The Rise & Fall Of The Soviet Union

This nicely packaged two-volume boxed set chronicles the history of the largest nation on Earth, beginning with the military triumphs of Prince Alexander Nevsky over the Teutonic Knights during the 13th century (incorporating footage from Eisenstein's 1938 film Alexander Nevsky) through Soviet premier Gorbachev's resignation in December, 1991. Some 700 years in all, and writer/director Ted Newsom uses an extensive sampling of black & white and color documentary and feature film footage to accompany the informative narration. The arrangement is chronological with occasional subject digressions (religion, popular culture, the press, vodka, etc., in the Soviet Union) and is split into two one-hour programs: the first hour covers 1200-1950, while the second examines 1950-1991. Disproportionate, to be sure, but the purpose of the series is to delineate Russian history in broad strokes so that viewers may better understand the events of the past few years within context. Viewers will become familiar with the Bolshevik Revolution, the Soviet presence in WWII, the Cold War, and, of course, the abandonment of communism as a political ideology. As a fairly straightforward introduction to Russian history, The Rise & Fall of the Soviet Union succeeds quite well. My only complaint was the sporadic mention of dates during significant events (we see Lenin's funeral, for instance, but are not told that the year is 1924). This aside, the set is highly recommended. (Available from: Library Distributors of America, Inc., P.O. Box 97598, Las Vegas, NV 89193-7598; 1-800-966-5130.)