The Soviet Union unexpectedly entered the world and exited it by mistake. The turbulent history of the Soviet Union continues to intrigue us and have an impact on world politics more than a century after the Russian Revolution. This is a reliable synthesis of 75 years of communist government and the fall of an empire, from revolution and Lenin to Stalin's Terror, World War II, and Gorbachev's glasnost. Fitzpatrick explores the aftermath of the Soviet regime's abrupt demise, paints vivid images of important personalities, and analyses the fate of nations that are frequently omitted from Soviet histories. She examines the resurgence of the Church, the ascent of the billionaires, and the mysterious figure of Vladimir Putin?a product of the Soviet Union but not nostalgic for anything Soviet. She then thinks about the future of communism. Who still worships Marx and Lenin? What lessons has today?s superpower, China, learned from yesterday?s Soviet failure? What could be the future of Putin?s expansionism?