Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
This lucid account of Russian and Soviet history presents major trends and events from Kievan Rus' to Vladimir Putin's presidency in the twenty-first century.
Directly addressing controversial topics, the book looks at issues such as the impact of the Mongol conquest, the paradoxes of Peter the Great, the "inevitability" of the 1917 Revolution, the Stalinist terror, and the Gorbachev reform effort. This new ninth edition has been updated to include a discussion of Russian participation in the Donbass War in Donbass eastern Ukraine, Russia's role in the recent Syrian civil war, the rise of opposition figure Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin's confirmation as "president for life," recent Russian relations with the United States, NATO, and the European Union as well as contemporary social and cultural trends. Distinguished by its brevity and supplemented with substantially updated suggested readings that feature new scholarship on Russia, this essential text provides balanced coverage of all periods of Russian history and incorporates economic, social, and cultural developments as well as politics and foreign policy.
Suitable for undergraduates as well as the general reader with an interest in Russia, this text is a concise, single volume on one of the world's most significant lands.