Download or read book The Soviet Union: A Very Short Introduction written by Stephen Lovell and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2009-07-23 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Almost twenty years after the Soviet Union's end, what are we to make of its existence? Was it a heroic experiment, an unmitigated disaster, or a viable if flawed response to the modern world? What was the Soviet Union like? How did it evolve over seven decades? What was the relationship between the regime and the general population? This introduction blends political history with an investigation into the society and culture at the time. The author examines aspects of patriotism, mass culture, political violence, poverty, and ideology; and provides answers to some of the big questions about the Soviet experience.