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Roy and Zhores Medvedev, two identical twins with a unique fate, not only lived through a whole century of history, from Stalin to Putin, they wrote and made history. Their research on Stalinism, the first to come out of the Soviet Union in the 1960s-1970s, turned them into famous dissidents overnight, but their criticism of the regime always remained loyal to Soviet power. The story of their lives provides a snapshot into the history of Soviet dissent, from psychiatric hospitalization to forced exile, and from KGB interrogations to collaboration with Western news correspondents. Yet their trajectory was also marred by controversy with fellow dissidents, and in the post-Soviet era active support of authoritarian rulers, including Vladimir Putin.
“The positive and even idealized image of the Soviet dissident has become more nuanced. Barbara Martin, one of the leading scholars of dissidents in the Soviet Union, has contributed to this trend. Her book represents a synthesis of her prior research through the lives of the twin Medvedev brothers. The double biography of the Medvedev twins, the biologist Zhores and the historian Roy, will be of interest to those wishing to understand the intellectual roots of current Russian politics.”
—Artur Lakatos, Ab Imperio
“Martin’s assessment of the Medvedevs is balanced, insightful, and engaging. This book vividly brings to life the personal and political challenges faced by those who sought to challenge the Soviet system, and their efforts to engage with the world beyond the iron curtain in this pursuit. This is in many ways a fascinating book. It addresses a significant gap in the literature on the Soviet dissident movement, and will undoubtedly become a must-read for anyone interested in the characters that sought to change politics in the Soviet Union. It is a compelling read recommended to anyone interested in political dissent or the history of the Soviet Union.”
—Mark Hurst, Lancaster University, H-Net Reviews in the Humanities and Social Sciences
“Yet even when Martin gives the brothers full voice, it is to her credit that they don't always appear noble, ethical or as smart as they seem to think. Roy comes across as brave, conspiratorial, vainglorious and ethically compromised. Zhores was less political and ideological, but then again, he lived primarily abroad until his death in 2018. … For those who remember the brothers' publications from the 1970s and 1980s, Roy and Zhores Medvedev will provide much new detail and nuance. It may be tempting from afar to disparage their ‘loyal dissent’, but Barbara Martin reminds us that they carved out this position at great personal risk to their family and themselves. For those who have not followed their more recent story, however, the book will provide a sobering perspective on the value of a loyal Russian opposition.”
— Ethan Pollock, Times Literary Supplement
“Historian Barbara Martin has written a compelling dual biography of brothers Zhores and Roy Medvedev, who gained fame for their ‘dissident’ writings in the late Soviet period even as they advocated for the reform of socialism not its abandonment. Martin traces their respective careers, deftly summarizes their prolific writings, and shows how they navigated pressure from the state and rebutted critiques from the regime’s more radical opponents. This study is particularly valuable for its meticulous and judicious delineation of differences among Soviet era non-conformists. Martin also analyzes Roy Medvedev’s turn toward writing laudatory biographies of Nazarbaev, Lukashenko, and Putin.”
— Dr. Kathleen Smith, Professor of Teaching, Georgetown University
Dr. Barbara Martin is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Basel, Switzerland. Her historical research, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, focuses on Soviet dissent and the religious revival in late Soviet Russia. She is the author of Dissident Histories in the Soviet Union: From De-Stalinization to Perestroika (Bloomsbury, 2019).
List of Illustrations
List of Abbreviations
Note on Archives
Introduction
Chapter 1. A Youth in Stalin’s Shadow
Chapter 2. A Crusade in Soviet Biology
Chapter 3. Stalin Is No More
Chapter 4. Making Sense of Stalinism
Chapter 5. Rebellious Intelligentsia
Chapter 6. A Question of Madness
Chapter 7. New Threats
Chapter 8. Into Exile
Chapter 9. Carving a “Third Way” in the Cold War
Chapter 10. Solzhenitsyn: The End of a Friendship
Chapter 11. Finding and Losing Political Allies
Chapter 12. Under the KGB’s Watch
Chapter 13. Andropov’s Protection
Chapter 14. The Nuclear Threat
Chapter 15. The Rise and Fall of Gorbachev’s Socialist Democracy
Chapter 16. The End of the Soviet Order
Chapter 17. Praising the Strong Rulers