Archive · 21 Dec 2025
Russia's Fall from USSR Glory
The book 'The Dark Side of the Earth' by Mikhail Zygar tells the story of Russia from 1961 to 1991, when it went from being a powerful country called the USSR to collapsing.
It starts with a happy time when Russia sent the first man, Yuri Gagarin, into space.
Many people around the world admired Russia back then.
But things got worse over time.
The book talks about how regular people, famous leaders, and scientists lived during this period.
It shows how people lost faith in the government and its ideas.
The book ends with the USSR falling apart and a space traveler returning to a completely changed country.
The author warns that leaders today might be like the old tyrants, pretending freedom and democracy are not important.
The USSR reached its scientific and cultural peak in 1961 with Yuri Gagarin's space mission.
The book chronicles the lives of various Russians, including leaders, scientists, and artists, during the USSR's decline.
Mikhail Gorbachev attempted to reform socialism with a more humane approach in the 1980s.
The USSR collapsed in 1991 due to a loss of faith in communism and economic struggles.
The book ends with Sergei Krikalev returning from space to a changed Russia in 1992.
- Who
- Mikhail Zygar, Russian journalist and author
- What
- A book chronicling the fall of the USSR from 1961 to 1991
- When
- 1961–1991, with an epilogue on Putin's rise
- Where
- Russia (formerly the USSR)
- Why
- To document the economic, political, and social changes in Russia during the collapse of the USSR
- Author
- Mikhail Zygar
- Book Title
- The Dark Side of the Earth: Russia’s Shortlived Victory over Totalitarianism
- Publisher
- Weidenfeld & Nicolson
- Pages
- 560
- Price
- Rs 899
- Key Figures
- Yuri Gagarin, Mikhail Gorbachev, Andrei Sakharov, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Vladimir Putin, Nursultan Nazarbayev, Sergei Krikalev
- Time Period
- 1961–1991