Symbols and Legitimacy in Soviet Politics The Life and Death of the USSR

'A fascinating and thoroughly-researched interpretation of Soviet history. Gill compellingly shows how the political language and symbols of the regime, which long helped to sustain it, ultimately left it defenceless to fresh thinking'. Archie Brown, author of The Rise and Fall of Communism 'Exhaustively documented and judiciously argued, Symbols and Legitimacy in Soviet Politics cements Graeme Gill's reputation as a leading student and interpreter of the Soviet epoch'. Michael Urban, University of California, Santa Cruz 'Graeme Gill's fascinating study of what he calls the Soviet metanarrative revisits a number of Soviet myths from different periods, and forces us to look at them in a new and very different light. This original, thoroughly researched book is a must read for anyone interested in Soviet legitimation, mythology, ideology, symbolism and political ritual.' Leslie Holmes, Professor of Political Science, University of Melbourne