Book Review: Collapse. The Fall of the Soviet Union by Vladislav M. Zubok

While non-aligned Yugoslavia receives extensive treatment, only passing mention is made of Albania. Some will remain unconvinced of the merits of an alternative ‘socialist globalization’. Here, rather than critique the teleological pitfalls of the received globalisation story, it may have been more productive to explore the geographic worldviews of Eastern European socialists themselves. But, ultimately, this is an important book. Its collaborative and comparative nature helps push beyond the ‘solidarity with tensions’ conclusions often reached by narrower case studies. Rich in evidence and imaginative in conception, it is a testament to the value of collective scholarship in the writing of global history.