Unsurpassed

I bought this book to try to understand the events that lead to the fall of the Soviet Empire. I lived through the period as an adult and thought I knew what happened, but also thought that an actual history might help me understand the underlying events that caused the fall. I expected to be slightly bored by a retelling of events that I thought I knew, but expected to learn enough new to be worth the time. What I found was a fascinating book that kept me entralled as much as any suspense novel. I also found that much that I thought I knew was either wrong or incomplete.

Mr Sebestyen's book follows the events in Eastern Europe chronologically so the book is constantly switching from what is happening in one country to the events in another country. I thought at first that this was going to be a distraction, but in the end it helped me understand why things happened because events in one country were often affected by those in another. Further, because Mr Sebestyen's writing is so good, the change of context from one country to another seems perfectly natural and helps the flow of the narrative.

Because the events are so recent and because the revolutions were, for the most part, so peaceful, many of the participants are still alive and willing to talk candidly. Their honesty and openness in explaining what happened and why is exemplified by one East German official who, in discussing the government's unwillingness to remove Erich Honecker to try to save the situation, said that they were idiots (although is use of idiom was somewhat more colorful).

I learned many things through this book and am reluctant to spoil the journey of discovery for others. Still some things are clear. Central to the story is the character of Mikhail Gorbachev without whom these events would have been very different. Also clear was that many of the people responsible for the fall of the Soviet sponsored Eastern European governments were part of those governments, people who were committed communists but were unwilling to stay in power if the only way they could do so was through the spilling of the blood of their own citizens. Also it must not be forgotten that without the citizens of the country, many of whom put their lives at risk, none of this could have happened.

The events in this book cover all of Eastern Europe except Yugoslavia, Albania (which is never even mentioned) and the Baltic Republics. These countries are all free today and this book describes why. The writing is wonderful, the narration is flawless and I not only learned much I did not know, but found myself reluctant, at times, to stop listening. I have seldom read history books as informative and enjoyable as this one. I highly recommend it for anyone with an interest in the turn history took in the late 20th century.

16 people found this helpful

Compelling Narrative of an Empire in Decline

With the labels "Communist," "Marxist" and "Socialist" being thrown around so much in contemporary politics that they start to lose their meaning, it is refreshing to hear an account of what "really existing socialism" was like and how the oppressive systems that used socialist ideals to legitimize power ultimately collapsed.

"Revolution 1989: The Fall of the Soviet Empire" does an excellent job of describing the decline and ultimate fall of the communist regimes in Eastern Europe during the turbulent 1980s. Because there were events happening in multiple countries at different times, Sebestyen jumps each chapter from location to location and crisis to crisis. In doing so, Sebestyen highlights the common problems that Soviet puppets shared both politically and economically while also preserving the unique nature of each country's path to democratization. I found this strategy compelling as it gives the reader the sense of what was happening across Eastern Europe.

Regardless of one's economic views, the one thing that this book drives home is just how broken the Soviet system was throughout much of the Cold War period. While it is common knowledge the USSR propped up Communist regimes in Eastern Europe, this book discusses how these countries were also indebted to Western governments and banks, which would often extend credit to Soviet satellites to keep, among other things, food prices low.

Two words of caution, though: first, this book is about the fall of communist regimes in Eastern Europe and does not address to great extent the fall of the Soviet Union itself. Please adjust your expectations accordingly.

Second, if you're either a Reagan Mythologizer or Reagan Demonizer you will find this book frustrating. In terms of the former, the book discounts the popular myth that Reagan's military spending and hardline stance brought down communism—a position that I felt was, for what it's worth, disrespectful to opposition figures likes Lech Walesa, Vaclav Havel and others. If anything, this book highlights Gorbachev's policies and willingness to withhold Soviet military power as anti-Communist opposition grew as the more crucial reasons to why the Soviet empire fell.

If you are a Reagan demonizer, you may find irritating the description of Reagan moderation and pragmatism towards the "Evil Empire" as he reached his second term, especially after the Able Archer '83 scare. For example, aware of the dangers of nuclear weapons, he worked with Gorbachev on arms reduction.

If you're interested in the Cold War, especially its last stages, I highly recommend this book.

12 people found this helpful

A Beautiful Collapse

I've always felt the best compliment I can give a book is to say I wished it was longer. Revolution 1989 deserves my greatest compliments. This story is nearly 20 hours long I wished the whole while that it was at least 25. There is so much here and it is so interesting. You'll watch it unfold with wonder and excitement, I promise.

It examines the Soviet Union, specifically the satellite states, from the appointment of Pope John Paul II in 1978, to Nicolae Ceausescu's execution in December of 1989. The scope of this book is immense, we watch three Russian dictator's come and go and see the progression that will lead to the collapse of Eastern Germany, Czechoslovakia, Romania, the Ukraine, and Poland. At the end, Russia stands as a completely different country. How did all these events happen within months of each other in relatively bloodless uprisings?

That's a lot of ground to cover and I wanted to get to know all the amazing people who made it happen. As it is, we get to see them on a cursory level but have to move quickly through time, as there is so much to cover (my favorite two chapters were in Chernobyl and the revolution in Romania during Ceausescu's last speech.) It's incredible that a 20 hour book can feel rushed, but this does.

That said, it's an amazing book. Even though these events happened in my lifetime, I did not see them for all their colors and intrigue. So here it is, a book that isn't perfect, but one that's on my Highly Recommended List.

8 people found this helpful

A fascinating survey of the era

Those who are already interested in the history of the Eastern Bloc will find this rich with satisfactory detail. Others new to the subject will appreciate the wide variety of areas covered, and the focus on the individuals, not only the overall movements and ideologies involved. The narrative moves back and forth between the USSR, Poland, East Germany, Hungary, Afghanistan, and Czechoslovakia, so it's necessary to pay attention or one might get lost; but overall I think that is a virtue.

As for production, I have no complaints. The narration was clear, no pronunciation mistakes with tricky Slavic words, and so it faded to the background, allowing one to focus on the book.

Highly recommended.

5 people found this helpful

Excellent - Everyone should know this stuff

Would you listen to Revolution 1989 again? Why?

I would and I am - I finished it and immediately started again.

What about Paul Hecht’s performance did you like?

Good pace, good pronunciation.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Too long for one sitting - But I got through it very quickly. I was using Wikipedia to get more details and check out some maps as I progressed through the book. This is fascinating stuff!

Any additional comments?

Get this and listen. Even being aware of a lot of this stuff I still found tons of new insight and information. If you don't know much about the Revolutions of 1989 and how the Commies fell apart this is a GREAT resource. EVERYONE should know ALL about this stuff!!

4 people found this helpful

Compelling, downright entertaining

An excellently researched and composed account of the tide and eventual tsunami of events that led to the fall of communism. The internecine machinations and conflicts among the corrupt leaders in the satellite countries of Eastern Europe, especially the GDR, are particularly fascinating and revealing. The portrait of Gorbachev is also surprising.

3 people found this helpful

Cold War "101"

Would you consider the audio edition of Revolution 1989 to be better than the print version?

Never read the print.

What did you like best about this story?

The author researched well and I enjoyed the flow of information.

Have you listened to any of Paul Hecht’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I don't remember but he does a great job.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Nicolae Ceaușescu showed absolutely no remorse when confronted with his crimes.

3 people found this helpful

Terrific overview; well-written; wonderfully read

An outstanding review of the events leading up to the Fall of the Wall and relatively peaceful revolutions in the Soviet satellite states.

The book is detailed but never dry. The author tells a balanced story, explaining that the economic decay of the Warsaw Pact nations ultimately doomed its members while describing the individuals, events, and specific actions that perpetuated the historic changes of 1989.

Excellent reader - interesting voice and never annoying.

3 people found this helpful

Title should be: Polish Revolution 1989

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The book is a view of events before Soviet Union fall from an author view who lived in Poland it seems. So what you get is really detailed view of events in Poland and Eastern Germany and very high level information of events and characters in Russia where main
events leading to Sovietn Union fall actually happened.
I can say it since I was just a boy growing up in Far East of Russia when perestroika started.
What this book fails to mention is an economin collapse, hyperinflation and default which happened when those "wise leaders" like Gorbachev decided to switch to capitalism economy overnight.
Then again any revolution comes at a cost - I don't see any country in recent years where people became better off after the revolution. Just look at Ukraine.

Who was your favorite character and why?

There are no favorite characters in this story.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No

5 people found this helpful

Should have been titled “ I love Gorby”

Good details and relevant facts, and overall not too shabby. However, too many suppositions by the author which taint the book. The narrative seemed to cross between non-fiction and fiction often. Of course there is that slight bias against American political establishment, specifically the anti- Conservative/Republican, would have been nice to have a neutral perspective. I think the author tried to oversell the key points of the topic by exaggerating his own biases and colorful opinions about various cultures and politicians mentioned in the story.

I’d rather have borrowed it from the local library then spent my credit.

1 person found this helpful