Sometimes, to build a new world, you must first burn the old one down. Only then can you sift through the ashes and plant the seeds of change. In October 1917, a firebrand by the name of Vladimir Lenin unleashed a revolution in the seething streets of Petrograd that would change Russia and the blood-soaked lands beyond its borders forever more. However, the birth of the USSR did not herald the dawn of a communist utopia, the stated goal of Lenin and his followers. Instead, it ushered in a new age of secrecy, suspicion and widespread technological advancement. So how did this superstate controlled through suppression and terror come to create groundbreaking inventions, send the first artificial satellite into space and produce literary and cinematic icons? How was it able to survive the ravages of civil and global wars and stand toe-to-toe with America? And why did this once indestructible colossus collapse like a house of cards in 1991? The answers to these vital questions await you in the following pages. Prepare to explore the shadows of a state where the truth won’t set you free and nothing is quite what it seems.