{"product_id":"the-new-tsar-the-rise-and-reign-of-vladimir-putin-9780307961617","title":"The New Tsar: The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin","description":"\u003cp\u003eA riveting  immensely detailed biography of Putin that explains in full-bodied  almost Shakespearian fashion why he acts the way he does. Robert D. Kaplan  The New Tsar is the book to read if you want to understand how Vladimir Putin sees the world and why he has become one of the gravest threats to American security. The epic tale of the rise to power of Russias current presidentthe only complete biography in English  that fully captures his emergence from shrouded obscurity and deprivation to become one of the most consequential and complicated leaders in modern history  by the former New York Times Moscow bureau chief.  In a gripping narrative of Putins rise to power as Russias president  Steven Lee Myers recounts Putins originsfrom his childhood of abject poverty in Leningrad  to his ascension through the ranks of the KGB  and his eventual consolidation of rule. Along the way  world events familiar to readers  such as September 11th and Russias war in Georgia in 2008  as well as the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine  are presented from never-before-seen perspectives.  This book is a grand  staggering achievement and a breathtaking look at one mans rule. On one hand  Putins many reformsfrom tax cuts to an expansion of property rightshave helped reshape the potential of millions of Russians whose only experience of democracy had been crime  poverty  and instability after the fall of the Soviet Union. On the other hand  Putin has ushered in a new authoritarianism  unyielding in his brutal repression of revolts and squashing of dissent. Still  he retains widespread support from the Russian public.  The New Tsar is a narrative tour de force  deeply researched  and utterly necessary for anyone fascinated by the formidable and ambitious Vladimir Putin  but also for those interested in the world and what a newly assertive Russia might mean for the future.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45953218281525,"sku":"ByrdShop_0307961613","price":22.15,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780307961617.jpg?v=1788181829","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-new-tsar-the-rise-and-reign-of-vladimir-putin-9780307961617","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}