Broken Empire: After the Fall of the USSR

by Fen Montaigne and Gerd Ludwig

On December 25, 1991, at 7:35 p.m., soldiers lowered the red Soviet flag flying over the Kremlin and raised the new blue, white and red Russian tri-color in its place. The ceremony occurred with no... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0792264320
• ISBN13: 9780792264323
• Release Date: November 2001
• Publisher: National Geographic Society
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 3.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 4.1" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

WOW! What a great book.

This is just the book I've been looking for. I've bought other books on Russia that explained the change from communism to capitalism but they only told how it affected the government. I wanted to know how it affected the people. This book does that. Although there is a lot of text, there are a lot of pictures. Between the two, it tells the story. The only thing is I wish it was more recent. It was published in 2001. I'm sure some more recent stories have been put out by the author in the National Geographic Magazine. I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in Russia and geography.

A timely primer for a resurgent super power

Having always been fascinated by Russia - my curiosity piqued by its reemergence as a global superpower - I was very glad to discover this book. Surprisingly, it was the only photographic account I could find of the vast socio-economic changes in the region since the demise of the Soviet Union. The fact that Ludwig, a German born photojournalist residing in Los Angeles, was able to capture such an intimate, knowledgeable, and compassionate portrait of a largely closed society is worthy of praise. While his coverage of Russia during and after the Soviet Empire includes an unflinching account of the many cultural and ecological atrocities committed by its leaders, his viewpoint remains balanced - a welcome change from the frankly one-dimensional stance often imposed by a lingering Red Menace wary West. Ludwig's photographs - almost exclusively of people experiencing the joys, tragedies, and challenges of everyday life - offer a unique window into the Russian soul. His images are complex and often emotional, yet unencumbered by sentiment, reminding us that the true identity of a nation lives in the hearts and minds of its people. While there have been many changes in the region since the book's publication in 2001, Ludwig's work lays the sociological groundwork necessary for outsiders to grasp the effects of the warp speed transformation that continues to rock Russia today. Hopefully his more recent coverage, some of which continues to be published by National Geographic Magazine, will again find its way collectively into book form. I for one would like to better understand the true heart of this still mysterious and increasingly powerful nation.

Absolutely Unforgettable

Broken Empire leaves an indelible mark on the memory. This stunning work presents a passionate and proud people, ravaged by the merciless process of political change. The book's coverage of the effect on the Russian environmental landscape alone, makes this a documentary of great importance. But most unforgettable, are the images which capture the entire spectrum of human experience that the nation's new self-image has imposed - from humiliation and despair, to dignity and triumph of the spirit against all odds - making this work an uncompromising testament to the historic realities of post-communistic Russia.

Wonderful

Contrary to the cover image of the book, this work clearly takes the blindfolds off in delivering a superb body of photographic work.I have been traveling to the former Soviet Union now for the past twenty-five years and have always been surprised by how ignorant the world was about this marvelous nation. Ludwig clearly has an intimate feel for the soul of this great world. The images breathe and display the majesty of this people and empire wonderfully, warts and all. This is not a tragic populace, but a noble collection of races and groups who share a common pride, humanism and patriotism with a unique perspective and outlook on life that is both refreshing and vital. I thought that the Western world would never get it right about the great land and her people, but Ludwig's masterpiece clearly and artfully reveals the nuances of an emerging colossus whose rightful place in history, commerce, politics, art and culture is assured by its dogged determinism to continue, to live, to strive to express the essence that is "Mother Russia". And to do all of this with photography...what an achievement!!

Broken Empire, Broken Dreams

An incredible journey through the remains of the former Soviet Union both in pictures and words. Broken Empire puts the lie to the "Workers Paradise" promised by the USSR's once all-powerful communist regime, revealing the harsh realities of environmental and spiritual decay left in its wake. The images are dazzling and heartbreaking. A must see and read book for anyone who loves truth.JH