Lenin's Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire by David Remnick

Lenin's Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire by David Remnick is an insightful, compelling and incredibly thorough account of the fall of the Soviet Union. Remnick, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Washington Post journalist, combines vivid personal anecdotes from his travels across Russia with insightful historical observations to give readers a vivid portrait of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The book spans from the rise of Gorbachev’s glasnost era to the collapse of the Soviet Union and post-Soviet Russia, examining politics, society, and culture in the context of larger forces of history and international geopolitics.

In his book, Remnick looks beyond the usual “heroic narrative” of the Soviet Union’s fall to uncover the messy, complicated reality of the situation. He begins, fittingly enough, at Lenin’s tomb in Red Square. To Remnick, it represents both a symbol of the nation’s former grandeur and a reminder of the many years of bloodshed and inhumanity which have shaped its history. He then examines at the era of glasnost, the remaining power struggles between different factions, the nation’s economic woes, and the rise of emerging dissidents. The book goes beyond the Cold War standstill of the 1980s to offer a unique, almost “ground zero” view of the Soviet Union’s fall.

Part of the book’s power is its attention to detail. Engrossing narratives from interviews Remnick had with veteran ideologues, human rights activists, and everyday citizens reflect the chaos of the time and the large-scale suffering that resulted from the Union’s collapse. He highlights not only the chaos the USSR’s end caused, but also how it ultimately opened the door for greater freedoms for citizens and a drastic shift in international relations.

In Lenin’s Tomb, Remnick does a remarkable job of making a complex and fast-paced political history accessible to readers with his clear narrative and vivid detail. The book is also notable for its neutrality, focusing on the various perspectives on both sides of the Soviet Union’s collapse. By looking at it from both the perspective of its citizens and its leaders, Remnick creates a gripping and powerful story of a nation in transition.

Lenin’s Tomb is an important book for anyone interested in the area: scholars, laypeople, and those looking to gain insight into the nuances of the Soviet Union. Remnick offers a fascinating look at a momentous period in Russia’s history, and his skillful storytelling will leave readers with a deeper understanding of the nation’s struggles in the late twentieth century.