Dissolution of the USSR

Gorbachev, Yeltsin and Soviet/Russian Foreign Policy 
 
 Political changes of enormous consequence have affected Soviet/Russian foreign policy since 1985. Since 
 this is a complex, confusing, and fascinating period of history, finding primary and secondary sources of 
 information is also an interesting challenge. This guide focuses on materials available in Ramsey Library, 
 and does not attempt to list all available resources. 
 
 Works on American foreign relations, with some exceptions, are not included in this list. For general 
 direction in researching American foreign relations, consult the Ramsey Resources guide, U.S. Foreign 
 Relations: A Selective Guide. 
 
 Dates to Remember while looking for information: 
 
 11 March 1985	Gorbachev becomes General Secretary of Central Committee 
 1987 		Glasnost and perestroika change the political process 
 December 1987	Washington Summit: Gorbachev and Reagan meet. INF treaty signed. 
 1 Oct. 1988	Gorbachev becomes President 
 1989 		Soviet Parliament meets for first time since 1918 
 29 Aug. 1991	Parliament votes to suspend activities of Communist party 
 25 Dec. 1991	Gorbachev resigns 
 26 Dec. 1991	Soviet Union disbands; Commonwealth of Independent States created 
 10 July 1991	Yeltsin becomes President of Russian Federation (area = 76% of the former USSR) 
 
 
 LOCATING BOOKS 
 
 Search GvB, the UNCA library catalog, to find books and audiovisual materials held by Ramsey Library. 
 Search the ABC Express catalog to find books held by Appalachian State University, Western Carolina 
 University, or to see if a book owned by UNCA is checked out. 
 
 Gorbachev and Yeltsin were both the authors and subjects of books. Remember to search by author AND 
 subject for: 
 
 	Gorbachev, Mikhail Sergeevich, 1931- 
 	Yeltsin, Boris Nikolayevich, 1931- 
 
 Keyword searches give you a jumpstart on finding suitable materials without knowing precise subject 
 headings. Keyword searches retrieve records containing all specified keyword in the title, author, subject, 
 or notes fields. Use up to five keywords in a single search. 
 
 	gorbachev		retrieves author and subject 
 	gorbachev foreign policy	narrows the above search 
 	yeltsin		retrieves author and subject 
 
 bibliography soviet foreign policy 
 Remember to look for bibliographies! 
 
 Subject searches require Library of Congress subject headings. An easy way to discover and search on the 
 correct heading is to use keyword searching to find an excellent book on your topic; then look at the full 
 record. See if /rr is a displayed option at the bottom of the screen. Type the command /rr [enter] to search 
 on the subject headings under which the displayed item is indexed! 
 
 Subject headings for works on the foreign relations of the Russian Federation, the Commonwealth of 
 Independent States, or the former Soviet Union are: 
 
 	Commonwealth of Independent States--Foreign Relations 
 	Former Soviet Republics--Foreign Relations 
 	Russia (Federation)--Foreign Relations 
 	Soviet Union--Foreign Relations 
 
 Each of thse subject headings may be further subdivided to identify foreign relations by time period, 
 region of the world, specific country, etc.: 
 
 	Soviet Union--Foreign Relations--1945- 
 	Soviet Union--Foreign Relations--1975- 
 	Soviet Union--Foreign Relations--1985- 
 	Soviet Union--Foreign Relations--Developing Countries 
 	Soviet Union--Foreign Relations--Europe, Eastern 
 	Soviet Union--Foreign Relations--Germany 
 	Soviet Union--Foreign Relations--Middle East 
 	Soviet Union--Foreign Relations--United States 
 	Soviet Union--Foreign Relations--Treaties 
 
 Other subject searches that may be used for related information: 
 
 	Communism--Soviet Union 
 	Europe--Military policy 
 	Glasnost 
 	Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missiles 
 	North Atlantic Treaty Organization 
 	Nuclear Arms control--Soviet Union 
 	Peaceful Change (International Relations) 
 	Perestroika 
 	Reykjavik 
 	Treaties 
 	United States--Foreign Relations--Soviet Union 
 	Visits of State--Soviet Union 
 	Warsaw Treaty Organization 
 	Washington Summit, December 1987 
 	World Politics--1985-1995 
 
 Note that when dates are included in a subheading, the date used will often represent the earliest date 
 covered by the book. So "1945- " indicates that a book covers the subject from 1945 on. 
 
 The subheading bibliography may be used with any subject heading. Look for books with substantial 
 bibliographies to lead you to more resources. For other subject headings, consult Library of Congress 
 Subject Headings, a four-volume thesaurus of headings used by most libraries. 
 
 
 CURRENT REFERENCE WORKS 
 
 Coplin, William D. and Michael K. O'Leary, eds. Political Risk Yearbook. Syracuse: Political Risk 
 Services,1993. See volume 7: Europe Outside the European Community. REF JA51.P65 
 
 Europa Year Book. London: Europa Publications, 1992. REF JN1.E85 
 
 Fielding, John E. Dictionary of American Diplomatic History. 2nd ed. New York: Greenwood Press, 
 1989. REF E183.7 .F5 1989 
 
 Hunter, Brian, ed. The Statesman's Year-Book: Statistical and Historical Annual of the States of 
 theWorld for the Year 1993-1994. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1993. REF JA51.S7 
 
 Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George Bush. Washington: U.S. Government 
 PrintingOffice, 1958- . 
 Annual volumes include public messages and statements of the President. GEN J80 .A283 
 	NOTE: Titles and call numbers vary with Presidents. 
 
 Treaties in Force. Washington: U.S. Department of State, 1993. 
 Annual. See "Treaty Actions" section in U.S. Department of State Dispatch (listed below 
 with Government Publications) for current information. FED DOCS S 9.14:993 
 
 White, Stephen, ed. Political Encyclopedia of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Chicago: St. 
 JamesPress,1990. 
 Covers developments to 31 March 1990. Includes a "Chronological Table 1945-1990." 
 REF JN96 .A127 P64 1990 
 
 Wilson, Andrew and Nina Bachkatov. Russia and the Commonwealth A to Z. New York: 
 HarperCollins,1992. 
 REF DK286 .W5513 1992 
 
 World Without War Council. Neformalniye: A Guide to Independent Organizations and Contacts in 
 the Soviet Union. Seattle, WA: The Council, 1990. 
 Some of these grass-roots groups, known as "neformalniye", or "informals," may influence 
 "foreign relations" in a non-official way. 	REF DK17 .N44 1990 
 
 World Without War Council. Raising the Curtain: A Guide to Independent Organizations and Contacts 
 in Eastern Europe. Seattle, WA: The Council, 1990. 
 Included because "Russian foreign relations" are viewed differently from Eastern Europe than from 
 the United States. 
 REF JX1905.5 .R35 1990 
 
 Zemtsov, Ilya. Encyclopedia of Soviet Life. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 1991. 
 REF JA64 .R8 Z44 1991 
 
 
 REFERENCE WORKS FOR BACKGROUND INFORMATION 
 
 Cambridge Encyclopedia of Russia and the Soviet Union. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1982. 
 REF DK14.C35 
 
 Croucher, Murlin, ed. Slavic Studies: A Guide to Bibliographies, Encyclopedias, and Handbooks. 2 
 vols. Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources, 1993. 
 	Volume 2 includes the "Soviet Union," a term retained because most of the sources were 
 published during its existence. This is a work of broad scope which may be useful for locating historical 
 material, but it would be a confusing starting point for undergraduate papers. Includes many citationsfor 
 Russian language sources. 
 REF DJK27 .B1 S554 1993 
 
 DeConde, Alexander, ed. Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 
 1978. 
 REF JX1407.E53 
 
 Degenhardt, Henry W. Treaties and Alliances of the World. 3rd edition. Detroit: Gale Research, 1981. 
 REF JX4005.T72 
 
 Great Soviet Encyclopedia. New York: Macmillan, 1973. 
 REF AE5.B58 
 
 Horak, Stephan M. Russia, the USSR, and Eastern Europe: A Bibliographic Guide to English 
 Language Publications, 1981-1985. Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1987. 
 	While this bibliography stops short of Gorbachev's rise to power, it may be useful for 
 identifying works that contain background information. 
 REF DJK9 .B1 H543 1987 
 
 Modern Encyclopedia of Russian and Soviet History. Gulf Breeze, FL: Academic International Press, 
 1976-1993. 
 Basic set of 46 volumes was completed in 1987. Supplement, volumes 47-55, was completed in 
 1993.Comprehensive encyclopedia, but not up-to-the-minute. 
 REF DK36.M55 
 
 Plano, Jack and Roy Olton. The International Relations Dictionary. Santa Barbara: ABC-Clio, 1982. 
 REF JX1226.P55 
 
 
 FEDERAL DOCUMENTS COLLECTION 
 
 Publications of the U.S. State Department, Congress, and the executive branch, are a valuable resource for 
 the study of foreign relations with other countries. To find government publications issued from 1976 to 
 the present, use Marcive GPO CAT/PAC, a CD-ROM index. Please ask the Reference staff for assistance. 
 
 Note that Ramsey Library receives about 25 percent of the "depository" documents distributed by the 
 Government Printing Office (GPO). If you find a document in GPO CAT/PAC that looks promising, 
 press F3 to display holdings information for UNCA, ASU, WCU, or UNC-Chapel Hill. 
 
 U.S. Department of State. American Foreign Policy, Current Documents. Washington: U.S. Department 
 of State, 1962-... Annual. 
 Major public foreign policy messages and Congressional testimony. 
 FED DOCS S 1.71/2:19- 
 
 U.S. Foreign Broadcast Information Service. Daily Report. Central Eurasia. 1992- Continues Daily 
 Report. Soviet Union. 
 FBIS monitors foreign broadcasts, news agency transmissions, newspapers, periodicals and government 
 statements. Translations are published in the Daily Report series. "Table of Contents" microfiches for a 
 given year are filed just ahead of the microfiche for that year. 
 FED MICRO (Federal Documents Microfiche) PREX 7.10:FBIS-SOV- 
 
 U.S. Foreign Broadcast Information Service. FBIS Report. Central Eurasia. Irregular. Continues 
 FBIS Report. Soviet Union. Republic Affairs; also continues FBIS Report. Soviet Union. Political Affairs. 
 FED MICRO PREX 7.13:FBIS-USR- 
 
 U.S. Foreign Broadcast Information Service. JPRS Report. Central Eurasia. International Affairs. 
 JPRS reports provide translations of economic, political, scientific and technical literature from 
 newspapers, journals, and scholarly sources from all areas of the world. Continues JPRS Report. Soviet 
 Union. International Affairs. Continued by FBIS Report. Central Eurasia. Russia. 
 FED MICRO PREX 7.13:JPRS-UIA- 
 
 
 PERIODICALS 
 
 Remember that several months may pass before current news and articles appear in an index. Therefore, 
 browsing current issues of periodicals which monitor the foreign policy climate may be necessary. Watch 
 for useful lists of references at the end of most scholarly articles. Some recommended titles are: 
 
 	Europe-Asia Studies. (formerly Soviet Studies) PER DK 266.A2 S75 
 	Independent Newspaper from Russia. PER DK 1 .I5 
 	Slavic Review. PER D 337.A1 A5 
 	Soviet and Post-Soviet Review. PER DK 266 .A2 S753 
 	Soviet Union/Union Sovietique. PER DK 1 .S69 (Ceased) Bound 1982-1991 
 
 In addition to these tightly focused journals, several others often include pertinent articles on Russia and 
 Eastern Europe: 
 
 	Diplomatic History. PER E183.7 .D48 
 	Foreign Affairs. PER D 410.F6 
 	Foreign Policy Bulletin. PER JX 232 .F68 
 		A commercial publication which complements information in the U.S. Department of 
 State Dispatch (below). The Dispatch and the Foreign Policy Bulletin taken together continue the 
 documentary history of U.S. Foreign Relations formerly served by the defunct Department of State 
 Bulletin. 
 	International Affairs. PER D 839 .I465 
 	International History Review. PER D1 .I52 
 	Orbis: A Journal of World Affairs. PER D 839 .O68 
 	U.S. Department of State Dispatch. Weekly. v. 1- 1990- 
 		Continues the Department of State Bulletin (1939-1989, Microfilm 1977-89. See 
 Periodicals Holdings List for detailed holdings). 
 		Very current source of foreign relations information. Also has a "treaty actions" section 
 every four to six weeks. Indexed in P.A.I.S. PER JX 234 .A1 U7 Backfiles on microfilm. 
 	World Politics. PER D 839 .W57 
 
 
 PERIODICAL INDEXES 
 
 Articles on foreign affairs of the Russian Federation, biographical sketches of the key players in world 
 events, and bibliographies may also be found in more general periodicals, such as news magazines, history 
 journals, etc. The following periodical indexes will help you locate articles: 
 
 	Printed Indexes 
 
 	America History and Life. PER AI .H5 
 	Bibliographic Index. PER AI .Z5 
 	Biography Index. PER AI .B2 
 	Historical Abstracts. PER AI .H4 
 	New York Times Index. PER AI .N4 
 	Public Affairs Information Service Bulletin. PER AI .P43 
 	Social Sciences Index. PER AI .G63 
 
 	CD-ROM Indexes 
 
 	Biography and Genealogy Master Index. REF DESK 
 		Indexes biographical articles in reference books and Biography Index (an index to 
 periodical articles about people.) 
 	Front Page News. 
 		Full-text database of wire service stories. 
 	ProQuest. 
 		Periodical Abstracts OnDisc. General periodicals 
 		Newspaper Abstracts OnDisc. Major American newspapers 
 	Social Sciences Citation Index. 
 		Search keywords in article titles, authors, or cited authors. 
 
 
 VIDEOS 
 
 Second Russian Revolution. Northbrook, IL: Coronet Film & Video, 1991. 
 	VID DK 288 .S43 
 
 Red Empire. [Van Nuys, CA]: Vestron Video, 1992. 
 	VID DK 266 .R43 
 
 BOOKS FROM THE GENERAL COLLECTION 
 
 There are many excellent books on foreign policy of Russia and the former Soviet Union in the General 
 Collection. Browsing in the DK subject classification is a good way to get an overview of what is 
 available. (Of course, you do not want to limit yourself to the DK's!) A few representative titles are: 
 
 Lynch, Allen. Gorbachev's International Outlook: Intellectual Origins and Political Consequences. 
 NewYork: Institute for East-West Security Studies; Boulder, CO: Distr. by Westview Press, 1989. 
 	GEN DK 289 .L96 1989 
 
 Pravda, Alex, ed. Yearbook of Soviet Foreign Relations. 1991 edition. London: I.B. Tauris, 1991. 
 	Covers events of 1990 clearly and in great detail. GEN DK 289 .Y43 1991 
 
 Woodby, Sylvia. Gorbachev and the decline of ideology in Soviet foreign policy. Boulder, CO: 
 Westview,1989. 
 	GEN DK 289 .W66 1989 
 
 Zacek, Jane Shapiro, ed. The Gorbachev Generation: Issues in Soviet Foreign Policy. New York: 
 Paragon House, 1988. 
 	GEN DK 289 .G68 1988 
 
 Zickel, Raymond E., ed. Soviet Union: A Country Study. 2d edition. Washington: Federal Rearch 
 Division, Library of Congress; GPO, 1991. 
 	Comprehensive compendium of information on all aspects of Soviet society. Invaluable for 
 concise background information. Includes statistics, maps, documents, commentary, and a long 
 bibliography. 
 	GEN DK 17 .S6396 
 
 
 Please ask for help at the Reference Desk! 
 
category:Dissolution of USSR