A Concise History of Russia

Description

Accessible to students, tourists, and general readers alike, this book provides a broad overview of Russian history since the ninth century. Paul Bushkovitch emphasizes the enormous changes in the understanding of Russian history resulting from the end of the Soviet Union in 1991. Since then, new material has come to light on the history of the Soviet era, providing new conceptions of Russia's pre-revolutionary past. The book traces not only the political history of Russia, but also developments in its literature, art, and science. Bushkovitch describes well-known cultural figures, such as Chekhov, Tolstoy, and Mendeleev in their institutional and historical contexts. Though the 1917 revolution, the resulting Soviet system, and the Cold War were a crucial part of Russian and world history, Bushkovitch presents earlier developments as more than just a prelude to Bolshevik power. Cover A Concise History of Russia CAMBRIDGE CONCISE HISTORIES Title Copyright CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ABBREVIATIONS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS PROLOGUE 1 Russia before Russia 2 Moscow, Novgorod, Lithuania, and the Mongols 3 The Emergence of Russia 4 Consolidation and Revolt 5 Peter the Great 6 Two Empresses 7 Catherine the Great 8 Russia in the Age of Revolution 9 The Pinnacle of Autocracy 10 Culture and Autocracy 11 The Era of the Great Reforms 12 From Serfdom to Nascent Capitalism 13 The Golden Age of Russian Culture 14 Russia as an Empire 15 Autocracy in Decline 16 War and Revolution 17 Compromise and Preparation 18 Revolutions in Russian Culture 19 Building Utopia 20 War 21 Growth, Consolidation, and Stagnation 22 Soviet Culture 23 The Cold War EPILOGUE: The End of the USSR FURTHER READING RUS AND EARLY RUSSIA THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY FROM THE GREAT REFORMS TO 1917 ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, AND RELIGIOUS HISTORY FOREIGN POLICY AND EMPIRE THE SOVIET ERA DOCUMENTARY COLLECTIONS THE WAR THE COLD WAR AND THE END OF THE USSR CULTURE INDEX