‘Hugely authoritative’ TLS
‘channels the pithy, punchy spirit of the great Norman Stone’ SPECTATOR
‘Close to a miracle… immensely readable’ SLAVOJ ZIZEK
From Revolution and Lenin to Stalin’s Terror, from the Great Patriotic War to Gorbachev, The Shortest History of the Soviet Union is a vivid account of the life and death of a unique empire, written by one of the world’s foremost experts.
This is a masterpiece of history writing – essential reading for anyone who wants to understand this century as well as the last.
'Hugely authoritative'
—TLS
Sheila Fitzpatrick is a leading authority on the history of the Soviet Union. She regularly contributes to the London Review of Books, and is the multi-award winning author of many books, including Everyday Stalinism, On Stalin's Team and The Russian Revolution.