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Russia's Fate Through Russian Eyes
by Heyward Isham • 2019
Russians who dismantled communism discovered that building its replacement was the harder half.
Russia's Fate Through Russian Eyes Summary
Russia's Fate Through Russian Eyes 92%
Russians who dismantled communism discovered that building its replacement was the harder half.
by Heyward Isham 2019
Free
by Lea Ypi • 2021
Communism collapsed. Freedom arrived. The pyramid schemes began, and a nation tore itself apart.
4.31
26k+
Free Summary
Free 91%
Communism collapsed. Freedom arrived. The pyramid schemes began, and a nation tore itself apart.
by Lea Ypi 2021
4.31
26k+ ratings
Kremlin Rising
by Peter Baker • 2005
Putin didn't seize Russia. Russians handed it to him, desperate for order after a decade of chaos.
3.90
332
Kremlin Rising Summary
Kremlin Rising 91%
Putin didn't seize Russia. Russians handed it to him, desperate for order after a decade of chaos.
by Peter Baker 2005
3.90
332 ratings
Socialism Betrayed
by Roger Keeran • 2004
The Soviet collapse wasn't inevitable: a pro-market faction inside the Party dismantled it.
4.37
545
Socialism Betrayed Summary
Socialism Betrayed 90%
The Soviet collapse wasn't inevitable: a pro-market faction inside the Party dismantled it.
by Roger Keeran 2004
4.37
545 ratings
Dressed Up for a Riot
by Michael Idov • 2018
a GQ editor's Moscow: protests fill squares, Pussy Riot faces trial, and cheese turns patriotic.
3.62
274
Dressed Up for a Riot Summary
Dressed Up for a Riot 90%
a GQ editor's Moscow: protests fill squares, Pussy Riot faces trial, and cheese turns patriotic.
by Michael Idov 2018
3.62
274 ratings
In Europe's Shadow
by Robert D. Kaplan • 2016
A thirty-year journey through Romania uncovers the imperial ghosts that haunt Europe's new Cold War.
3.8
1k+
In Europe's Shadow Summary
In Europe's Shadow 89%
A thirty-year journey through Romania uncovers the imperial ghosts that haunt Europe's new Cold War.
by Robert D. Kaplan 2016
3.8
1k+ ratings
The Return of the Russian Leviathan
by Sergei Medvedev • 2017
Governance traded for spectacle: how resentment and distorted history built Putin's Russia.
4.06
337
The Return of the Russian Leviathan Summary
The Return of the Russian Leviathan 89%
Governance traded for spectacle: how resentment and distorted history built Putin's Russia.
by Sergei Medvedev 2017
4.06
337 ratings
Our Dear Friends in Moscow
by Irina Borogan • 2025
Six friends chased a free Russian press. Two decades later, some wrote propaganda, some were dead.
4.07
238
Our Dear Friends in Moscow Summary
Our Dear Friends in Moscow 89%
Six friends chased a free Russian press. Two decades later, some wrote propaganda, some were dead.
by Irina Borogan 2025
4.07
238 ratings
Putinism
by Walter Laqueur • 2015
Oil wealth, Orthodox faith, and a KGB veteran filled the vacuum the Soviet Union left behind.
3.32
260
Putinism Summary
Putinism 89%
Oil wealth, Orthodox faith, and a KGB veteran filled the vacuum the Soviet Union left behind.
by Walter Laqueur 2015
3.32
260 ratings
The Picnic
by Matthew Longo • 2024
August 1989: a picnic on the Hungarian border. The gate opened, and hundreds ran.
4.22
608
The Picnic Summary
The Picnic 89%
August 1989: a picnic on the Hungarian border. The gate opened, and hundreds ran.
by Matthew Longo 2024
4.22
608 ratings
The Oligarchs
by David E. Hoffman • 2002
When the Soviet state collapsed, a few insiders already knew the blueprints for plunder.
4.16
1k+
The Oligarchs Summary
The Oligarchs 89%
When the Soviet state collapsed, a few insiders already knew the blueprints for plunder.
by David E. Hoffman 2002
4.16
1k+ ratings
The Invention of Russia
by Arkady Ostrovsky • 2015
Television became the new Kremlin: how post-Soviet Russia was built on air, not on law.
4.01
2k+
The Invention of Russia Summary
The Invention of Russia 89%
Television became the new Kremlin: how post-Soviet Russia was built on air, not on law.
by Arkady Ostrovsky 2015
4.01
2k+ ratings
Secondhand Time
by Svetlana Alexievich • 2013
A civilization vanished with the USSR, leaving millions unprepared for the freedom they craved.
4.46
22k+
Secondhand Time Summary
Secondhand Time 89%
A civilization vanished with the USSR, leaving millions unprepared for the freedom they craved.
by Svetlana Alexievich 2013
4.46
22k+ ratings
De ce este România altfel?
by Lucian Boia • 2012
A country formed centuries late, borrowed Europe’s surface, ruled by myth: a diagnosis of Romania.
3.84
3k+
De ce este România altfel? Summary
De ce este România altfel? 89%
A country formed centuries late, borrowed Europe’s surface, ruled by myth: a diagnosis of Romania.
by Lucian Boia 2012
3.84
3k+ ratings
The Power of the Powerless
by Václav Havel • 1978
Tyranny runs on the lies ordinary people perform each day. Refuse one, the structure trembles.
4.22
4k+
The Power of the Powerless Summary
The Power of the Powerless 89%
Tyranny runs on the lies ordinary people perform each day. Refuse one, the structure trembles.
by Václav Havel 1978
4.22
4k+ ratings
Shadowplay
by Tim Marshall • 2003
Europe's last war wasn't decided by bombs but by spies, media spin, and a stolen election.
3.87
4k+
Shadowplay Summary
Shadowplay 88%
Europe's last war wasn't decided by bombs but by spies, media spin, and a stolen election.
by Tim Marshall 2003
3.87
4k+ ratings
The Revolution Betrayed
by Leon Trotsky • 1937
Not socialism, not capitalism. Trotsky charts the third system the Russian Revolution produced.
4.09
2k+
The Revolution Betrayed Summary
The Revolution Betrayed 88%
Not socialism, not capitalism. Trotsky charts the third system the Russian Revolution produced.
by Leon Trotsky 1937
4.09
2k+ ratings
Once Upon a Time in Russia
by Ben Mezrich • 2015
A mathematician, a protege, and a poisoned teacup: the making and unmaking of Russia's oligarchs.
3.86
5k+
Once Upon a Time in Russia Summary
Once Upon a Time in Russia 88%
A mathematician, a protege, and a poisoned teacup: the making and unmaking of Russia's oligarchs.
by Ben Mezrich 2015
3.86
5k+ ratings
Winter Is Coming
by Garry Kasparov • 2015
Western money and misplaced goodwill built Putin's war machine: a warning from the front lines.
4.04
4k+
Winter Is Coming Summary
Winter Is Coming 88%
Western money and misplaced goodwill built Putin's war machine: a warning from the front lines.
by Garry Kasparov 2015
4.04
4k+ ratings
La défaite de l'Occident
by Emmanuel Todd • 2024
The Ukraine war exposed not Russian power but a hollowed-out West in terminal decline.
3.96
685
La défaite de l'Occident Summary
La défaite de l'Occident 88%
The Ukraine war exposed not Russian power but a hollowed-out West in terminal decline.
by Emmanuel Todd 2024
3.96
685 ratings
Democracy and Dictatorship in Europe
by Sheri Berman • 2019
Europe's liberal democracy took war, collapse, and destruction of the old order, not gradual reform.
4.13
148
Democracy and Dictatorship in Europe Summary
Democracy and Dictatorship in Europe 88%
Europe's liberal democracy took war, collapse, and destruction of the old order, not gradual reform.
by Sheri Berman 2019
4.13
148 ratings
Zbig
by Edward Luce • 2025
A Polish immigrant who taught a president, outsmarted Kissinger, and foresaw the Soviet collapse.
4.58
544
Zbig Summary
Zbig 88%
A Polish immigrant who taught a president, outsmarted Kissinger, and foresaw the Soviet collapse.
by Edward Luce 2025
4.58
544 ratings
The Practice and Theory of Bolshevism
by Bertrand Russell • 1920
Russell expected a workers' paradise. He found a religion enforced by secret police.
3.99
411
The Practice and Theory of Bolshevism Summary
The Practice and Theory of Bolshevism 88%
Russell expected a workers' paradise. He found a religion enforced by secret police.
by Bertrand Russell 1920
3.99
411 ratings
Alexander Solzhenitsyn
by Elisa Kriza • 2014
Solzhenitsyn became a Cold War saint. The nationalism and anti-Semitism in his work were never read.
4.5
2
Alexander Solzhenitsyn Summary
Alexander Solzhenitsyn 88%
Solzhenitsyn became a Cold War saint. The nationalism and anti-Semitism in his work were never read.
by Elisa Kriza 2014
4.5
2 ratings
House of Trump, House of Putin
by Craig Unger • 2018
Trump's condos laundered billions for the Russian mob, tied to Putin through a single crime boss.
4.02
2k+
House of Trump, House of Putin Summary
House of Trump, House of Putin 88%
Trump's condos laundered billions for the Russian mob, tied to Putin through a single crime boss.
by Craig Unger 2018
4.02
2k+ ratings
Spin Dictators
by Sergei Guriev • 2022
Modern autocrats rule by deception, not terror. How they fake democracy and hide the violence.
3.94
1k+
Spin Dictators Summary
Spin Dictators 88%
Modern autocrats rule by deception, not terror. How they fake democracy and hide the violence.
by Sergei Guriev 2022
3.94
1k+ ratings
Collapse
by Vladislav M. Zubok • 2021
Gorbachev's reforms were meant to save the USSR. Instead, they blew it apart.
4.25
2k+
Collapse Summary
Collapse 88%
Gorbachev's reforms were meant to save the USSR. Instead, they blew it apart.
by Vladislav M. Zubok 2021
4.25
2k+ ratings
Unhumans
by Jack Posobiec • 2024
The playbook that toppled societies from Robespierre to Mao is now targeting the West.
3.99
1k+
Unhumans Summary
Unhumans 88%
The playbook that toppled societies from Robespierre to Mao is now targeting the West.
by Jack Posobiec 2024
3.99
1k+ ratings
Understanding Socialism
by Richard D. Wolff • 2019
The USSR and China were state capitalism, not socialism. The real thing starts with worker co-ops.
4.01
673
Understanding Socialism Summary
Understanding Socialism 88%
The USSR and China were state capitalism, not socialism. The real thing starts with worker co-ops.
by Richard D. Wolff 2019
4.01
673 ratings
Sovietistan
by Erika Fatland • 2014
Why a country made gas and electricity free, and what happened when it all ran out.
4.27
9k+
Sovietistan Summary
Sovietistan 88%
Why a country made gas and electricity free, and what happened when it all ran out.
by Erika Fatland 2014
4.27
9k+ ratings
Patriot
by Alexei Navalny • 2024
Poisoned by the state, arrested on return, dead at 47. His prison cell testament.
4.51
17k+
Patriot Summary
Patriot 88%
Poisoned by the state, arrested on return, dead at 47. His prison cell testament.
by Alexei Navalny 2024
4.51
17k+ ratings
The Red Web
by Andrei Soldatov • 2015
The Soviet Union fell but its surveillance state survived, rewired for the internet age.
3.95
700
The Red Web Summary
The Red Web 88%
The Soviet Union fell but its surveillance state survived, rewired for the internet age.
by Andrei Soldatov 2015
3.95
700 ratings
Hegemony and Socialist Strategy
by Ernesto Laclau • 1985
Consensus is a mirage. Conflict is ineradicable; any left project that forgets this fails.
3.82
1k+
Hegemony and Socialist Strategy Summary
Hegemony and Socialist Strategy 88%
Consensus is a mirage. Conflict is ineradicable; any left project that forgets this fails.
by Ernesto Laclau 1985
3.82
1k+ ratings
The Road to Unfreedom
by Timothy Snyder • 2018
The 2016 election was the target of a Russian authoritarian project decades in the making.
4.37
11k+
The Road to Unfreedom Summary
The Road to Unfreedom 88%
The 2016 election was the target of a Russian authoritarian project decades in the making.
by Timothy Snyder 2018
4.37
11k+ ratings
Eastward to Tartary
by Robert D. Kaplan • 2001
From Budapest to the Caspian, a journey through lands where history refuses to end.
4.05
2k+
Eastward to Tartary Summary
Eastward to Tartary 88%
From Budapest to the Caspian, a journey through lands where history refuses to end.
by Robert D. Kaplan 2001
4.05
2k+ ratings
Madam Ambassador
by Eleni Kounalakis • 2015
Orbán's supermajority could rewrite Hungary. She was the American ambassador inside the room.
3.77
110
Madam Ambassador Summary
Madam Ambassador 88%
Orbán's supermajority could rewrite Hungary. She was the American ambassador inside the room.
by Eleni Kounalakis 2015
3.77
110 ratings
Main Currents Of Marxism
by Leszek Kołakowski • 2005
Marxism's own contradictions made authoritarianism inevitable, not an aberration.
4.25
455
Main Currents Of Marxism Summary
Main Currents Of Marxism 88%
Marxism's own contradictions made authoritarianism inevitable, not an aberration.
by Leszek Kołakowski 2005
4.25
455 ratings
Popular Dictatorships
by Aleksandar Matovski • 2022
The ballot box is not a check on authoritarianism but its most powerful source of legitimacy.
3.56
16
Popular Dictatorships Summary
Popular Dictatorships 88%
The ballot box is not a check on authoritarianism but its most powerful source of legitimacy.
by Aleksandar Matovski 2022
3.56
16 ratings
Autocracy, Inc.
by Anne Applebaum • 2024
A global network of dictators runs autocracies like for-profit firms. Democracies bankroll them.
4.16
19k+
Autocracy, Inc. Summary
Autocracy, Inc. 88%
A global network of dictators runs autocracies like for-profit firms. Democracies bankroll them.
by Anne Applebaum 2024
4.16
19k+ ratings
Red Notice
by Bill Browder • 2015
His lawyer died in a Moscow jail. To punish the men responsible, he wrote a US law.
4.44
110k+
Red Notice Summary
Red Notice 88%
His lawyer died in a Moscow jail. To punish the men responsible, he wrote a US law.
by Bill Browder 2015
4.44
110k+ ratings
What Is to Be Done?
by Vladimir Lenin • 1902
Workers alone only win wage fights. A secret vanguard must bring revolutionary thought from outside.
4.11
6k+
What Is to Be Done? Summary
What Is to Be Done? 87%
Workers alone only win wage fights. A secret vanguard must bring revolutionary thought from outside.
by Vladimir Lenin 1902
4.11
6k+ ratings
An Immigrant's Love Letter to the West
by Konstantin Kisin • 2022
A Russian immigrant watches the West abandon freedoms his family fled the Soviet Union to reach.
4.24
2k+
An Immigrant's Love Letter to the West Summary
An Immigrant's Love Letter to the West 87%
A Russian immigrant watches the West abandon freedoms his family fled the Soviet Union to reach.
by Konstantin Kisin 2022
4.24
2k+ ratings
Motherland
by Julia Ioffe • 2025
How Russian autocracy was built on women's bodies and labor, from Bolshevik liberation to Putin.
4.53
3k+
Motherland Summary
Motherland 87%
How Russian autocracy was built on women's bodies and labor, from Bolshevik liberation to Putin.
by Julia Ioffe 2025
4.53
3k+ ratings
Contesting Democracy
by Jan-Werner Müller • 2006
It wasn't democracy versus its enemies. It was a fight over what 'democracy' actually meant.
4.00
159
Contesting Democracy Summary
Contesting Democracy 87%
It wasn't democracy versus its enemies. It was a fight over what 'democracy' actually meant.
by Jan-Werner Müller 2006
4.00
159 ratings
Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking
by Anya von Bremzen • 2013
Three generations, one collapsing empire, and the dishes that defined them: a Soviet family memoir.
4.03
5k+
Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking Summary
Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking 87%
Three generations, one collapsing empire, and the dishes that defined them: a Soviet family memoir.
by Anya von Bremzen 2013
4.03
5k+ ratings
Bloodlands
by Timothy Snyder • 2010
14 million murdered between Hitler and Stalin, a zone where each regime's massacres fed the other's.
4.39
20k+
Bloodlands Summary
Bloodlands 87%
14 million murdered between Hitler and Stalin, a zone where each regime's massacres fed the other's.
by Timothy Snyder 2010
4.39
20k+ ratings
The Case Against Socialism
by Rand Paul • 2019
Why socialism always ends in bread lines and body counts, from Venezuela to Mao's China.
4.18
1k+
The Case Against Socialism Summary
The Case Against Socialism 87%
Why socialism always ends in bread lines and body counts, from Venezuela to Mao's China.
by Rand Paul 2019
4.18
1k+ ratings
After the Fall
by Ben Rhodes • 2022
America's post-Cold War mistakes taught the world's authoritarians how to dismantle democracy.
4.15
157
After the Fall Summary
After the Fall 87%
America's post-Cold War mistakes taught the world's authoritarians how to dismantle democracy.
by Ben Rhodes 2022
4.15
157 ratings
October
by China Miéville • 2017
Ten months, one empire, and a revolution that no one had written the ending for.
3.91
7k+
October Summary
October 87%
Ten months, one empire, and a revolution that no one had written the ending for.
by China Miéville 2017
3.91
7k+ ratings
The Socialist Manifesto
by Bhaskar Sunkara • 2019
Capitalism was an accident, socialism a response. A history of what followed, and what comes next.
3.62
2k+
The Socialist Manifesto Summary
The Socialist Manifesto 87%
Capitalism was an accident, socialism a response. A history of what followed, and what comes next.
by Bhaskar Sunkara 2019
3.62
2k+ ratings
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