In this widely praised book, Vladislav Zubok argues that Western interpretations
of the Cold War have erred by exaggerating either the Kremlin's pragmatism or
its aggressiveness. Explaining the interests, aspirations, illusions, fears, and
misperceptions of the Kremlin leaders and Soviet elites, Zubok offers a Soviet
perspective on the greatest standoff of the twentieth century. Using recently
declassified Politburo records, ciphered telegrams, diaries, and taped
conversations, among other sources, Zubok offers the first work in English to
cover the entire Cold War from the Soviet side. A Failed Empire provides a
history quite different from those written by the Western victors. In a new
preface for this edition, the