 A thorough and intelligently summarized history of the Soviet Union, from the socio-political origins for the Bolshevik Revolution of October 1917 to the near end of Mikhail Gorbachev s government, immediately prior to the downfall of "real communism" and the splitting of the USSR. Conducted by British historian Robert Conquest, narrative benefits from a careful research of archive footage and from recent interviews with mostly common who participated in the events.