The Uses of History: Understanding the Soviet Union and Russia

Exploring Soviet and Russian history and politics, The Uses of History brings together the classic essays of renowned scholar Alexander Dallin. The author provides insightful analysis and nuanced interpretations of such key—and controversial—issues as the domestic sources of Soviet foreign policy, Stalin's leadership in World War II, U.S.-Russian relations in the Reagan era, the causes of USSR's collapse, and the disappointments of Russia's post-Soviet evolution. Dallin rejects single-factor explanations for Soviet and Russian policies, instead examining the complex interplay of internal and external conditions, institutions, and individual leadership. All readers interested in Soviet and post-Soviet history will find this collection a stimulating and deeply knowledgeable resource.

Alexander Dallin (1924–2000) was director of the Center for Russian and East European Studies and Raymond A. Spruance Professor of International History at Stanford University. Gail W. Lapidus is senior fellow emerita at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University and Emerita Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley.