Books from the In Brief series of Books for Busy People
Books from the In Brief series of Books for Busy People
Lecturer, and author of the In Brief series of Books for Busy People
Lecturer, and author of the In Brief series of Books for Busy People
Lecturer, and author of the In Brief series of Books for Busy People
Russia has recently marked one hundred years since the 1917 Russian Revolution and the overthrow of the Romanov Dynasty. Seventy-four years of Soviet rule followed, until 1991, when the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) was dissolved.
It could be said that the Soviet experiment was simply a blip in the long history of the Russian people. But how, or why did the blip happen? More
significantly, is the blip slowly being forgotten, while people and events from Russia’s ‘glorious’ past are re-emerging into the Russian consciousness?
There are signs that this may be the case. Joseph Stalin has been brought in from the cold and a monument to Vladimir the Great has been erected outside the Kremlin. Even a monument of Ivan the Terrible has been unveiled on the grounds that through his expansionist policies he increased Russia’s territory. And the Russian Orthodox Church has been reinstated, not only as a moral force but also as a supporter of the Russian State.
This book is an attempt to look back at Russian history and to try and discover why these particular rulers are so relevant today. Perhaps it might then be possible to identify those characteristics, traits and trends that not only survived the Soviet period, but re-emerged as strong as ever.
Starting with Rurik, the founder of the Kievan Rus’, the book includes the Mongol Invasions, the Dukes of Muscovy, the Romanovs and Revolution. The final Chapter covers the Soviet period and the Epilogue reflects on the current Presidency of Vladimir Putin.
As with other books in the ‘In Brief’ series, this book is aimed at the general reader who wants to understand a particular historical topic but does not have the time or inclination to read a heavy academic tome. With this mind, footnotes have been omitted.
While there will inevitably be gaps in a book of this size, the intention is to cover the most significant events that moulded Russian history. Should the reader be inspired to further reading on the subject, a small selection of the main works that have been consulted is provided at the end.
Where possible, maps and charts are provided which should help the reader navigate through the text. A ‘Who’s Who and What’s What’ is included at the end.
It always helps to refresh oneself with world history, but that is often a big task. These books do a great job of skimming the wave tops, and are very readable.
January 2019
Another excellent addition to Anne Davison's series, 'In Brief: Books for Busy People'. As another reviewer has said, Anne has managed to condense centuries of Russian history in a readable account and tops it off by providing a context for recent issues regarding Russian involvement in UK and US. A must read for anyone interested in this area, and given Trump, Salisbury and Brexit, who cannot be. October 2018
What a clever book. Somehow the author has managed to condense all of Russian history - from the 9th century right through to the current situation in March 2018 - without reading like a boring list of events, but also without missing any of the key details. Including a very useful summary of who's who and what's what at the very end, if you're looking for something to tell you how Russia - and the countries surrounding her - got to where they are today, you won't go far wrong with this little book. March 2018
