The Dark Side of the Earth: Russia's Short-lived Victory over Totalitarianism

Named a Best History Book of the Year by The Times (London)

From “one of the most thoughtful Russian writers of our time” (Yulia Navalnaya) comes “an extraordinarily revealing account” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) of why the Soviet Union’s collapse was incomplete and the Cold War never really ended—resulting in the resurgence of Russian imperialism, the invasion of Ukraine, and Russia’s tense relationship with Western Europe and America.

Russian-born journalist Mikhail Zygar was ten years old when the Soviet Union collapsed. Now, after a decade of research, he offers a timely new approach to Russian history—one that rewrites everything we thought we knew about the fall of the Soviet Union and argues that what was perceived as a triumph for freedom and political courage led inexorably and tragically to the reestablishment of totalitarianism. Starting with the historic launch of the first human into space in April 1961, Zygar unfolds the dramatic story of resistance and resilience that led to the Soviet Union’s dissolution—and which echoes today in Russia’s oppressive regime.

Zygar conducted several hundred exclusive interviews with key figures, including former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, the first presidents of the independent post-Soviet republics, the final First Secretaries of these republics, and leaders of independence movements within them, as well as Western politicians and diplomats who were witnesses to and participants in those events. He dives into the struggles and triumphs of such figures as Andrei Sakharov, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, and Vladimir Vysotsky, whose defiance of totalitarianism is both inspiring and deeply relevant. Zygar explains how the “victory” over the Soviet Empire was short-lived, as today’s Russian regime under Vladimir Putin maintains its expansionist ambitions.

More than a history lesson, The Dark Side of the Earth “challenges readers to confront uncomfortable truths about the unfinished business of the 20th century and the enduring shadows cast by empire” (The Cipher Brief). Bold, brilliant, and magisterial in scope, this is a deeply human story that demands to be heard.