The Dream That Failed: Reflections on the Soviet Union - Hardcover

This study attempts to answer those crucial questions intriguing historians and observers of the world scene, such as: why was there a revolution in Russia?; why did many in Russia and the West sincerely believe in communism?; why did most Sovietologists, diplomats and journalists fail to see the collapse?; why did the revolutionary regime last so long?; and when was the loss of faith first recognized? The author offers some speculations on the direction in which Russia is now heading, and gives particular attention to the role of nationalism.

About the Author: Walter Laqueur as been hailed as "one of our most distinguished scholars of modern European history" (New York Times Book Review), and "one of the most remarkable men in the Western world working in the field,"(Journal of Modern History). His most recent study of the Russian extreme right was described as "a model to study Russia" (American Historical Review). Walter Laqueur was for twenty-five years the director of the Institute of Contemporary History and the Wiener Library in London. He is editor of the Journal of Contemporary History and serves as chairman of the International Research Council at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. His books, which have been translated into many languagues, include Black Hundred, Russia and Germany, The Long Road to Freedom, The Fate of the Revolution, Terrorism, and most recently an autobiography, Thursday's Child has Far to Go.