Synopses & Reviews
Spanning the divide between Europe and Asia, Russia is a multi-ethnic empire with a huge territory, strategically placed and abundantly provided with natural resources. But Russia's territory has a harsh climate, is cut off from most maritime contact with the outside world, and has open and vulnerable land frontiers. It has therefore had to devote much of its wealth to the armed forces, and the sheer size of the empire has made it difficult to mobilise resources and to govern effectively, especially given the diversity of its people.
In this Very Short Introduction, Geoffrey Hosking discusses all aspects of Russian history, from the struggle by the state to control society, the transformation of the empire into a multi-ethnic empire, Russia's relationship with the West/Europe, the Soviet experience, and the post-Soviet era.
Synopsis
Russia's sheer size has made it difficult to mobilize resources and to govern effectively, especially given its harsh climate, vast and vulnerable borders, and the diversity of its people. In this Very Short Introduction, Geoffrey Hosking discusses all aspects of Russian history, from the struggle by the state to control society to the transformation of the nation into a multi-ethnic empire, Russia's relations with the West, and the post-Soviet era. Hosking, a leading international authority, examines Russian history in an impartial way, arguing that "Good Russia" and "Bad Russia" are one and the same. He also evaluates important individuals in Russian history, from Peter the Great and Catherine II to Lenin and Stalin.
About the Author
Geoffrey Hosking was formerly Professor of Russian History at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, UCL from 1984 to 2007. He has written numerous books including
Beyond Socialist Realism (Holmes and Meier, 1980),
A History of the Soviet Union (Fontana Press, 1992),
Russia and the Russians (Penguin, 2001), and
Trust: money, markets, and society (Calcultta and London, 2010). He is a Fellow of the British Academy.
Table of Contents
Introduction 1. Kievan Rus and the Mongols
2. The Formation of the Muscovite state
3. The Russian Empire and Europe
4. The Responsibilities and dangers of Empire
5. Reform and revolution
6. The Soviet Union's turbulent rise
7. The Soviet Union: triumph, decline and fall
Chronology
Further Reading
Glossary