Russian History

Description

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.

Reviews

recommend[ed] to everyone who is eager to get an insight view into Russian, Soviet and post-Soviet history of the (until now) biggest country in Eurasia. * Zaur Gasimov, Jahrbucher fur Geschichte Osteuropas * A beautifully written volume ... Hosking gives us significant details and real insight * Spectator * Hosking is a master storyteller * The Week *

Author description

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 & 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