Moscow, December 25, 1991 : The Last Day of the Soviet Union

The implosion of the Soviet Union was the culmination of a gripping game played out between two men who intensely disliked each other and had different concepts for the future. Mikhail Gorbachev, a sophisticated and urbane reformer, sought to modernize and preserve the USSR; Boris Yeltsin, a coarse and a hard drinking “bulldozer,” wished to destroy the union and create a capitalist Russia. The defeat of the August 1991 coup attempt, carried out by hardline communists, shook Gorbachev’s authority and was a triumph for Yeltsin. But it took four months of intrigue and double-dealing before the Soviet Union collapsed and the day arrived when Yeltsin could hustle Gorbachev out of the Kremlin, and move in as ruler of Russia. Conor O’Clery has written a unique and truly suspenseful thriller of the day the Soviet Union died. The internal power plays, the shifting alliances, the betrayals, the mysterious three colonels carrying the briefcase with the nuclear codes, and the jockeying to exploit the future are worthy of John Le Carré or Alan Furst. The Cold War’s last act was a magnificent dark drama played out in the shadows of the Kremlin. Genre : History Pages : 449.0 Quality : 5 Formats : EPUB, MOBI Words : 126185.0 The implosion of the Soviet Union was the culmination of a gripping game played out between two men who intensely disliked each other and had different concepts for the future. Mikhail Gorbachev, a sophisticated and urbane reformer, sought to modernize and preserve the USSR; Boris Yeltsin, a coarse and a hard drinking bulldozer, wished to destroy the union and create a capitalist Russia. The defeat of the August 1991 coup attempt, carried out by hardline communists, shook Gorbachevs authority and was a triumph for Yeltsin. But it took four months of intrigue and double-dealing before the Soviet Union finally collapsed, and the day arrived when Yeltsin could hustle Gorbachev out of the Kremlin, and move in as ruler of Russia. Conor OClery has written a unique and truly suspenseful thriller of the day the Soviet Union died. The internal power plays, the shifting alliances, the betrayals, the mysterious three colonels carrying the briefcase with the nuclear codes, and the jockeying to exploit the future are worthy of John Le Carr or Alan Furst. The Cold Wars last act was a magnificent dark drama played out in the shadows of the Kremlin. The implosion of the Soviet Union was the culmination of a gripping game played out between two men who intensely disliked each other and had different concepts for the future. Mikhail Gorbachev, a sophisticated and urbane reformer, sought to modernize and preserve the USSR; Boris Yeltsin, a coarse and a hard drinking "bulldozer," wished to destroy the union and create a capitalist Russia. The defeat of the August 1991 coup attempt by hardline communists shook Gorbachev's authority and was a triumph for Yeltsin. But it took four months of intrigue and double-dealing before Yeltsin could hustle Gorbachev out of the Kremlin. Conor O'Clery has written a truly suspenseful thriller of the Cold War's final act: the internal power plays, the shifting alliances, the betrayals, the mysterious three colonels carrying the briefcase with the nuclear codes, and the jockeying to exploit the future.--From publisher description Russian/Soviet dramatis personae Preface Introduction December 25 : Before the dawn December 25 : Sunrise Hiring the bulldozer December 25 : Morning The storming of Moscow December 25 : Midmorning A bucket full of filth December 25 : Late morning Back from the dead December 25 : Midday Knee deep in kerosene December 25 : Early afternoon Dictatorship on the offensive December 25 : Midafternoon Hijacking Barbara Bush December 25 : Late afternoon Perfidiousness, lawlessness, and infamy December 25 : Dusk Things fall apart December 25 : Early evening The center cannot hold December 25 : Evening The deal in the Walnut Room December 25 : Late evening December 25 : Night December 25 : Late night December 26 : The day after December 27 : Triumph of the plunderers The integrity of the quarrel