In 1917, the Bolsheviks came to power in the exhausted First World War of the Russian Empire, contrary to all forecasts, including their own. In 1991, after about the average life expectancy, the Soviet Union collapsed as inadvertently as it was born. The decades between these two events contained tragedies of incredible proportions - the chaos of the post-revolutionary years, hunger and terror, the hard-won victory in the most devastating war in human history and global geopolitical conflict - but all these tragedies were inextricably intertwined with the dream of building a better society. The famous historian Sheila Fitzpatrick compiled the most capacious chronicle of the Soviet era - its beginning, heyday and unexpected completion, as well as its posthumous existence in today's Russia. This book is a lively and reliable narrative about the difficult history of the USSR, strewn with vivid details, unexpected angles and witty remarks. First of all, Fitzpatrick clearly shows the many paradoxes of the Soviet experiment. The ideology, which claimed to give a person power over history, itself could not cope with unforeseen circumstances. The state, which considers itself internationalist and anti-imperialist, gave rise to many nationalisms.