Book request: History of the Soviet Union

[Syt]

Amazon US/UK/Germany are not much help.

Could anyone recommend a readable, comprehensive, exhaustive, not too biased history of the Soviet Union 1917 - 1991?

The book should cover both domestic politics and foreign/international politics.

It should not devote 80% of the book to Lenin/Stalin, 15% to Gorbachev and the remaining 5% to Khrushchev/Brezhnev, but should be focused a bit broader.

A history of Russia in 20th century would also be ok.

[derspiess]

And why the interest in this subject, Genosse Syt? 

[Barrister]

Could anyone recommend a readable, comprehensive, exhaustive, not too biased history of the Soviet Union 1917 - 1991?

Gee, you're not asking for much. 

Only thing that comes to mind is I bought a copy of Decline and Fall of the Soviet Empire at an airport a few years back.  It lacks much of what you want, in that it only covers the post-Stalin era, and the writer was a former US news correspondent in Msocow and much of the book is from his own observations which means it very much lacks any pretense at being "comprehensive".  I don't know that I'd recommend it.

But maybe if you start with that book in Amazon it could suggest a few others...

[Razgovory]

I read "Utopia in power" back in Highschool.  Though it's outdated since the Soviet Union lived on for another 6 years or so.

[Barrister]

I read "Utopia in power" back in Highschool.  Though it's outdated since the Soviet Union lived on for another 6 years or so.

We have access to a hell of a lot more information about the USSR than we did in the 80s.

[Syt]

I read "Utopia in power" back in Highschool.  Though it's outdated since the Soviet Union lived on for another 6 years or so.

We have access to a hell of a lot more information about the USSR than we did in the 80s.

Which is why this search is so frustrating. Oodles of stuff about Stalin, WW2, Lenin. Littl about post-war USSR (Last of the Empires would probably the best bet).

[Razgovory]

I read "Utopia in power" back in Highschool.  Though it's outdated since the Soviet Union lived on for another 6 years or so.

We have access to a hell of a lot more information about the USSR than we did in the 80s.

Yeah but my Highschool library didn't have any books that weren't 10 years old at least.

[CountDeMoney]

The Passing of an Illusion: The Idea of Communism in the Twentieth Century by the late Francois Furet

Not limited solely to the Soviet, but principally covers it.  You want exhaustive?  It is exhaustive.

[Syt]

Good recommendation, Seedy, I'll check it out.

I usually like books that give overviews; if a topic interests me I'll usually go for specialized books after that.