The turbulent tale of 20th-century Russia now has a beginning, a middle and an end. Though the Soviet Union may be gone, its effects remain - in the new Russia and the successor states that emerged from the failed Soviet Experiment. This book is an attempt to deal fairly and compassionately with a complex history that has divided friend from foe, East from West, Left from Right - not with the vain hope of reconciling irreconcileable differences, but with the expectation that an analytic and interpretive narrative will add to our understanding if not complete agreement. This book covers the history of the Soviet Union from the waning days of Tsarist Russia to the present day. This book is intended for students and scholars of Russian and USSR history.