{"product_id":"khrushchev-the-man-and-his-era","title":"Prof. William Taubman: Khrushchev [2004] paperback","description":"William Taubman's brilliant biography of one of the key figures of the Soviet Union is a study in contrasts -- how the boy from a peasant background rose to the heights of power; how a single-minded, ambitious political player survived twenty years under Stalin; how he opened up to the West after Stalin's death and yet brought the world close to oblivion in the Cuban Missile Crisis. What emerges is a fascinating picture of a man constantly torn between benevolence and malevolence -- a man who made himself cultured and yet who could never really escape his image as a bullying country bumpkin (most famously demonstrated by his interruption of Macmillan's speech to the UN in 1960 by banging his shoe on the table -- the urbane Macmillan responded, 'Mr President, perhaps we could have a translation, I could not quite follow').  William Taubman has previously edited collections of Nikita Khrushchev's speeches and reminiscences and is completely immersed in this subject -- his biography is likely to remain the standard work for years to come.","brand":"Taubman, Prof. William","offers":[{"title":"Very Good","offer_id":48084217790803,"sku":"XV80743231664","price":11.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0616\/4001\/6057\/files\/taubman-prof-william-khrushchev-the-man-and-his-era-xv80743231664-55721667330387.jpg?v=1714605264","url":"https:\/\/chaptersbookstore.com\/products\/khrushchev-the-man-and-his-era","provider":"Chapters Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}