The Kremlin's Nuclear Sword - The Rise and Fall of Russia's Strategic Nuclear Forces, 1945-2000 (Hardcover)

The prevailing Western view of Russia's Cold War strategic nuclear weapons policy is that it resulted from a two-part interplay between the leaders of the Communist Party and the military. Steven J. Zaloga has found that a third contributor -- the Russian defense industry -- also played a vital role. Drawing from elusive Russian source material and interviews with many proud Russian and Ukrainian engineers, he presents a definitive account of Russia's strategic forces, who built them, and why.

Zaloga begins by examining the roots of the Soviet nuclear weapons program following World War II, revealing the role played by espionage and captured German technology. In one of the book's groundbreaking revelations, he demonstrates how the failures of the early programs led to the Cuban Missile Crisis and how the resulting Soviet humiliation led to the arms race of the early 1970s. In the following decades, the Soviet nuclear weapons program grew out of control and was finally crippled with the collapse of the Soviet Union, yet today still affects international security.

The book is the first in English to refer to the weapons by their actual Soviet names, providing the bedrock for future works. Helpful appendices list U.S., NATO, and other designations, and the illustrations provide clear visual references.