Anastas Mikoyan

Pietro A. Shakarian is a historian of Russia and the Soviet Union and a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Historical Research at the National Research University-Higher School of Economics in St. Petersburg, Russia. He earned his PhD in History at The Ohio State University and his MA at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He was previously a lecturer in history at the American University of Armenia in Yerevan.

Acknowledgments Note on Translation and Transliteration Terms and Abbreviations Map Introduction 1. Prelude: Yerevan 1937 2. Yerevan 1954 3. Apricot Patronage 4. Druzhba Defended 5. The Peoples' Return 6. Toward a More Perfect Union? Conclusions Glossary of Place Names Bibliography Index

"Shakarian's study reflects a significant amount of scientific work. Especially noteworthy is his ability to analyze historical events and personae in a context that was constantly changing throughout the lifetime of Anastas Mikoyan. His work with sources is particularly impressive." - Mark Grigorian, author of Yerevan: Biography of a City "This splendid piece of research and writing deals with important issues that have not been adequately explored before in historical scholarship. The archival revelations are stunning, and Shakarian brings new light to obscured topics, showing the inner workings of the Soviet system under Stalin and Khrushchev. Well-organized, readable, and never verbose, it is a much-needed and original contribution to the field of Soviet studies." - Ronald Grigor Suny, author of Stalin: Passage to Revolution "Pietro Shakarian's remarkable, comprehensive examination of one of the great, emblematic figures of the Soviet past stands as an invaluable contribution to the study of the role of the individual in history." - Edward Nalbandian, former foreign minister of Armenia "This book is unquestionably an important contribution to scholarship on Soviet policymaking and nationality policy. Mikoyan has until now been an unjustly neglected figure in Soviet policymaking. By focusing on his personal networks and groundbreaking initiatives in the field of de-Stalinization, Shakarian has made an important and invaluable contribution to greater understanding not only of the Khrushchev period, but of Soviet history as a whole." - Alex Marshall, author of The Caucasus Under Soviet Rule "Shakarian's painstaking research produces new and comprehensive insights into Mikoyan's deft and consequential role in the reforms that came to define Nikita Khrushchev's post-Stalin Thaw." - Edward P. Djerejian, former US Ambassador "Anastas Mikoyan stands as a central yet understudied figure in Soviet politics. A faithful member of Stalin's Politburo, Mikoyan ultimately rejected Stalinism in favor of political liberalization under Khrushchev. In this outstanding biographical study, Pietro Shakarian employs pathbreaking archival research to uncover Mikoyan's leading role in Khrushchev's reforms. He demonstrates that Mikoyan drew on his Armenian heritage to reorient Soviet nationality policy during de-Stalinization. This book will be essential reading for scholars of Soviet nationality policy, Khrushchev's Thaw, and the history of the USSR more generally." - David L. Hoffmann, author of The Stalinist Era