For those of you who have listened to my interview with Professor Peter Kenez, you may well be interested in a few thoughts on his autobiography. For those of you who haven't - you can find the interview HERE. Peter Kenez' "Varieties of Fear" tells the story of his early life and eventual escape from Hungary. It covers Kenez' own tragic experiences of Nazi occupation, followed by Soviet occupation and eventually, Communist control. Yet this isn't a book which focuses simply on the horrors of a country under control of exterior forces. Kenez focuses very much on his day to day life as a teenager growing up in a shifting world. His concerns are those of other teenagers, just in strange surroundings. I found this a fascinating read and one which I would highly recommend, especially to A Level students trying to understand the impact of an historian's context on their world view. Reading this may well shed some light on Kenez' views in his "A History of the Soviet Union from Beginning to End" for example. Regardless of which, this is an excellent read, made more gripping by the contrast of such extremes. The book is available HERE.

Have you read it? Let me know what you think

The Soviet Union came to an abrupt end in December 1991, with the resignation of Mikhail Gorbachev from his position as President of the USSR, leaving a multitude of affiliated and independent states in its wake. However, the union had been fragmenting for some time, and there is a good deal of historical debate about how far the end of the Soviet Union was inevitable, and the extent to which Gorbachev might be held accountable for its demise.

In this podcast, Professor Peter Kenez discusses the impact of Gorbachev on the Soviet Union. A worthwhile listen. You can find the episode on the main MeetTheHistorians page HERE.