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"Autopsy on an Empire" Author: Jack F. Matlock Jr. Publisher: Shanghai Joint Publishing Company Original title: Autopsy on an Empire
"Autopsy on an Empire" Author: Jack F. Matlock Jr. Publisher: Shanghai Joint Publishing Company Original title: Autopsy on an Empire
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Introduction · · · · · ·
With the exception of a member of the Politburo of the Soviet Communist Party, perhaps no one can give a more authoritative account of the collapse of the Soviet Union than Matlock. —Cox Review
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★A heavy-duty revelation that records and analyzes the dramatic changes of the century: How does a superpower come to its end due to internal and external troubles?
★The American ambassador witnessed the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, and 700,000 words restored the long process of the disintegration of a great power
★Dual identities of diplomat + scholar, insider experience + inside and outside perspectives of academic research, extraordinary combination of memoir + historical research
★ From Moscow to Washington, from Vilnius to Almaty, a panoramic image depicting the twilight of the empire
★ A vivid record of a number of historical figures, closely depicting the careful planning and difficulties of the authorities
★Richard Pipes, a well-known scholar, and Herbert Ellison, were highly praised by mainstream media such as The Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, and Kirkus Reviews
★Revisit the 70-year history of the Soviet Union and understand the world 30 years later
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This book is the first comprehensive account of the stunning events from 1987 to 1991 and remains one of the best of its kind. —The Washington Post
"The Collapse of the Soviet Union" is a must-read for anyone who is open to this question. Matlock connects closely with the main characters in the book and records the process with insight, grace and peace. - Marshall Shulman, professor at Columbia University
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On December 25, 1991, the Soviet flag was quietly lowered from the Kremlin and replaced by the Russian tricolor flag. In the silence of the guns, the Soviet Union disappeared from the map.
As a witness and participant of the last few years of the Soviet Union, Matlock leads us back to the turbulent and changeable era from the first-hand perspective. Local areas no longer followed Moscow, people began to oppose everything that existed, and various forces were tearing each other apart, either overtly or covertly; Gorbachev was at a loss, Yeltsin was determined to take revenge, and the coup plotters had their own ulterior motives... Through the narration of eyewitnesses, Chernobyl, the upheaval in Eastern Europe, the August coup, Gorbachev and Yeltsin are no longer vague nouns or symbols in textbooks, but vivid events and living people.
From the central government to local governments, from high-level officials to civilians, from domestic to foreign countries, Matlock discovered the momentum of the great power's fall from the clues, spread out a large network of struggle, and described the last years of the Soviet Union in clear and accurate language. In the end, this empire was completely swallowed up by the power it had created. It struggled to float to the surface several times to seek a trace of oxygen for survival, but was eventually dragged into the abyss by the shackles on its feet.
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As a preeminent Soviet expert, Matlock brings a rare authority to his research, drawing on the people and events he encountered as an ambassador. He offers insights not found in the memoirs of key Soviet figures. - Foreign Affairs
No one is better qualified than Matlock to tell the story of the transition from the Soviet Union to Russia. His background in Russian history, language, culture, literature, and politics makes him the preeminent authority on the subject. His analysis was indispensable to the formation of our policy toward the Soviet Union, and was often extremely successful. Matlock knew the many characters he writes about intimately, and his writing brings their personalities, prejudices, strengths, and weaknesses to life. --Max Kampermann, State Department adviser and expert on the Soviet Union
This book is a brilliant analysis of the achievements and problems of the Soviet system, while vividly describing the people and events that led to its collapse... Matlock is an authority who has served in Moscow, the State Department, and the National Security Council for many years. His close observation of the most significant events of this century is a unique product of his rigorous scholarship and extraordinary diplomatic career. -- Herbert Ellison, professor at the University of Washington
No other American has been able to observe the collapse of the Soviet Union so closely and in such detail. Thanks to Matlock's brilliant work and judgment, his book contributes a unique record of this historical event. —Richard Pipes, professor at Harvard University
About the Author · · · · · ·
Jack F. Matlock, Jr., former U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union, historian, linguist, served in the U.S. diplomatic service for 35 years and was an important adviser to the Reagan administration in formulating Soviet policy. From 1971 to 1974, he was in charge of Soviet affairs at the U.S. State Department, from 1981 to 1983 he served as U.S. ambassador to Czechoslovakia, from 1983 to 1986 he served as special assistant for national security affairs and senior director for European and Soviet affairs, and from 1987 to 1991 he served as U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union. After retiring in 1991, Matlock entered academia and served as a professor at Columbia University and the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton. His published works include "Personal Experience of the Collapse of the Soviet Union", "Reagan and Gorbachev: How the Cold War Ended" and "The Fantasy of Superpower".
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Zhang Minqian is a professor at Sanya College, a researcher and doctoral supervisor at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, the former editor-in-chief of Modern International Relations, and a part-time professor at the School of International Relations, Renmin University of China, and China University of Political Science and Law. He has published monographs such as U.S. Foreign Economic Strategy and The Great Awakening: Religion and Social Relations in the United States, and translated three books including America's Liberal Tradition, and published more than 60 academic papers.
