The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) is by far the largest country in the world, occupying more than 8.6 million square miles (22.4 million km2) of continuous landmass.

Preface: Just as its first edition, this book is based on the belief that Americans are ready to take a good look at the Soviet Union, not to be shocked, frightened, or reassured about the superiority of their own way of life, but rather to learn about a major foreign civilization that is likely to stay, grow and dominate many headlines in the years to come.

Introduction: Only three decades ago, there was a dearth of published research on Russia.