This work investigates the emergence and ideological foundations of Russian nationalism during the late Soviet period. John B. Dunlop, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, utilizes historical analysis and primary source documentation to evaluate how nationalist sentiments challenged the official Soviet Marxist-Leninist framework. The text argues that these internal ideological shifts signaled a significant departure from state-sanctioned internationalism toward a more ethnocentric and traditionalist political identity.

Experts recognize this volume as a foundational study for understanding the ideological precursors to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the extensive bibliographic resources provided for further research.