Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Sovereignty, Federalism, and Soviet Nationality Policy Chapter 3 Perestroika and the Parade of Sovereignties Chapter 4 Sovereignty for the Autonomies Chapter 5 Multiple Sovereignty and the New Union Treaty Chapter 6 Sovereignty as Independence Chapter 7 Conclusion Part 8 Suggested Additional Readings
Edward W. Walker is executive director, Berkeley Program in Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies, University of California, Berkeley, and adjunct associate professor, Department of Political Science, University of California, Berkeley.
Walker reminds the reader with skillfully reconstructed detail of
the intricate and delicate emendations of 'sovereignty' already
underway in Moscow and the republics before the collapse.
*Foreign Affairs*
This is the best available description of how and why the Soviet
Union was transformed into fifteen independent states. A terrific
book!
*Yuri Slezkine, University of California, Berkeley*
An elegantly written, lucid discussion of why the Soviet Union fell
apart in precisely the way that it did. The book also offers a
convincing explanation of why the autonomous formations within the
USSR were unable to achieve independence and international
recognition.
*John B. Dunlop, Stanford University*
Walker's book blends theoretical sophistication, intimate knowledge
of the Soviet system's nature and inner workings, and a real sense
of history. It is a highly ambitious and successful effort to
grapple with one of the most momentous events of our time.
*M. Steven Fish, University of California, Berkeley*
Ned Walker tells a fascinating, compelling story of a cascade of
events and decisions that led to an outcome few had anticipated.
The scholarship is excellent; the tone, the balance, and the
fairness of Walker’s judgments are commendable.
*Ronald Grigor Suny, William H. Sewell Jr. Distinguished University
Professor of History and Political Science, University of
Michigan*
The demise of the Soviet Union remains a mystery for both
politicians and scholars not only in the West but in Russia as
well. Explaining this dramatic event, Edward Walker separates the
dissolution of an ethno-territorial state from the death of
socialism as a regime type. In his intriguing story, he addresses
the deep causes of the breakup and shows the shortcomings of the
Soviet ethno-federal system. Walker's compelling analysis of
Gorbachev's efforts to save the collapsing is convincing. This book
is a first class scholarly contribution to the study of one of the
most perplexing events of the 20th century.
*Vitaly Naumkin, International Center for Strategic and Political
Studies*
[This book] draws deserved attention to a set of factors all too
often neglected in studies of Soviet disintegration. Walker's
account remains balanced throughout. . . . This fine little volume
combines an enviable grasp of the issues with a lucid theoretical
framework and a readable style. Advanced scholars and graduate
students alike will benefit from a close reading.
*The Russian Review*
Edward Walker has produced an excellent book that makes a unique
contribution to the large and growing literature on the downfall of
the Soviet Union. In focusing attention on the importance of
notions of sovereignty in a concise, readable way, Walker's book is
well suited not only for the edification of expert readers but also
for assignment in university courses on Soviet history and issues
related to nationalism and federalism.
*Journal of Cold War Studies*
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