesame Street—CTW’s flagship hour-long show—aimed to demonstrate how television could help all preschoolers, including low-income urban children, prepare for first grade. In this engaging study Robert W. Morrow explores the origins and inner workings of CTW, how the workshop in New York scripted and designed Sesame Street, and how the show became both a model for network television and a thorn in its side. Through extensive archival research and a systematic study of sample programs from Sesame Street’s first ten seasons, Morrow tells the story of Sesame Street’s creation; the ideas, techniques, organization, and funding behind it; its place in public discourse; and its ultimate and unfortunate failure as an agent of commercial television reform. “An insightful look at American children's television.” —Library Journal

The Dao of Complexity

Author : Jean Boulton
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN 13 : 3110981211
Total Pages : 430 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (19 download)

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Book Synopsis The Dao of Complexity by : Jean Boulton

Download or read book The Dao of Complexity written by Jean Boulton and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2024-09-23 with total page 430 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The pandemic, climate change, rising populism, geo-political unrest – just a few of the issues causing turbulence in today’s world. We are living and working in times that are complex and fast changing. The Dao of Complexity is a book about challenging and deepening worldviews. It explores the remarkable resonance between complexity and Daoism, engaging with the processual, contextual and emergent nature both of ourselves and of the world of which we are a part. It connects to ideas from such diverse fields as quantum physics, brain science, political theory and economics. Jean asks what ‘making sense’ of the world means in these turbulent times and how that can galvanise action for those of us trying to make a difference, trying to ‘make waves’ in a world of increasing connectivity, polarisation and fragility. Taking its lead from Daoist texts, the design encourages readers to open at any page and use the short, stand-alone, yet networked pieces as reflective starting points. This book will be of interest to scholars and those striving for social change, as well as managers and policy makers looking for inspiration. The general reader interested in science, philosophy and ancient wisdom will find relatable material to explore how to engage effectively in this complex world.

Muppets in My Neighborhood

Author : Harry McNaught
Publisher : Random House Books for Young Readers
ISBN 13 : 9780394835938
Total Pages : 14 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (359 download)

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Book Synopsis Muppets in My Neighborhood by : Harry McNaught

Download or read book Muppets in My Neighborhood written by Harry McNaught and published by Random House Books for Young Readers. This book was released on 1977 with total page 14 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sesame Street characters introduce familiar occupations.

Hidden Villages of Britain

Author : Clare Gogerty
Publisher : Batsford Books
ISBN 13 : 1849944873
Total Pages : 430 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (499 download)

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Book Synopsis Hidden Villages of Britain by : Clare Gogerty

Download or read book Hidden Villages of Britain written by Clare Gogerty and published by Batsford Books. This book was released on 2018-02-15 with total page 430 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The official TV-tie in to the popular Channel 4 programme 'Penelope Keith's Hidden Villages' Explore the most interesting and beautiful examples of British village life in this lavishly illustrated book, published as a companion volume to the highly successful Channel 4 television series, 'Penelope Keith's Hidden Villages'. Featuring gorgeous illustrations and dust jackets from Brian Cook's iconic designs, the book explores the villages as they appeared then and now. It's hard not to be enchanted by rural villages. From thatched roofs, charming churches, bunting, cream teas and the local landscape, they capture our imaginations. Structured by region, this book follows Penelope's journey through Britain across all four series, including the idyllic villages found in the Costwolds, the cosy cottages of East Anglia and the treasures nestled in the North Yorkshire moors. Pictured alongside Brian Cook's iconic illustrations, Hidden Villages of Britain takes you through the fascinating history and the curious customs and characters unique to each village and how they survive in the present. From bog snorkelling in Llanwrtyd Wells and gravy wrestling in Stacksteads to cheese rolling down Cooper's Hill in Brockworth and dwile flocking (where contestants seek to soak their opponents with a beer-soaked cloth outside the village pub), snippets of the history, life and traditions of each village are fully explored. Whether you are looking for a place for your next holiday, a guide to Britain's rural landscape or have a love for Britain's most inspirational settings, this book is perfect for the armchair traveller.

Street Gang

Author : Michael Davis
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 1440658757
Total Pages : 404 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (46 download)

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Book Synopsis Street Gang by : Michael Davis

Download or read book Street Gang written by Michael Davis and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2008-12-26 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now an acclaimed documentary from Screen Media, the New York Times bestselling account of the story behind one of the most influential, durable, and beloved shows in the history of television: Sesame Street. “Davis tracks down every Sesame anecdote and every Sesame personality in his book . . . Finally, we get to touch Big Bird's feathers.” —The New York Times Book Review Sesame Street is the longest-running-and arguably most beloved- children's television program ever created. Today, it reaches some six million preschoolers weekly in the United States and countless others in 140 countries around the world. Street Gang is the compelling, comical, and inspiring story of a media masterpiece and pop-culture landmark. Television reporter and columnist Michael Davis-with the complete participation of Joan Ganz Cooney, one of the show's founders-unveils the idealistic personalities, decades of social and cultural change, stories of compassion and personal sacrifice, and miraculous efforts of writers, producers, directors, and puppeteers that together transformed an empty soundstage into the most recognizable block of real estate in television history.

My Profession

Author : Sergei Obraztsov
Publisher : The Minerva Group, Inc.
ISBN 13 : 158963456X
Total Pages : 257 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (896 download)

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Book Synopsis My Profession by : Sergei Obraztsov

Download or read book My Profession written by Sergei Obraztsov and published by The Minerva Group, Inc.. This book was released on 2001 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A profile of the authors life as a famous Soviet puppeteer and puppet theatre director. He describes childhood impressions, writes of earlier professions as artist and actor, and finally about his personal experiences with puppetry which helped him achieve mastery of his craft.Born in Moscow in 1901, he describes every step he took to his profession, how he worked on individual productions, and an account of all of his productions. In the 1920s Sergei Obraztsov founded the State Central Puppet Theatre in Moscow --- the biggest in Russia, an educational center of professional and amateurs theatre groups. The center houses the museum of theatrical puppets, a library on the theme, manuscript and pedagogical departments, and one of the worlds largest collection of theatrical puppets (about 3000 from 50 countries). Now over 50 years old, The Sergei Obraztsov Central Puppet Show has entertained tens-of-thousands of fans in 50 different countries, with a witty program that parodies slipshod variety performances.

A Third Face

Author : Samuel Fuller
Publisher : Hal Leonard Corporation
ISBN 13 : 9781557836274
Total Pages : 612 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (362 download)

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Book Synopsis A Third Face by : Samuel Fuller

Download or read book A Third Face written by Samuel Fuller and published by Hal Leonard Corporation. This book was released on 2004 with total page 612 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: (Applause Books). Winner of Best Non-Fiction for 2002 Award from the Los Angeles Times Book Review! Samuel Fuller was one of the most prolific and independent writer-director-producers in Hollywood. His 29 tough, gritty films made from 1949 to 1989 set out to capture the truth of war, racism and human frailties, and incorporate some of his own experiences. His film Park Row was inspired by his years in the New York newspaper business, where his beat included murders, suicides, state executions and race riots. He writes about hitchhiking across the country at the height of the Great Depression. His years in the army in World War II are captured in his hugely successful pictures The Big Red One , The Steel Helmet and Merrill's Marauders . Fuller's other films include Pickup on South Street ; Underworld U.S.A. , a movie that shows how gangsters in the 1960s were seen as "respected" tax-paying executives; Shock Corridor , which exposed the conditions in mental institutions; and White Dog , written in collaboration with Curtis Hanson ( L.A. Confidential ), a film so controversial that Paramount's then studio heads Jeffrey Katzenberg and Michael Eisner refused to release it. In addition to his work in film, Samuel Fuller (1911-1997) wrote eleven novels. He lived in Los Angeles with his wife and their daughter. A Third Face was completed by Jerome Henry Rudes, Fuller's longtime friend, and his wife, Christa Lang Fuller. "Fuller wasn't one for tactful understatement and his hot-blooded, incident-packed autobiography is accordingly blunt ... A Third Face is a grand, lively, rambunctious memoir." Janet Maslin, The New York Times ; "Fuller's last work is a joy and an important addition to film and popular culture literature." Publishers Weekly ; "If you don't like the films of Sam Fuller, then you just don't like cinema." Martin Scorsese, from the book's introduction

Corresponding with Carlos

Author : Charles Barber
Publisher : Scarecrow Press
ISBN 13 : 0810881438
Total Pages : 405 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (18 download)

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Book Synopsis Corresponding with Carlos by : Charles Barber

Download or read book Corresponding with Carlos written by Charles Barber and published by Scarecrow Press. This book was released on 2011 with total page 405 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Carlos Kleiber (1930-2004) was the greatest conductor of his generation. His reputation is legendary, and yet astonishingly-during five decades on the podium-he conducted only 89 concerts and some 600 opera performance, and produced 12 recordings. How did someone who worked so little compared to his peers achieve so much? Between his relatively small output and well-known aversion to publicity, many came to regard Kleiber as reclusive and remote, bordering on unapproachable. But in 1989 a conducting student at Stanford University wrote him a letter, and an unusual thing occurred: the world-renowned conductor replied. And so began a 15-year correspondence, study, and friendship by mail. Drawing heavily on this decade-and-a-half exchange, Corresponding with Carlos is the first English-language biography of Kleiber. Based on their long and detailed correspondence, Charles Barber offers unique insights into how Kleiber worked. This examination of one friend by another considers, among other matters, Kleiber's singular aesthetic, his playful and often erudite sense of humor, his reputation for perfectionism, his much-studied baton technique, and the famous concert and opera performances he conducted. Comic and compelling, Corresponding with Carlos explores the great conductor's musical lineage and the contemporary contexts in which he worked. It repudiates the myths that inevitably surround his genius and reflects on Kleiber's contribution to modern musical performance. This biography is ideal for musicians, scholars, and anyone with a special love of the great classical music tradition. Book jacket.

How to Hold Animals

Author : Toshimitsu Matsuhashi
Publisher : Scribner
ISBN 13 : 1982155914
Total Pages : 128 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (821 download)

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Book Synopsis How to Hold Animals by : Toshimitsu Matsuhashi

Download or read book How to Hold Animals written by Toshimitsu Matsuhashi and published by Scribner. This book was released on 2020-11-03 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How to Hold Animals is the irresistible guide to holding more than forty critters according to advice from wildlife specialists. Learn from the experts—a pet shop owner, a veterinarian, a wildlife photographer, and a reptile handler—how to pick up and hold dozens of species of animals, great and small, furry, scaly, and feathery, including snails, chipmunks, chickens, chinchillas, stag beetles, lizards, hamsters, owls, grasshoppers, mice, and more. Chock full of fascinating facts, interviews with experts, and full-color photos on every page, How to Hold Animals will delight and inform animal lovers of all stripes.

Jim Henson

Author : Brian Jay Jones
Publisher : Ballantine Books
ISBN 13 : 0345526139
Total Pages : 434 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (455 download)

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Book Synopsis Jim Henson by : Brian Jay Jones

Download or read book Jim Henson written by Brian Jay Jones and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2013-09-24 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • For the first time ever—a comprehensive biography of one of the twentieth century’s most innovative creative artists: the incomparable, irreplaceable Jim Henson He was a gentle dreamer whose genial bearded visage was recognized around the world, but most people got to know him only through the iconic characters born of his fertile imagination: Kermit the Frog, Bert and Ernie, Miss Piggy, Big Bird. The Muppets made Jim Henson a household name, but they were just part of his remarkable story. This extraordinary biography—written with the generous cooperation of the Henson family—covers the full arc of Henson’s all-too-brief life: from his childhood in Leland, Mississippi, through the years of burgeoning fame in America, to the decade of international celebrity that preceded his untimely death at age fifty-three. Drawing on hundreds of hours of new interviews with Henson's family, friends, and closest collaborators, as well as unprecedented access to private family and company archives, Brian Jay Jones explores the creation of the Muppets, Henson’s contributions to Sesame Street and Saturday Night Live, and his nearly ten-year campaign to bring The Muppet Show to television. Jones provides the imaginative context for Henson’s non-Muppet projects, including the richly imagined worlds of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth—as well as fascinating misfires like Henson’s dream of opening an inflatable psychedelic nightclub. An uncommonly intimate portrait, Jim Henson captures all the facets of this American original: the master craftsman who revolutionized the presentation of puppets on television, the savvy businessman whose dealmaking prowess won him a reputation as “the new Walt Disney,” and the creative team leader whose collaborative ethos earned him the undying loyalty of everyone who worked for him. Here also is insight into Henson’s intensely private personal life: his Christian Science upbringing, his love of fast cars and expensive art, and his weakness for women. Though an optimist by nature, Henson was haunted by the notion that he would not have time to do all the things he wanted to do in life—a fear that his heartbreaking final hours would prove all too well founded. An up-close look at the charmed life of a legend, Jim Henson gives the full measure to a man whose joyful genius transcended age, language, geography, and culture—and continues to beguile audiences worldwide. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY BOOKPAGE “Jim Henson vibrantly delves into the magnificent man and his Muppet methods: It’s an absolute must-read!”—Neil Patrick Harris “An exhaustive work that is never exhausting, a credit both to Jones’s brisk style and to Henson’s exceptional life.”—The New York Times “[A] sweeping portrait that is a mix of humor, mirth and poignancy.”—Washington Independent Review of Books “A meticulously researched tome chock-full of gems about the Muppets and the most thorough portrait of their creator ever crafted.”—Associated Press

The Ghost Army of World War II

Author : Rick Beyer
Publisher : Chronicle Books
ISBN 13 : 1797225308
Total Pages : 275 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (972 download)

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Book Synopsis The Ghost Army of World War II by : Rick Beyer

Download or read book The Ghost Army of World War II written by Rick Beyer and published by Chronicle Books. This book was released on 2023-10-10 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A riveting tale told through personal accounts and sketches along the way—ultimately, a story of success against great odds. I enjoyed it enormously.” —Tom Brokaw The first book to tell the full story of how a traveling road show of artists wielding imagination, paint, and bravado saved thousands of American lives—now updated with new material. In the summer of 1944, a handpicked group of young GIs—artists, designers, architects, and sound engineers, including such future luminaries as Bill Blass, Ellsworth Kelly, Arthur Singer, Victor Dowd, Art Kane, and Jack Masey—landed in France to conduct a secret mission. From Normandy to the Rhine, the 1,100 men of the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, known as the Ghost Army, conjured up phony convoys, phantom divisions, and make-believe headquarters to fool the enemy about the strength and location of American units. Every move they made was top secret, and their story was hushed up for decades after the war's end. Hundreds of color and black-and-white photographs, along with maps, official memos, and letters, accompany Rick Beyer and Elizabeth Sayles’s meticulous research and interviews with many of the soldiers, weaving a compelling narrative of how an unlikely team carried out amazing battlefield deceptions that saved thousands of American lives and helped open the way for the final drive to Germany. The stunning art created between missions also offers a glimpse of life behind the lines during World War II. This updated edition includes: A new afterword by co-author Rick Beyer Never-before-seen additional images The successful campaign to have the unit awarded a Congressional Gold Medal History and WWII enthusiasts will find The Ghost Army of World War II an essential addition to their library.

What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding

Author : Kristin Newman
Publisher : Crown
ISBN 13 : 0804137609
Total Pages : 337 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (41 download)

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Book Synopsis What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding by : Kristin Newman

Download or read book What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding written by Kristin Newman and published by Crown. This book was released on 2014-05-20 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A “truly hilarious” (Glamour), sexy, and ultimately poignant memoir about mastering the art of the “vacationship” from a writer and co-executive producer of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building—now with a new afterword “What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding is kind of like if Eat, Pray, Love were written by your funniest friend.”—Rachel Dratch Kristin Newman spent much of her twenties and thirties buying dresses to wear to her friends’ weddings and baby showers. Not ready to settle down and in need of an escape from her fast-paced job as a sitcom writer, Kristin instead traveled the world, often alone, for several weeks each year. In addition to falling madly in love with the planet, Kristin fell for many attractive locals, men who could provide the emotional connection she wanted without costing her the freedom she desperately needed. Kristin introduces readers to the Israeli bartenders, Finnish poker players, sexy Bedouins, and Argentinean priests who helped her transform into “Kristin-Adjacent” on the road–a slower, softer, and, yes, sluttier version of herself at home. Equal parts laugh-out-loud storytelling, candid reflection, and wanderlust-inspiring travel tales, What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding is a compelling debut that will have readers rushing to renew their passports.

Jim Henson's Muppets in Something Special

Author : Michaela Muntean
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780717282722
Total Pages : 32 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (827 download)

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Book Synopsis Jim Henson's Muppets in Something Special by : Michaela Muntean

Download or read book Jim Henson's Muppets in Something Special written by Michaela Muntean and published by . This book was released on 1992 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Muppets on Vacation

Author : Muppets
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780394849829
Total Pages : 52 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (498 download)

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Book Synopsis Muppets on Vacation by : Muppets

Download or read book Muppets on Vacation written by Muppets and published by . This book was released on 1982-03-12 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Soviet Politics 1917-1991

Author : Mary McAuley
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN 13 : 9780198780663
Total Pages : 132 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (86 download)

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Book Synopsis Soviet Politics 1917-1991 by : Mary McAuley

Download or read book Soviet Politics 1917-1991 written by Mary McAuley and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 1992 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the space of mere months in 1991, the Soviet Union saw an attempted coup fail, Gorbachev leave office, the Baltic states acquire independence, Leningrad vote to rename itself St Petersburg, the Communist Party disband, and the Russian flag fly over the Kremlin. One of the world's great powers--a country of some 200 nationalities stretching across a dozen time zones--had simply disintegrated, ending an epoch in world history. Now, for the first time, we are able to look back and assess the complete 75 year experiment with communism. Based on extensive research and a first-hand knowledge of the Soviet system, Soviet Politics: 1917-1991 offers an authoritative and lively history of the entire spectrum of Soviet politics, from the October Revolution and the rise of Lenin to the emergence of the Commonwealth of Independent States. McAuley ranges from the Revolution to the unprecedented crash industrialization and social mobility, to dictatorship and mass terror under Stalin, to conservative state control under Krushchev, Kosygin, and Brezhnev, and finally to the swift collapse of the state. The author offers a particularly stimulating analysis of the developments that brought an end to communist party rule and the breakup of the Soviet Union. She describes, for instance, how the 1989 elections undermined the Communist Party's assumption of unqualified popular support (Yeltsin, the bete noire of the Moscow party, was swept in, and Soloviev, a deputy member of the Politburo, who ran unopposed in Leningrad, failed to garner 50% of the vote). She shows how the Congress of that year, televised nationally, revealed to a wrapt nation a Party no longer solidly united behind one stand, where deputies openly criticized the government, the KGB, and the Afghan war. And she paints a striking portrait of Gorbachev trying to reconcile irreconcilable interests, to heal the rift between Democrats and Party conservatives, as the center began to unravel. By the end of 1991, the USSR was gone forever, with momentous and unpredictable consequences not only for the peoples of the former Soviet Union, but for the world as a whole. Soviet Politics helps readers make sense of the developments since 1985, showing how and why the system fell apart. It will interest anyone wanting a full understanding of current world events.